The Longest Ride

As a lover of Nicholas Sparks, this book makes it to the top 5 of my favorite books by him. Two different love stories, Ira and Ruth and Sophia and Luke, they’re strangers until they’re not. Ira lost Ruth 9 years ago and is holding on to all he has left of her, her love for air and the letters he wrote her, starting the day they met. Luke is a professional bull rider and Sophia is college student, solely focused on her studies and about to accept an internship in New York, until she meets Luke.

As a lover of Nicholas Sparks, this book makes it to the top 5 of my favorite books by him. Two different love stories, Ira and Ruth and Sophia and Luke, they’re strangers until they’re not. Ira lost Ruth 9 years ago and is holding on to all he has left of her, her love for air and the letters he wrote her, starting the day they met. Luke is a professional bull rider and Sophia is college student, solely focused on her studies and about to accept an internship in New York, until she meets Luke.

So I bought this book ages ago in the UK, I then saw it on the library shelf, and thought, I can keep my copy perfect and read this instead, I was glad I did as the library copy had images of the movie in it, I have watched the movie, its one of my favourite, Snuggle up to cry/laugh and cuddle my hubby movies.Even watching the movie, Ira touched my heart, the films totally different to the book, in the book Ira became entrenched in my heart, to the extent that I was choked up or crying or laughing as I read the journey of his life and devotion to Ruth, his wife.I mean its hard to say that a ninety-one years old Ira captured my heart more than the hunky bull rider, but he did.Maybe its because I am nearing my birthday again, but I think maybe its because #NicholasSparks just made Ruth and Ira's relationship magical. Now the film kept the bones of this tale the same, but obviously focused more on the young couple and in the book Ira is stranded for what seems a lot longer than I remember in the fim.The scenes where while he struggles to retain consciousness and rescue, or death...his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago appears and gives him the strength to hang on, the pages of the pair recollecting their lifetime together - well they were gripping.Now our modern couple are a pair that are such a mismatch, but fate has other ideas...The character read quite similar to the film, as did luke.our College senior, Sophia Danko meets young cowboy Luke, and maybe because these characters are so similar to the portrayal on the fim that may be why they did not seem as deep as the older couple? I am not sure, but I did enjoy the deeper look into their lives as you can only get through reading Luke has a lot on his plate with his recovery from his serious injuries and now so much riding on his successful return to Bull riding, life and death – loom large.When these two stories finally intersect I was a bit disappointed that it was such a brief moment, I guess the visual emotion garnered by making more of this point in the film probably spoilt this moment for me, but I loved reading the letter from Ira to Ruth.Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke, separated by years and experience. I think that the emotion of a love that is nearing its ending probably has more emotional effect than the love that is just beginning its journey, but even so this book makes you think about where you are, how you have loved, and are loved, and I will say it made me remember to appreciate those little things my darling husband does for me.I am eternally grateful that I met my unlikely soulmate so young. And also for the talented authors who write books such as this to remind us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.SO thanks Nicholas for being an eternal romantic and I look forward to reading more of your books not just watching the films!