The Longest Ride

Nicholas Sparks

Sep 2013 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this ebook

From the dark days of WWII to present-day North Carolina, this New York Times bestseller shares the lives of two couples overcoming destructive secrets -- and finding joy together.

Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes 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 bull-riding event, 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.

Ratings and reviews

I'm trying to figure out how this book got such great reviews. It was so painfully slow that I stopped watching paint dry, I mean, forcing myself to finish it at Chapter 18. I skimmed through the remaining chapters in about 10 minutes to understand the ending/climax/purpose, but was still not impressed. This was my first N. Sparks story, and it may be my last...

Beautiful story of "true" long lasting, life enduring love! The beautiful letters Ira wrote to his wife, letting her know, on paper, forever, how much he so loved her. A lost art! I loved reading how much Daniel loved Ruth and had painted her portrait when he was a child and with Ruth's love, he did something with his life. It wasn't hard to guess who things were going to come together in the ending though, but that's okay. I purchased it online on Friday evening and finished Wednesday. It was hard to stop, always is with Spark's books!

For those saying this was a slow book to follow, a fine wine is meant to be sipped not chugged. The characters were well introduced and the stories of both couples could have been books on their own, they were just that good! The ending was unexpected but tied everything beautifully together. I'm excited to see how the movie turns out; interested to see if Clint Eastwood's son can pull off the role of Luke Collins...fingers crossed!

About the author

With over 100 million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. His novels include sixteen #1 New York Times bestsellers, and all of his books, including Three Weeks with My Brother, the memoir he wrote with his brother, Micah, have been New York Times and international bestsellers, and were translated into more than fifty languages. Eleven of Nicholas Sparks's novels -- The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle -- have been adapted into major motion pictures.