Book Review: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Longest Ride
Author: Nicholas Spark
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Mild
Source: personal shelf
Published: September 17, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

Nicholas Sparks is on my auto-read list. He writes it, I read it. I don’t even have to read the blurb, which was the case with The Longest Ride. This book tells the tale of two love stories that intertwined in such a unique way. I wasn't sure where the author was going until I reached the end but I loved how it all came together. The connection was a bit predictable but what happens with that connection was so touching, it gave me chills.

The reader is taken back in time as Ira and Ruth’s lives unfold. Ira and Ruth have a beautiful story. My favorite part was the story behind their anniversaries and the paintings. Ira was such a great man. Then there is Luke and Sophia, who are the younger couple whose relationship is just starting to blossom. I loved how all four of their lives come together. Even the book’s title is symbolic in both stories, each in its own unique way. I sobbed so many times. 

Brianna’s Rating:

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