The Longest Ride
by Nicholas Sparks
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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 show more 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. show less
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JenniferRobb Both have a bull rider who's been injured after being thrown during a ride and both bull riders are intent on getting back into the ring.
JenniferRobb Similar dynamic of an older couple and a younger couple. Similar tone.
Member Reviews
The thing that sucked most about this book is that it could not be set in any other country because no other country forces their citizens to go into poverty in order to stay alive -- socialized medicine is a real thing that works and if America had it, this book could not have been written.
So, long story short ...
This is a great fluff book for a quick vacation read -- there are easy places within the book to pause and do something else but the storyline still makes you want to come back and see how things progress. When I was about half way through, I thought I had the storyline mapped out and was pleasantly surprised by the twist, which kept things interesting (but, again, that twist would not have worked in any other country).
It's show more also super helpful if you remember that 20 year olds are incredibly stupid and it is a work of fiction ...
Adrianne show less
So, long story short ...
This is a great fluff book for a quick vacation read -- there are easy places within the book to pause and do something else but the storyline still makes you want to come back and see how things progress. When I was about half way through, I thought I had the storyline mapped out and was pleasantly surprised by the twist, which kept things interesting (but, again, that twist would not have worked in any other country).
It's show more also super helpful if you remember that 20 year olds are incredibly stupid and it is a work of fiction ...
Adrianne show less
So this story starts off with a man named Ira he is married to a girl named Ruth. Ruth passed away years ago. Ira is trying to go up to their cabin in a snow storm. Ira loses control of the vehicle winds up in a ditch for a few days. Because of the snow storm. Then we come into the point of view of Sophia she is a college senior, she is a sorority girl. Which she doesn't act like one at all. She is trying to finish college and get a job in the museum industry. The POV of Luke. He is a cowboy. A bull rider. He works on farm that is going under. He rides bulls now to pay for him and his moms farm that is going under. That pretty much sums up the story without giving too much away.
I instantly fell in love with these characters. These show more people in this book were just so easy to love. So easy to read. Which I feel like all of Nicolas Sparks books are like that. I felt so bad for Ira he was in a car for 3 days trying to survive the storm. He did his best to try and survive, he sees his dead wife in the seat next to him. So he is pretty delirious. That is just a horrible experience. I felt so so bad for him.
I loved Luke and Sophia together. They are just so different from each other. I love how they somehow came together and found a connection to each other. These characters are just so easy to fall in love with. Their story together it gets rough and hard. With the fact that Luke is having trouble with the farm and what he goes through. Which he goes through alot. He overcomes a lot in this book. But together I loved their relationship.
The ending of this story was just so beautiful. I thought something different would happen. I am glad I was surprised when I didn't know the ending. But I love how all 3 characters came together. How they all found each other. This ending is perfect to me. show less
I instantly fell in love with these characters. These show more people in this book were just so easy to love. So easy to read. Which I feel like all of Nicolas Sparks books are like that. I felt so bad for Ira he was in a car for 3 days trying to survive the storm. He did his best to try and survive, he sees his dead wife in the seat next to him. So he is pretty delirious. That is just a horrible experience. I felt so so bad for him.
I loved Luke and Sophia together. They are just so different from each other. I love how they somehow came together and found a connection to each other. These characters are just so easy to fall in love with. Their story together it gets rough and hard. With the fact that Luke is having trouble with the farm and what he goes through. Which he goes through alot. He overcomes a lot in this book. But together I loved their relationship.
The ending of this story was just so beautiful. I thought something different would happen. I am glad I was surprised when I didn't know the ending. But I love how all 3 characters came together. How they all found each other. This ending is perfect to me. show less
My reading tastes have changed over the year but I still love a Nicholas Sparks novel. If an author makes me care about what happens to the people in his book, he has done his job. This book is touching, as you follow two couples to their inevitable meeting.
I'll be forthright. The reason I gave the book 3 stars is because I kept comparing it to the book......and I liked the movie better.
Did I say that? A librarian admitting that she liked the movie of something better?!
So much of the book was as I expected. Luke and Sophia. The rodeo cowboy and the art history student. People from different worlds coming together. Then there is Ira and Ruth--their love story in the 40's. The pain and sorrows they went through because their love endured
Things in the book NOT in the film: Sophia's ex-boyfriend and her roommate. Really I felt there was not much added to the plot with their characters. Granted it was how Sophia and Luke had their "meet cute" (Luke stepping in to help Sophia). Luke's mom was show more more of a presence as was the background of the ranch. I did LOVE that.
In the book, Ira spends most of the time seeing visions and recollecting memories of Ruth. There is barely any interaction between him and Sophia, which is a precious relationship in the film. I found myself missing it.
Still, I wanted something heartwarming and sappy. Nicholas Sparks always fills that order! show less
Did I say that? A librarian admitting that she liked the movie of something better?!
So much of the book was as I expected. Luke and Sophia. The rodeo cowboy and the art history student. People from different worlds coming together. Then there is Ira and Ruth--their love story in the 40's. The pain and sorrows they went through because their love endured
Things in the book NOT in the film: Sophia's ex-boyfriend and her roommate. Really I felt there was not much added to the plot with their characters. Granted it was how Sophia and Luke had their "meet cute" (Luke stepping in to help Sophia). Luke's mom was show more more of a presence as was the background of the ranch. I did LOVE that.
In the book, Ira spends most of the time seeing visions and recollecting memories of Ruth. There is barely any interaction between him and Sophia, which is a precious relationship in the film. I found myself missing it.
Still, I wanted something heartwarming and sappy. Nicholas Sparks always fills that order! show less
I might be the odd woman out here, but I really hated the way two stories were intertwined.
