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The Longest Ride  By  cover art

The Longest Ride

By: Nicholas Sparks
Narrated by: Ron McLarty, January LaVoy
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Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Romance, 2014

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At 91 years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus 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 rodeo, 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.

©2013 Nicholas Sparks (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Featured Article: 10 Outstanding Contemporary Fiction Authors for Fans of Nicholas Sparks


Nicholas Sparks is a bestselling and widely beloved author of contemporary fiction—23 novels and counting! His stories about complicated relationships, unexpected love, loss, sacrifice, and rediscovery are written in a descriptive, emotional, and earnest style. There’s no other author exactly like Sparks, but if you’ve already made your way through his catalog and you’re looking for more listens of similar appeal, here are 10 other fiction authors you might enjoy.

What listeners say about The Longest Ride

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wonderful

Could not stop listening. The way the two stories intertwined was amazing. Disappointed that it was over.

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wonderful story

I throughly enjoyed this story. I love all of Nicholas Sparks books. A wonderful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't stop listening until it was over, I could close my eyes and see everything unfold. I highly recommend this book 😊❤

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The Longest Ride

This book has become my favorite book of Nicholas Sparks so far. This book was about two love stories that were generations apart yet we’re destined to cross paths. I can usually figure out what’s going to happen before I finish a book but this one kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I will read it again and recommend it to my friends.

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One of My Favorite Nicholas Sparks Books

The Longest Ride is one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books. I've read the story and watched the movie multiple times through the years, but this was my first time listening to the audiobook. At over 13 hours, The Longest Ride is a longer audiobook, but those hours pass very quickly once you get pulled into the story.

The narration by Ron McLarty and January LaVoy is very well done. They didn't make me feel like I was being read to. Instead, I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. One of my favorite things about The Longest Ride is the dual romances of Ira and Ruth in the past and Luke and Sophia in the present. The narrators were perfect for telling the two different romances happening in two different time periods.

The only thing I didn't like about the audiobook is the tones that sound when switching from Ira/Ruth to Luke/Sophia. At the start of the book the tone plays for too long in my opinion. It is useful throughout the story for keeping track of which story line the next chapter is following, but I wish they had chosen a different tone to play.

If you're a fan of Nicholas Sparks books and audiobooks, then I highly recommend The Longest Ride audiobook. It helped me pass a few days at work quickly.

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It’s just a harlequin romance

I put six hours into this, waiting for… More. It’s just cheesy and flat. I mean, I seem to be in the minority here, so take that for what it’s worth, but I felt like this was just a really really really long version of a standard Harlequin romance in the writing style and everything. It’s not beautiful literature. It’s not thought provoking. The characters are not very complex. Just meh. So I’ve stopped listening at the six hour mark. I don’t know how it ends, but I assume Ira will go to be with his bride and be happy to do so, and I assume Luke and Sophia get together. The end. (I could be wrong).

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Love this story

I am a big fan but this is my favorite. the plot is so interesting and the ending is awesome!

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great from beginning to end!

The story was great from beginning to the very end and hard to put down!

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Past meets present

Excellent! 2 separate storylines and how they eventually converge. Love stories, heartache, obstacles to overcome. Love Nicholas sparks books. Very interesting read. Highly recommend it!

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Best Love Story Ever

This book was amazing and the people who read it out loud did a super job. I questioned why I bought but thought I would give it a chance and I was hooked within the first minute. The characters were so alive and the story line seemed so real. It had everything you could want in a book, love, romance, violence, scary, and so much more. A most definite book you need to listen to.

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Love!

As always Nicholas Sparks grabs at your heart strings. He takes you into the story and makes you feel whatever the characters are feeling. Sophia, Luke, Ruth, and Ira’s stories will live with you forever.

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