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"The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett's intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother, Billy, and head to California where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden's car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett's future, one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction-to the City of New York. Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles's third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes"--… (more)
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The Lincoln Highway, the book, is a "road novel", a quintessentially 20th-century American form, the essence of which is exploration and adventure. The youngest of Towles' adventurers totes the guidebook, refers to it often, and shares its information with anyone who'll listen. Professor Abacus Abernathe' Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers has 26 chapters extolling the accomplishments of 25 adventurous travelers, real and imagined. Among its exemplars are Achilles, Galileo, Hercules, Ishmael, Jason, Lincoln, Sinbad, and Ulysses. (The 26th chapter, titled You, is for the reader to write his or her own story.)
The journey on the Lincoln Highway will begin in Morgen, Nebraska, and carry two brothers west to either Texas or California. The pair, 18-year-old Emmett Watson and 8-year-old Billy, are leaving their home following their father's death and the bank's foreclosure on the house and farm. (Their mother abandoned the family years earlier, fleeing west along the same route, all the way to San Francisco.) Their transport will be Emmett's blue 1948 Studebaker Land Cruiser, which was stored in the barn while it's owner was serving time in a juvenile detention facility in Kansas. Emmett, taunted by a bully, punched him out, and when the bully fell, he hit his head on a cement block and died. Charged with involuntary manslaughter, Emmett ended up incarcerated, but has been released early, driven across two states by the warden to his home.
As the brothers check out the Studie one last time, two figures greet them from the Barn doorway. Uh oh. The two are fellow inmates who stowed away in the trunk of the warden's car. They—Duchess and Woolly— are looking for transportation to New York, and they can see Emmett has got it. Duchess and Woolly are hopeful, optimistic. Emmett is infuriated. He does agree to shuttle them east to Omaha's train station. Then…
—You mean the Studebacker?
Emmett was standing alone in Sister Agnes's office talking to Sally on the phone.
—Yes, he said. The Studebaker.
—And Duchess took it?
—Yes.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
—I don't understand, she said. Took it where?
—To New York.
—New York, New York?
—Yes. New York, New York.
—And you're in Lewis.
—Nearly.
—I thought you were going to California. Why are you nearly in Lewis? And why is Duchess on his way to New York?
Here's why. Woolly's given name is Wallace Wolcott Martin. He's the scion of an old-money family with a home on the upper east side of Manhattan as well as a property in the Adirondacks, to which they retire in the summer months. They call it a "camp" though it isn't a clearing in a forest with a campfire site surrounded by spots where tents are set up. Rather, it is a mansion with "rustic"—wink wink—decor. Great-grandfather's office there has a sturdy wall safe, wherein $150,000 in cash is stacked, and Woolly perceives it to be his inheritance. He plans to split the cash evenly amongst himself, his friend Duchess, and the guy with the car who'll drive them to the camp (from Nebraska), Emmett.
With the appearance of Duchess, the story's rich seam of the picaresque is exposed. Duchess is a rogue, but appealing adventurer if ever there was one in a novel. He checks most of the boxes on the list of a picaresque character's traits.
• He's of low social class, but can be very charming and gets by on his wits.
• He narrates "his" chapters.
• To him, the trip is just a series of adventures.
• His character isn't altered in the narrative's course; he ends as he began.
• As he sees himself, criminality isn't in him. Yes, he's a rascal, but a carefree, sympathetic rascal.
Read this book. It is long and rambling and tangled with digressions. The characters are many: endearing, inspiring, annoying, self-centered, provoking, duplicitous. Most have stories to tell, and they tell them. It's a road trip, gosh darn it.
Their old life has certainly featured many tribulations. As the novel opens, eighteen-year-old Emmett is being driven home by the Warder of Salinas, a juvenile detention centre, where he had served a short sentence for accidentally causing the death of a young man (not without provocation, Emmett had punched him, causing him to fall and hit his head). He is welcomed back to the family farm by the father and daughter from a neighbouring farm. During his sentence, Emmett’s father (who had always struggled to manage the farm) had died, and eight-year-old Billy had been looked after by Sally. She will emerge as a powerful character in the book, driven by a fierce righteousness that has been provoked by finding herself constantly expected to look after men who scarcely even acknowledge her. Immediately upon his return Emmett also learns that the bank is about to foreclose the various loans that his father had taken, and on which massive arrears have accrued.
