I have had a rough go at finding a new book. See, even English teachers have that experience. I started with An Abundance of Katherines but I just couldn't get past all the foul language. Literally, every page. I know he is trying to create edgy characters. I get that. But it was just annoying. Then I tried starting The Cuckoo's Calling for the second time but was just having a hard time getting into it. Exact same reason I stopped it the first time. So I was thrilled when I got an email from the public library that the Nicholas Spark's The Longest Ride was now available on my Kindle. Hooray! I always love a good Nicholas Sparks book…and it is perfect spring break reading!
The book (so far) is about a man who gets in a car crash in severe winter weather. He is 93 years old and keeps having flashbacks to moments with his wife (who died nine years earlier but he feels like she is in the car with him keeping him alive). He keeps recalling vivid memories and reflecting on when and how they met, their dating relationship, and then their marriage. It's all told really sweetly, without being sappy or unconvincing.
One of the best lines from the book so far came from Ira (the elderly man) remembering some advice from his father, "He believed most people, when given the choice, would do what was right, even when it was hard, and he believed that good almost always triumphed over evil. He wasn't naive though. 'Trust people,' he would tell me, 'until they give you a reason not. And then never turn your back.'" I love the beginning part about most people being inherently good. I really believe that and feel that way, but I love the realistic punch at the end about trusting people and not being naive. I was extremely naive when I was younger and was fortunate that I was never taken advantage of in a major way. So far, I like this book. It is an easy read and interesting. From the book description, I know another relationship between two completely new characters will be revealed, but perhaps that will be the focus of another post because I'm not there yet!
Many of my students have been reading Nicholas Sparks books this year, but I must admit, I haven't ever read one. I always held the preconceived notion that they were "sappy and unrealistic," just like you mentioned. What has been your favorite Nicholas Sparks book thus far Mrs. Palmer? I was going to add how I'm not sure if I'm able to handle a Nicholas Sparks book since I practically flooded my apartment while watching The Vow; however, I just looked it up and the first link that popped up was "5 Movies You'd Think Had Been Written by Nicholas Sparks." HAH - so I was wrong! I think I could get into these books if I gave them a shot!
ReplyDeleteThey are great easy reads! Good beach books in my opinion. "A Walk to Remember" is probably one of my favorites; I think it was the first one I read. I like the one I am reading right now though too.
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