Handwritten love letters will never get old.
It's still the sweetest gift anyone can ever offer to someone.
Every after reading a book that has a movie adaptation, I usually end up watching the movie right after I stop staring into space pondering.
This isn't the first "based on Nicholas Sparks novel" movie that I have watched and from what I have experienced, when you read the book first, you should be ready for the changes that you will encounter in the movie. That's just the way it is, and I've long since accepted that fact with his novels and movie adaptations.
I was one of those book nerds who always get angry and disappointed when the book is not same with the movie. Wait, I still am, because in my eyes, if they are going to change, not some, but most part of the movie, they should do a better job in making those scenes better. But, hey, I found myself approving the movie adaptations of Mr. Sparks' novels. The changes made the movie better and as memorable as the book itself.
* * *
BOOK REVIEW
* * *
Title: The Longest Ride
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Published by: Grand Central Publishing, May 6th 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Setting: North Carolina
Format: MM Paperback, 416 pages
My Copy Source: Bought
Purchase: NBS [PH] | Fully Booked [PH] | Amazon | B & N
Rating: 5 Roses
In the tradition of his beloved first novel, The Notebook, #1 New York Times bestselling 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 - 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 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.
Man, I don't think I would ever get tired of reading his novels.
The Longest Ride is a tale of two love stories that blossomed at different time and generation. Ira and Ruth's and Luke and Sophia's, both are different yet intertwined by the same love and passion.
IRA and RUTH
Ira and Ruth's love story is sweet yet heart breaking at the same time. Being able to witness their love story from the start until they grew old just made my heart clench. Ira is a very quiet man from the start, but as the story goes on, I found him the sweetest and most romantic man ever.
By this time, our generation has a different way of being romantic, that's why I was swooning every time I flip the page to find that I was again at Ira's POV. My most favorite part was the tradition that they started during their anniversary, where Ira will write Ruth letter that they will read only at Lake Eden. That was freaking sweet!
I feel like stories that took place on a time of war makes great impact to people who reads or watch them, for one, because it's heart breaking and it's different and I don't know, they just cast a light that makes you squint just to see clearly, and besides, for a person who never was in the past to experience things first hand, the past is a wonder; the past is interesting. I also admired women's faith in that time. They never know when their love will come back but they hold on to a picture and the hope that the promise to come back alive will never ever be broken.
LUKE and SOPHIA
I like that there was this palpable attraction between them and it did not take like 4 seconds for them to fall in love, that's great, but I guess I should give in to the fact that kisses were given freely on certain books or whatever so I am not going to rant about the kiss on their second or third meeting? I don't remember but whatever, this thing between Luke and Sophia? Yes, girl, super swoon!
I love that Luke is a total gentleman and a hot cowboy and Sophia is a college chick who is not all fame and fortune and has the brains and the beauty that any man would fall for, that's why jerks like her ex boyfriends should die.
Both lived different worlds and they must struggle to find a way to keep bridging the gap. "Love requires sacrifice", I don't remember if this is from the book or from the movie, but it's all they have to give in order to save their relationship-- sacrifice.
Gee, I love how in the end, the two stories managed to intersect (not in the way I wanted, though). It's a happy ending for both stories, and I love happy endings.
This is a contrast of two different love story that showed the old and the new generation's kind of love but begged to portray us that ways may change but love is still love and yesterday and tomorrow will not really be different because love in all its forms and ways will forever be love in the eyes and hearts of people in love.
I love that Luke is a total gentleman and a hot cowboy and Sophia is a college chick who is not all fame and fortune and has the brains and the beauty that any man would fall for, that's why jerks like her ex boyfriends should die.
Both lived different worlds and they must struggle to find a way to keep bridging the gap. "Love requires sacrifice", I don't remember if this is from the book or from the movie, but it's all they have to give in order to save their relationship-- sacrifice.
Gee, I love how in the end, the two stories managed to intersect (not in the way I wanted, though). It's a happy ending for both stories, and I love happy endings.
I love this book so much that everytime I get to Ira's part I just want to cry because it's like this feeling you get when you see old couple still together. It's a nostalgic feeling and it's so touching, it tugs at your heart in all the right places.
In the end, I really was hoping for a lot of things to happen, and I was impatient for the two stories to intersect, because this for certain, of course, will happen at some point and when it did, I found myself quite disappointed. "That's it? That's just it? Just the letter read by Sophia and then that's it? Ugh, Ira could have been telling his story to Sophia at the end, but no, THAT'S IT! She could also have had a museum of her own with those art collections! Ugggh". Yep, guys, I ranted right after reading it, because I was always plotting an ending to every story. I always want to predict, but damn, it didn't happen. That's why I was so thankful that all of the things that I've waited to happen in the book happened in the movie! Again, I felt no disappointment with the movie adaptation because the changes made it a bit better for me because all my predictions were in the movie.
All in all, this was a great book. In my opinion, something that is more beautifully crafted than The Notebook, if I may say. Something that is also timeless and romantic that contains a lot of qualities that the modern generation yearns for. I fell in love with the book and will continue to fall in love with it as long as I remember both Ira and Ruth's and Luke and Sophia's love story.
* * *
MOVIE REVIEW
* * *
The movie and the book are both great in their own ways even though the movie created something more powerful than the book's portrayal. The book made a great picture of both stories but the movie created a strong link between them that's why I love the movie too. 100% approved movie adaptation. There were a lot of changes but the changes are all for the better viewing experience and I found that I really love the bits that the moviemakers added and subtracted.
I found that this is something I would totally watch over and over again like I did in The Notebook and A Walk to Remember. With gorgeous characters, what could I ask for, right? Especially Luke, o-m-g so H-O-T. I didn't know him before but I'm definitely an admirer right now.
You guys should definitely watch the movie. It is so lovely and I can assure you, I've never heard a negative review about it and I've never read any too(or I just never read one?). All my friends and family all have their thumbs up over this movie, they all wanted me to watch it as soon as possible but I didn't budge. Gotta read first, right? Right.
* * *
The Longest Ride Book Reviews
* * *
* * *
*INSTAGRAM BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY*
Post a Comment