I am conscious of how much I enjoyed the book, so am anxious not to strew any inadvertent spoilers, so won’t say much more about the basic background scenario, beyond saying that, after having planned to head to the west coast, for various reasons they actually end up travelling east. Their journey will be far from smooth, with a succession of mishaps and pitfalls, but also some extraordinary encounters, and some delightful characters.
Emmett is a finely drawn character, and his attitude to life and his obligations is far from what one might anticipate from a character just released from a custodial sentence. He has a strong moral code, and is determined never again to place himself under a debt or obligation to anyone else. Billy is earnest and erudite beyond his years, but with a very literal approach to life. His understanding of the world is largely formed from his enthusiastic study of a book drawing together a series of stories about exalted traveller, both real and fictional.
Emmett and Billy are joined in their travels by Duchess and Woolly, two of Emmett’s fellow inmates at Salinas. Woolly is from a privilieged background, but has not found it easy to engage with life. Duchess has had a far harder upbring, and while he has his own moral code, it is markedly different in scope, and implementation, from that of Emmett.
Towles delivers the story through sections focusing in turns on different characters, with some first person observations from Duchess thrown in along the way. I have found that this narrative form can detract from a story’s impact, but that is not the case here. The author keeps the story moving smoothly forward, despite the various tangents on which the action frequently departs.
All in all, this is a great story peopled by marvellous characters, and I had enjoyed reading it so much that I felt sad when I finished it.
As in earlier historical fiction novels by Amor Towles, fate and fairness are central themes that are relevant in any era. His characters have profound ideas that they acquire through unique social circumstances and often mundane life experiences. Each to our own ability, we are all capable of deep and worldly thoughts about the human condition. We are often at the mercy of circumstances we cannot control; but we are our own drivers; it is up to us how we handle the detours. The Lincoln Highway is a deftly plotted, deeply satisfying drive into the minds and hearts of average Americans.
Dutchess and Wooly are two of Emmett's friends from the detention center in Salinas who intend to cash in on Wooly's inheritance and start their lives over. After "borrowing" Emmett's car to head to New York the pair find themselves the mice in a game of cat and mouse with Emmett.
Anything that could go wrong with this road trip does, traveling in boxcars, fistfights, breaking and entering, and hard life lessons. Each character in this story learns a little about life and how to deal with the hardships that are placed in front of them. It took some time for me to get used to the four different perspectives but when I did it made the story flow smoothly and I appreciated Towle's ability to tell the backstory of each character so that there was a better understanding of what made them who they are. This is my first Amor Towles' book but it will not be my last.
An important item to note is that the last two chapters or so should come with a trigger warning. There are deaths that I was not ready for and did not see coming. Please take this as a warning to prepare yourselves as you see fit.
Mr. Towles has written three novels that are all very different in setting--but this one leaves me wanting a sequel to see what happens to Emmett and Billy when they actually take their intended journey to San Francisco. If he writes it, I'll be there for the journey, because despite my criticism here, Towles is probably the most engaging writer working today, and his books are a sheer pleasure to read.
Towels has the talent to entertain with his scenarios, to
I'm not quite sure I understand the ending but I intend soon to go back and re-read, and discussing with Angela and Esil will I'm sure aid in my endeavor. Another unforgettable story from Towles.
I am ‘supposed’ to love this book. It is so highly acclaimed. And, yes, I found the writing to be brilliant - so quiet, so measured, so hypnotic.
I learned that there is, indeed, a ‘Lincoln Highway’. Very interesting. I love actual locations and
I think Sally is my favorite character, possibly a forgotten or over-looked character to some, but my favorite. She is very special, along with Professor Abacus Abernathe and his Compendium of Heroes.