I feel as though each could have been it's own book and while both charming, I have never been a fan of books that flip flop between stories. Just as I was falling in love with Luke and Sophia it flipped to Ira and Ruth.
Luke and Sophia's story is a modern day love story - my type. While Ira and Ruth was set in the past and is being told through Ira's memories. If these were separated, I would have given Luke and Sophia 4.5 out of 5 stars and Ira and Ruth 3 out of 5.
I feel as though each could have been it's own book and while both charming, I have never been a fan of books that flip flop between stories. Just as I was falling in love with Luke and Sophia it flipped to Ira and Ruth.
Luke and Sophia's story is a modern day love story - my type. While Ira and Ruth was set in the past and is being told through Ira's memories. If these were separated, I would have given Luke and Sophia 4.5 out of 5 stars and Ira and Ruth 3 out of 5.
Book on CD narrated by Ron McLarty and January LaVoy
2.5**
Two love stories converge on a snowy mountainside. Ira Levinson, age 90 , recalls the love he and his wife, Ruth had over their courtship and marriage, from the Great Depression to the present. In current time, Sophia, a senior at Wake Forest University studying art history, is getting over a broken heart when she meets local rancher and bull-rider, Luke Collins. Luke works his family’s ranch with his mother, and rides bulls on the circuit, hoping the prize money will help them stave off foreclosure.
Okay, I knew going in that this would be a romance, somewhat maudlin, and intended to produce tears. I basically got what I expected, though I didn’t shed any tears. I found the show more story line predictable, with plot twists that are intended to manipulate the reader’s emotions. I did like the central characters, though I found some of the dialogue and description painfully clichéd. That being said, however, Sparks does a good job of writing entertaining romance novels. And this is no exception. It was a fast, easy read.
Ron McLarty (voicing Ira & Ruth’s story), and January LaVoy (narrating Sophia & Luke’s) did a good job performing the audio version. They have good pacing and skill as voice artists, though I did wonder why another male narrator wasn’t chosen for those chapters told from Luke’s point of view. My pet peeve though is that the audio included a little musical interlude between tracks. Totally unnecessary, and I found that irritating. show less
2.5**
Two love stories converge on a snowy mountainside. Ira Levinson, age 90 , recalls the love he and his wife, Ruth had over their courtship and marriage, from the Great Depression to the present. In current time, Sophia, a senior at Wake Forest University studying art history, is getting over a broken heart when she meets local rancher and bull-rider, Luke Collins. Luke works his family’s ranch with his mother, and rides bulls on the circuit, hoping the prize money will help them stave off foreclosure.
Okay, I knew going in that this would be a romance, somewhat maudlin, and intended to produce tears. I basically got what I expected, though I didn’t shed any tears. I found the show more story line predictable, with plot twists that are intended to manipulate the reader’s emotions. I did like the central characters, though I found some of the dialogue and description painfully clichéd. That being said, however, Sparks does a good job of writing entertaining romance novels. And this is no exception. It was a fast, easy read.
Ron McLarty (voicing Ira & Ruth’s story), and January LaVoy (narrating Sophia & Luke’s) did a good job performing the audio version. They have good pacing and skill as voice artists, though I did wonder why another male narrator wasn’t chosen for those chapters told from Luke’s point of view. My pet peeve though is that the audio included a little musical interlude between tracks. Totally unnecessary, and I found that irritating. show less
Perhaps it wasn't the best choice to start reading [b:The Longest Ride|17407748|The Longest Ride|Nicholas Sparks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367536453s/17407748.jpg|24248331] immediately after [b:The Brothers Karamazov|4934|The Brothers Karamazov|Fyodor Dostoyevsky|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427728126s/4934.jpg|3393910]... Compared to [a:Fyodor Dostoyevsky|3137322|Fyodor Dostoyevsky|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1435749299p2/3137322.jpg], [a:Nicholas Sparks|2345|Nicholas Sparks|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1332884095p2/2345.jpg]' story felt as thin as air.
Stuff just happens and nobody really cares. There's a total lack of internal thoughts or dilemma's. The whole thing read more like a movie script than a novel.
Overly show more simplistic, too predictable and just plain average love stories.
I loved the movie The Notebook (perhaps for exactly the same reasons), but for The Longest Ride, a book really is underutilised a medium to contain it in.
Disappointment from the first to the last page. :-( show less
Stuff just happens and nobody really cares. There's a total lack of internal thoughts or dilemma's. The whole thing read more like a movie script than a novel.
Overly show more simplistic, too predictable and just plain average love stories.
I loved the movie The Notebook (perhaps for exactly the same reasons), but for The Longest Ride, a book really is underutilised a medium to contain it in.
Disappointment from the first to the last page. :-( show less
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Nicholas Sparks was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on New Year's Eve, 1965. As a child, he lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California when he was eight. In 1984, he received a full scholarship to run track and field for the University of Notre Dame. Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, show more The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and spent 56 weeks on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list followed by another 54 weeks on the paperback list. Sparks has had a string of New York Times bestsellers including: A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Guardian, The Wedding, True Believer and its sequel, At First Sight, Dear John, The Choice, The Last Song, Safe Haven, The Best of Me, See Me, The Longest Ride, and Two by Two. The Choice will become his eleventh film adaptation. Sparks is involved in many local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. Along with his wife, he founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina and the Nicholas Sparks Foundation. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- La risposta è nelle stelle
- Original title
- The Longest Ride
- Original publication date
- 2013
- People/Characters
- Ira Levinson; Ruth Levinson; David McCallum; Luke Collins; Sophia Danko; Marcia (show all 8); Linda Collins; Howie
- Important places
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; North Carolina, USA; Asheville, North Carolina, USA; New Jersey, USA
- Related movies
- The Longest Ride (2015 | IMDb)
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the book; do not combine with the movie. Thanks.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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