Book Review of The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks:
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love, quickly. Boy and girl can't be together, for whatever contrived reason. Their love transcends time and space. They eventually end up together.
That's the basic formula for Sparks' romance novels. He's published seventeen romance books. I repeat, SEVENTEEN. The man is like a sweat shop for lovey dovey books.
But. And this is a big but. Despite the formulaic nature of Sparks' writing, I--along with the entire female population--keep coming back for more.
I read The Longest Ride, published in 2013, on Valentine's Day. Suffice it to say the book met my romantic needs for the day.
Meet Sophia, an East Coast transplant going to school in North Carolina. Sophia is lovable in her simplicity. She's not overdone, making her so relatable to Sparks' demographic. And then there's Luke. A. real. life. cowboy. (Okay technically he rides bulls, but "bull rider" doesn't have the same romance to it.) Luke is sweet and intense and flawed. I can just picture his goofy grin. From the moment Sophia and Luke meet--when he saves her as any Knight in Shining Flannel would--their magnetism overpowers their differences. She's an art history major, destined to work in an office. He's destined for a farm life-slash-a nomadic, rugged outdoorsy life. I cannot get enough of this angsty, "will they, won't they?" love story!
As a special deal though, we get TWO couples for the price of one: Ira and Ruth, the type of couple that sets the bar for all couples. They met in the mid-20th century; their pure, unadulterated love and acceptance of one another stood the test of time. Over the years, Ira and Ruth cultivated a massive collection of contemporary art. This art provided a fortune, but more importantly it was the key to their happiness. But young couples grow old, and on a raw winter night, Ira finds himself trapped in a car wreck. The only thing that sustained him was his memories of now-departed Ruth--who needs water and basic nutrients when you have love?
Sparks weaves these two stories together in a way only he can. His writing is honest and follows the natural flow of the characters. However, the Nicholas Sparks Experience is not for everyone. I like knowing I can expect a happy ending. I like the mushy gushy as well as the pitfalls that come with earnest love. What can I say... I guess I live vicariously through his books.
PS: The Longest Ride is coming out as a movie in April. Bring the tissues (and hellooo, handsome)!
That's the basic formula for Sparks' romance novels. He's published seventeen romance books. I repeat, SEVENTEEN. The man is like a sweat shop for lovey dovey books.
But. And this is a big but. Despite the formulaic nature of Sparks' writing, I--along with the entire female population--keep coming back for more.
I read The Longest Ride, published in 2013, on Valentine's Day. Suffice it to say the book met my romantic needs for the day.
Meet Sophia, an East Coast transplant going to school in North Carolina. Sophia is lovable in her simplicity. She's not overdone, making her so relatable to Sparks' demographic. And then there's Luke. A. real. life. cowboy. (Okay technically he rides bulls, but "bull rider" doesn't have the same romance to it.) Luke is sweet and intense and flawed. I can just picture his goofy grin. From the moment Sophia and Luke meet--when he saves her as any Knight in Shining Flannel would--their magnetism overpowers their differences. She's an art history major, destined to work in an office. He's destined for a farm life-slash-a nomadic, rugged outdoorsy life. I cannot get enough of this angsty, "will they, won't they?" love story!
As a special deal though, we get TWO couples for the price of one: Ira and Ruth, the type of couple that sets the bar for all couples. They met in the mid-20th century; their pure, unadulterated love and acceptance of one another stood the test of time. Over the years, Ira and Ruth cultivated a massive collection of contemporary art. This art provided a fortune, but more importantly it was the key to their happiness. But young couples grow old, and on a raw winter night, Ira finds himself trapped in a car wreck. The only thing that sustained him was his memories of now-departed Ruth--who needs water and basic nutrients when you have love?
Sparks weaves these two stories together in a way only he can. His writing is honest and follows the natural flow of the characters. However, the Nicholas Sparks Experience is not for everyone. I like knowing I can expect a happy ending. I like the mushy gushy as well as the pitfalls that come with earnest love. What can I say... I guess I live vicariously through his books.
PS: The Longest Ride is coming out as a movie in April. Bring the tissues (and hellooo, handsome)!