Audiobook Review: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Published: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Format: via Hachette Audio
Challenges: 2015 Audio Book Challenge

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

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.

My Thoughts

This is one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks reads of all time! This was also my first venture into audiobooks and not knowing what I was in for I must say I was very pleased. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate but it was actually the opposite, I wasn’t able to let go. I loved that it was a dual story of sorts, the story of Ira and Ruth then the story of Sophia and Luke. Both are opposite stories but the bottom line is of course love. I also enjoyed how you never knew how the stories would come together until the very end. Not knowing made it so worth it because I truly became invested in all the characters. I personally felt this one was one of Nicholas Starks’s best stories in a while. While I love all his books I felt that some past reads were the same old stories recycled over and over. However with this one it is different and such a breath of fresh air this one reminds me why I fell in love with Nicholas Sparks books!

You will fall in love with both couples for different reasons each one showing us what love is all about and how real love should be. You will be taken on a journey that not will only touch your heart but also your soul. I was lucky enough to listen to the audio books and I loved everything about it. The voices of Ron McLarty and January LaVoy really brought the characters alive. They sucked me in and I couldn’t get enough of the story. The story will soon be brought to life to the big screen and while I know many books lose a lot in the transformation but I’m hoping the true essence of the book will come across. Not to mention I’m really feeling the chemistry of the film’s stars Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood. So do yourself a favor and read then watch the movie, Nicholas Sparks has blessed us once again with the tale of love and loss and no one does it better than he does.