The Longest Ride: Book vs Movie
A couple months ago, I bought the movie, The Longest Ride. It is based off of a book by the same name, written by Nicholas Sparks. I had never read the book, nor any of his others before now. I've seen A Walk to Remember and heard all the hype for the The Notebook, but never felt compelled to explore his works. Honestly I only bought The Longest Ride, because I think Scott Eastwood is hot, and I am sucker for a guy in a cowboy hat.
Then I watched the movie and I loved it. I loved the chemistry between Luke (Scott Eastwood) and Sophia (Britt Robertson). I loved the southern North Carolina setting. But more than anything else, I loved the letters and memories of Ira Levinson (Alan Alda). His heart and the love he shared with his wife, taught not only Luke and Sophia, but the entire audience what true love really should look like.
I'm not going to lie. The movie made me cry, like seriously ugly cry. And that is a good thing. A good romance should make your heart ache and sore. Just like a good comedy should make you laugh and a horror movie should make you scared to turn off the lights. Good movies should make you feel. The Longest Ride made me feel like I wanted more.
So I bought the book. I downloaded it onto my kindle app and slowly started reading. It was good, but I wasn't drawn in right away. The book jumps more and is told from different viewpoints than the movie was. I found myself wondering when the lives of Luke and Sophia would finally converge with Ira's. It annoyed me until about halfway through the book.
At that point, I was sucked in. I didn't care that the book and the movie were quite different anymore. I was attached to all of the characters. I knew more about Sophia's past heartache than had been hinted at in the movie. I knew how close Luke and his mom were and why he was still riding after he got hurt. And just like with the movie, I wept at the beauty of Ira and Ruth's love story.
In the book, their story is not told through letters read by Sophia. Instead it is told through Ira's memories as he is stuck in his car after the accident. He talks to his wife while waiting for someone to find him. It is his memories of her and the life that they built that allow him to go on. And it is only fate and coincidence that bring Sophia and Luke into his life, not once but twice.
Watch the movie and enjoy a light-hearted romance that will entertain you for a couple hours. More importantly, read the book. The Longest Ride is a wonderful novel that will make you want to kiss your partner, curl up into one another's arms and remember how thankful you are to have one another. Because the best adventures are the ones you experience with those you love, and if you are anything like me, you wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than your person.
Happy reading.
Kristie
Then I watched the movie and I loved it. I loved the chemistry between Luke (Scott Eastwood) and Sophia (Britt Robertson). I loved the southern North Carolina setting. But more than anything else, I loved the letters and memories of Ira Levinson (Alan Alda). His heart and the love he shared with his wife, taught not only Luke and Sophia, but the entire audience what true love really should look like.
I'm not going to lie. The movie made me cry, like seriously ugly cry. And that is a good thing. A good romance should make your heart ache and sore. Just like a good comedy should make you laugh and a horror movie should make you scared to turn off the lights. Good movies should make you feel. The Longest Ride made me feel like I wanted more.
So I bought the book. I downloaded it onto my kindle app and slowly started reading. It was good, but I wasn't drawn in right away. The book jumps more and is told from different viewpoints than the movie was. I found myself wondering when the lives of Luke and Sophia would finally converge with Ira's. It annoyed me until about halfway through the book.
At that point, I was sucked in. I didn't care that the book and the movie were quite different anymore. I was attached to all of the characters. I knew more about Sophia's past heartache than had been hinted at in the movie. I knew how close Luke and his mom were and why he was still riding after he got hurt. And just like with the movie, I wept at the beauty of Ira and Ruth's love story.
In the book, their story is not told through letters read by Sophia. Instead it is told through Ira's memories as he is stuck in his car after the accident. He talks to his wife while waiting for someone to find him. It is his memories of her and the life that they built that allow him to go on. And it is only fate and coincidence that bring Sophia and Luke into his life, not once but twice.
Watch the movie and enjoy a light-hearted romance that will entertain you for a couple hours. More importantly, read the book. The Longest Ride is a wonderful novel that will make you want to kiss your partner, curl up into one another's arms and remember how thankful you are to have one another. Because the best adventures are the ones you experience with those you love, and if you are anything like me, you wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than your person.
Happy reading.
Kristie
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