Plot: 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.
Rating: 6.5/10
Well, that synopsis basically told you about the entire story line. Anyway, I’m really glad I read this. It was the lightheartest (word?) form of fun that you could ever hope for and as unrealistic as you could ever find on a bookshelf, but it is worth a read.
Why? Well, I had to, after putting it on this list and watching the movie. The movie and book has some differences, but as usual, both are able to get along fine. Which is better? I don’t know. I usually pick the book, but Sparks can be really whiney at times and that frustrates me endlessly. The Longest Ride keeps it on a tolerable level, but there are moments were I still thought that no one would ever utter such nonsense.
Sophia Danko is the beautiful girl with brains, personality and depth. Completely plausible naturally. Luke was as unbelievable as his counterpart, in touch with his feelings and beautiful and everything. Sigh. It also has a light form of a villain, a best and backstabbing friend, with lots of romance and dramas.
The book is quite long and gets laborious at certain points, and there were times that I just wanted it to end.
I guess you all can see I’m very uninspired at this point, but the book was a good enough read and definitely some of the better that Sparks has penned in later years.
Have you read the book? Watched the movie? What did you think?
Life of this city girl 
I have neither watched nor read this, and do not plan to. I am glad you have done it though 🙂 Sparks really sounds like… not my cup of tea.
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