The Longest Ride: Booktrack Edition

By: Nicholas Sparks

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, January LaVoy

In the tradition of his beloved first novel, The Notebook, number one New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks returns with the remarkable story of two couples whose lives intersect in profound and surprising ways.

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.

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.

Booktrack editions are essentially a new genre of digital storytelling entertainment. Music and ambient audio are added to complement and enhance the audiobook experience. It is a synchronized movie-style soundtrack that complements the narration of existing audiobooks; the tempo and rhythm of the score harmonize with action, dialogue and the characters' emotional arcs.

©2013 Nicholas Sparks (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Loved it!!

I have yet to read a book by Nicholas Sparks that I DON'T LOVE!!! He 8s an amazing author!

Breathtaking

The way the two couples, decades apart become one is totally beautiful. I loved this book and at some points had me in tears. If you believe that we meet certain people for a reason then this book is for you.

Great

Enjoyed listening to this book very much. I recommend it wholeheartedly and will look for other publications.

Nicholas Sparks

There has not been a book or movie from Nicholas Sparks that has not given me such a wonderful, good feeling about love, life & family. I have to admit that as I read the two story lines in The Longest Ride, I could not for the life of me see how the wonderful man's life story with the love of his life; the terrible car accident would ever blend into such a wonderful heart warming story of leaving his fortune to a couple in need. This changed their life. I haven't missed many of Spark's books, and all have left me loving the story and enjoying the reading.

A Something to Shoot For Book

It seems to me that lasting love is not impossible if one has the will for it. I have Loved the same man for 57 yeArs of ups and downs.. Finding myself smiling a lot in tender moments, I would have to categorize this book as a supremely romantic summer read with a clever and wise juxtaposition of two very different couples.
I don’t normally read romance novels, but this one was a delightful change of pace from my normal interests. Parts of it seemed a little long, but it filled a lot of driving and chore time as an audio book. The narrator was pleasant as well. I would only recommend it to people who like to think about what they value in life.

Another original Story

Very well written, the story held my interest to the end. The presentation was excellent. The readers performances kept the characters alive and believable. They were excellent. The author wove a story that was magnificent. Nicolas Sparks does not disappoint.

Worth it!

This is one of his best books. If you’ve seen the movie and thought it was good, well the book is 100 times better.

Grab the tissues!

Loved it! Exquisitely narrated! Nicholas Sparks knocks another one out of the ball park. Hope the movie can live up to the book

So heartwarming l!

I absolutely loved it! Found myself crying at The letters he wrote to Ruth and she wrote to him. So very heartwarming.

Good old love

In his usual beautiful style, Nicholas Sparks intertwines two love stories to create this gentle, at times soapy, novel. The audio book was professionally done, with the voices perfectly matching the main characters' voices, especially the one of the old Ira's. I found the constant background music a bit annoying. The background music might have been a trend in the audio book industry ten years ago, but I don't think it added anything to the already nice production.