A book within a book - an absolutely stunning idea - and this book, this Compendium of Heroes, is an important (perhaps the most important) character in The Lincoln Highway.
But, and this is a huge but, I found the plot to be so cruel, so utterly soulless and heartbreaking; so sad and melancholy. The book depressed me to my very core.
I am unsure how ‘to rate’ this book. It is five star writing - I just didn’t care for its depressing spirit. *****
This is a quest and a road trip, a saga of family and friendship, an exploration of morals and principles against temptations which are seemingly impossible to resist.
Emmett Watson is an 18-year-old who’s been released
Towles structures the book with alternating points of view, so we hear from Emmett, Billy, Duchess, Woolly, Sally and Ulysses (and a few other minor characters) in sequence. Frequently the same scenario is related by different characters, switching points of view at a critical juncture and sometimes going back in time to explain how we got to this point.
I loved these characters, though I was wary of Duchess from the outset. What a snake oil salesman! But I have to admit he’s a charming bandit. I couldn’t figure out why Emmett didn’t just say “No,” but of course, he had to think of eight-year-old Billy who was beguiled by Duchess and Woolly and excited by the possibility of starting the Lincoln Highway from its beginning in NYC. And Billy, with his beloved Professor Abacus Abernathe’s Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travels has the naïve trust of a child, but wisdom far beyond his years. He’s a keen observer and an astute judge of character.
Towles ends the book with a bit of a puzzle. Leaving the reader to imagine what will happen next, and hungry for more details of future adventures. I’m not sure I liked the ending; I’m left with a huge question about
Edoardo Bellarini does the lion’s share of the narration on the audiobook, with Marin Ireland taking on the role of Sally and Dion Graham bringing Ulysses to life. It’s a marvelous, 5-star performance by all three!
I am trying to wrap my hands around my sprawling thoughts after finishing this book to mold them into a semblance of a review that both does the book justice and doesn't give spoilers. The storyline is a cross between an epic and a tall tale. The narrative follows several different characters - primarily Emmett and Duchess and Woolly, the two friends who turn up on his doorstep with grand plans, but also of Billy, their neighbor Sally, and a few characters that the boys come across in the course of their travels. Duchess is a fast-talking son of an alcoholic actor who could have annoyed me but was really a rather lovable scamp that reminded me of Huck Finn. His buddy Woolly has some troubles and an addiction of his own, but is a generally kind and thoughtful young man. And Emmett, our hero, is setting off trying to make his way in the world. Billy was honestly my favorite. I loved his perspective and his innocence. Towles shows his skill in keeping such a complex narrative readable, creating unique voices for each character, and crafting a book so different from his last. I can see why it made so many best lists in 2021.
The protagonists are stoical Emmet, annoying little brother Billy, strangely mentally incompetent Woolly, and pants-charming scamp Duchess.
And man, I thought this story would never end. Indeed I bet left to his own devices Towles could literally go on forever with digressions and whoopsies and now let's go off in this direction and who stole the car now?
I only read it because it was a gift.
I often like stories where the "main" characters are the least interesting characters (think Seinfeld) and that is very much the case here. Emmett is honorable, star-crossed, decent, but nonetheless bland, if in an occasionally heroic way. Bland though he is, Emmett is a good offset for Duchess. No blandness there, Duchess is a huge scenery chewing personality, and he is to my mind the star of this show.
My one significant problem was with Billy, Emmett's eight year=old brother, and the one character who influences the behavior of every other character. He had a christ-like thing going on (at least for most of the book) that irritated me. His innocence and impossible intelligence touches all who encounter him other than one truly evil character who flits in briefly. The way Billy was drawn grated on me. I am not entirely sure why. I like plenty of books with the "and a child shall lead them" narrative -- A Prayer for Owen Meany and A Children's Bible spring to mind -- but Billy's aw shucks wisdom didn't work for me. Maybe it was this eight year old midwestern kid's PhD level understanding of myth and honor. Its not like the characters are supposed to be realistic so I am not sure exactly why that unreality bugged me in Billy, but I suspect it is due to my antipathy for entertainment featuring wise precocious children who know more than the adults around them. Don't blame me, blame the little brother in Sixteen Candles. He broke me. I also think I have an issue with giving this the 5-star because I loved A Gentleman in Moscow so much. This was good, but not as good as that. Towles is sort of a victim of his own success here. Anyway, read the book. It's fun.
