The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: September 17, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 398
ISBN: 978-1455520657

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. 

My Thoughts

Well Mr. Sparks, you've done it again.  His novels will always be beloved by me, and there is nothing he can do wrong.  Except casting Miley Cyrus in a movie.  Yet again, this is such a beautiful love story - but in a way that is new.  This (I believe) is the first time he has told two stories within a story that were completely unrelated - but they worked. 

I found myself more drawn to the story of Luke and Sophia, mainly because I'm a softy for new love.  Ira's story was told more in flashbacks about his life with his now deceased wife.  Both were beautiful and heartfelt, and of course I shed a few tears.  It just wouldn't be a Nicholas Sparks novel without them.  The only negative aspect of the book would be the ending.  I felt that it seemed a bit rushed and was just kind of wham bam the end.  I would have liked to see what happened next, maybe could have used another 100 pages.  But maybe I just smell a sequel? 

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.