The Longest Ride: Theme and Characterization

      Sometimes, I just decide to pick up the most random books and start reading them. This time, I've chosen the book The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. This is actually my first time reading a Nicholas Sparks novel. If you didn't know earlier, they are usually full of romance and all that mushy gushy stuff. Well, that's what I originally thought as well. But as I started reading this particular novel, that's not what it's all about, at least yet.
      For a brief synopsis of what I've read so far: There is an old man by the name of Ira who is currently stuck in his car during a severe snowstorm. He is recalling all of his memories while in wait of rescue with his wife, whom he is hallucinating an image of as she is already dead. Then, the book completely changes perspectives over to a college senior named Sophia who is just getting over a really bad breakup with her old boyfriend. She is in the process of befriending a bull rider whose show she saw at her pity party thrown by her sorority sisters.
      A theme I'm seeing so far is moving on, at least with Sophia. After a really violent encounter with her ex-boyfriend Brian, she is talking to new people like Luke, the bull rider whom I mentioned earlier. However, I'm seeing the exact opposite theme with Ira. He is reliving his past as opposed to moving on. He is battling so many illnesses and ailments and still he's refusing to die. A line from the book that shows this is:
"It's snowing and people are already driving slowly. Surely someone's going to find me. They have to find me. Right?"
This line shows that he's in denial that he can die despite being in a snowstorm at his age battling as many illnesses as he is.
    Ira is a very interesting character with an interesting background. I haven't really gotten to know him as a person yet, but I know his background. The only thing I know about his personality right now is that he's a fighter, and he really doesn't want to die. This is a pretty important character trait but I'm sure there is more to him. His background is that his family was in the Holocaust, but that they were able to come to America quickly enough to survive. His wife's family was in a similar situation, except she lost a lot of family members in the Holocaust.
   I feel like I've learned more about Sophia as a person than I have about Ira. She is a sweet, modest person from the voice the author incorporates about her. Her background is very normal as well, but she has a big heart. Her family isn't very affluent and she is in college based solely off of merit.
   From reading the back cover of the book, I know that Ira's and Sophia's paths are going to cross at some point, but my main question is: How? I'm excited to keep reading and find out what'll happen next!

The Da Vinci Code: About the Author

        I am officially infatuated with Dan Brown's writing. His writing is making me increasingly curious about where he gets all the facts in his books from. Some of the most random stuff is incorporated into The Da Vinci Code, and I would imagine that it takes some legit, hardcore research in order to intertwine successfully into his novels. So here I present to you: Dan Brown.
        Brown was born in 1964 and is the oldest of three siblings. His father was a math teacher and his mother was a church organist. As a child, he was exposed to many different types of puzzles and codes. He went on scavenger hunts created by his parents to find his presents on Christmas morning. One of the scavenger hunts between Sophie Neveu and Jacques Sauniere in The Da Vinci Code was inspired by a scavenger hunt that Brown went on as a kid.
        Dan Brown studied art history at the University of Seville in Spain. He uses a lot of his knowledge in his novels. In fact, he spent an entire year researching before writing The Da Vinci Code.
        Brown's first three books didn't have much success. His fourth, however, became a bestseller and is now known as one of the most popular books of all time. This book was none other than The Da Vinci Code. It was a springboard for his success. Afterwards, he wrote The Lost Symbol and Inferno, both of which became bestsellers in no time.
        Two of his novels have been made into major films. The Da Vinci Code, in fact, was the second highest grossing movie of 2006, but got many negative reviews. Angels and Demons, another Robert Langdon book, was also made into a movie. Its reviews fared better than those of The Da Vinci Code, but it didn't get the same amount of sales. His latest book-made-into-a-movie is going to be The Lost Symbol, another Robert Langdon novel.
         For those of you who aspire to become writers like Dan Brown, check out the video below: