Book Review: The Longest Ride

Synopsis:
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.

Image and synopsis via Goodreads

My Review:
Nicholas Sparks is a definite guilty pleasure. This one doesn't make my list of favorite Nicholas Sparks' books, but it wasn't bad either. I liked how the story switched back and forth between Ira's and Ruth's story and Luke's and Sophia's story. Books like that are hard to put down. I preferred Luke and Sophia to Ira and Ruth. I thought the ending was interesting and it was definitely classic, romantic Nicholas Sparks. There's not much else to say about it. It would be a great summer read if you haven't read it already.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

To me, the best thing about reading Nicholas Sparks' books now that I live in North Carolina is I have been to many of the places he mentions.

Places I have visited mentioned in The Longest Ride:

Grove Park Inn Asheville, NC

Outer Banks

Duke University Durham, NC

I have also been to Nicholas Sparks' house. Okay...so I haven't exactly "been to" his house. I took a river boat cruise that went by his house and I felt like a paparazzi snapping pictures like crazy.

 

Have you read anything good lately?