Quote: "Why is it, I wondered, that people born with money are always the ones who say the word like it's in a foreign language?"
Towles is very upfront in telling readers that he wants each of his books to be different from the others. Once again, he has succeeded, at least as far as subject matter and character go. But he can't disguise his writing, so fans will still know it's a Towles book, and I think all will agree that it's a worthy addition to his card catalog entry. I'm excited to see what "something different" he comes up with next.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
Reading
The characters all come to life for me. In my mind that is the Mark of a well written book. Each character follows the trajectory of their destination. The ending is fulfilling as the characters have followed their personal roads to their destiny.
At first I think they don't all live happily ever after but then I realized they do.. Each characters ever after is his or her place in the story, in the tellers mind and the lenders imagination. The characters of the great myths come back to life in each retelling. They are a form living in our imagination waiting to be recalled.
The
Emmett takes his neighbor's advice and decides that he and Billy should move out of town. The bank is foreclosing on the farm, and many of the residents of Morgen, Nebraska still want payback for his mistake. Emmett's inclination is to move to Texas, but he agrees to follow Billy's suggestion of driving his beloved Studebacker to California instead, although he doesn't share his brother's belief that their mother will be waiting for them in San Francisco (based on a series of seven post cards she sent right after abandoning the family). But when Duchess and Wooly show up, they have other plans . . .
The narration shifts among the characters--not only Emmett, Duchess and Wooly but also Sally Ransom, the neighbor who has taken care of Billy and the house; Ulysses and the Parson, two drifters they encounter on the way; Abacus Abernathe, the author of a book of heroes' stories that is Billy's guiding light; and several other secondary figures.
All this may sound fascinating, but [The Lincoln Highway] just didn't click with me. For some reason, I just didn't care about any of the characters, several of which seemed like stereotypes. There were parts that I enjoyed, but long stretches that had me so bored that I almost sent the book back to the library unfinished. Let's just say that, in the end, it was hardly an engaging page-turner or original story like A Gentleman in Moscow.
Before they can leave, two former inmates from the detention center show up: Duchess and Woolly. Duchess is probably the most interesting character in the book being the abandoned son of a less than successful vaudeville "actor." Woolly, on the other hand, is a disturbed, son, grandson, and great grandson of a very wealthy family in upstate New York who has also found himself in the detention center (the reason comes much later in the book). Duchess convinces Emmett to take him and Woolly back east a bit before heading to California. Here they steal Emmett's car and head for New York City in search of Duchess' farther. Emmett and Billy wind up hopping a train to take them east to find the two boys and their car.
The story is one crazy incident after another first as Emmett and Billy head back east. There are encounters with "bad guys" and "good guys" on the train ride. There are great scenes in New York City not only as they search for Duchess but also as Billy searches for the author of his book about great adventurers and travelers of the world: Ulysses, Jason, Fogg, etc. Meanwhile Duchess continues to get into one scrape after another often just saving his own skin.
The book is an adventure tale, a "road-trip" tale, and a retelling of the adventures of many of the heroes in Billy's book and Huckleberry Finn also comes to mind as I was reading.
The writing is just the best! Clever, never "over-worded", clear, and witty. There's food for thought and laugh out loud events and great lines: "I was the one that baked the lasagna and he was the one who cleaned the kitchen" and "the thumb of reality beginning to press down on that spot in the soul from which youthful enthusiasm springs." This is a great read; the ending was not what I expected and maybe was a bit of a stretch - thus the lack of a half star.
I over this book because it had a
I have written down and posted on my bulletin board, “Kindness begins where necessity ends.” Indeed these are words to live by.
The book reminded me a lot of This Tender Land which I absolutely loved. Billy and Wooly are heartwarming characters and the road trip story line make the book hard to put down.