The bestselling love story behind the massive Hollywood film
Two couples. Two love stories. One epic tale.
Ninety-one-year-old Ira Levinson is in trouble. Struggling to stay conscious after a car crash, an image of his adored – and long-dead – wife Ruth appears. Urging him to hang on, she lovingly recounts the joys and sorrows of their life together – how they met, the dark days of WWII and its unrelenting effect on their families.
A few miles away, college student Sophia Danko’s life is about to change. Recovering from a break-up, she meets the young, rugged Luke and is thrown into a world far removed from her privileged school life. Sophia sees a new and tantalising future for herself, but Luke is keeping a secret that could destroy it all.
Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples, separated by years and experience, whose lives are about to converge in the most unexpected – and shocking – of ways.
This is only the second Nicholas Sparks book that I’ve read but it reminded me that I must read more of his back catalogue and watch the film adaptions of his books! I really enjoyed, The Longest Ride and the two love stories within it had me gripped. This is the type of epic romance that Nicholas Sparks is famous for and in The Longest Ride he gets it spot on.
There are two stories in the book; the first tells of the lifetime of love between Ira and Ruth. As Ira lies badly hurt and trapped in his car following an accident he recalls the significant moments of his life with his true love Ruth. As Ira flashed back to the moment he met Ruth, his courtship of her and their life together I was fully drawn into their story and loved reading about their relationship and its ups and downs. Ira is 91 and a character that can only be described as a true gentleman – I loved his charm and thoughtfulness and enjoyed the history contained in his memories.
In the present, university student Sophia has just ended a disappointing relationship and isn’t really looking for a new one but when she meets rancher Luke at a bull riding event there’s an instant spark between them. Mr Sparks is a true romantic and I loved the development of Sophia and Luke’s relationship. The stories run in parallel for the majority of the book and the question of how they would combine, Ira’s quest and the significance of the two different couples kept me turning the pages and fully engrossed.
There are many parallels between the two stories and couples taking in themes of immigration, family and of course love. When the big reveal finally happened I was as surprised as the characters and I thought the ending was perfect. With moments that will make you swoon and 0thers that were simply heartbreaking, The Longest Ride is an all consuming love story and showcases Nicholas Sparks talents at their best. I’m now very eager to see the film adaption of the book!
5/5
The Longest Ride is out now in paperback and ebook formats. I’d like to thank the publisher fro providing a review copy of this novel.
Find out more about Nicholas Sparks and his writing at: http://uk.nicholassparks.com/
