The Lincoln Highway
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- Create Date：2021-10-06 08:21:08
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Amor Towles
- ISBN：B08WVLSDDR
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
LoneStarWords Deb Coco
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…I have lived my life through books…I've read histories and novels， scientific texts and volumes of poetry and one thing I've learned is that there is just enough variety in human experience for every person in a city the size of New York to feel with assurance that their experience is unique。 And this is a wonderful thing because to aspire， to fall in love， to stumble as we do and yet soldier on， at some level we must believe that what we are going through has never been experienced quite as we …I have lived my life through books…I've read histories and novels， scientific texts and volumes of poetry and one thing I've learned is that there is just enough variety in human experience for every person in a city the size of New York to feel with assurance that their experience is unique。 And this is a wonderful thing because to aspire， to fall in love， to stumble as we do and yet soldier on， at some level we must believe that what we are going through has never been experienced quite as we have experienced it。The Lincoln HighwayAmor Towles•Worth。 The。 Wait。•I dare say that The Lincoln Highway assures Amor Towles's place in the group of elite American novelists。 Like many of you I've been awaiting this book for years but there is always the fear。。。will it be as good？ Well， YES。 It is。•What elevates Towles to the tier of great novelists is his versatility。 Rules of Civility places us in 1930s era NYC as we watch a young woman climb the social ladder; A Gentleman in Moscow puts us under house arrest with Count Rostov in the Metropol Hotel in 1922， and The Lincoln Highway takes us on a 10 day journey in 1954 with two young brothers and two of their friends after one is released from a juvenile work camp。•The title had me believing we would be solely on a cross country adventure， and yet， to my delight， The Lincoln Highway takes place predominantly in NYC。 Towles is a master at setting; he is able to capture the essence of a place and his love of NYC shines through his prose here。 And I cannot do his prose justice。 A lifetime of reading and love of the written word shines through onto every page。•This is a story about the bonds of friendship and the innocence of youth。 It celebrates ordinary lives， but the story is anything but ordinary。 I would not have thought it would deliver a nail biting ending， and yet it did。 I found myself completely attached to Emmett， Billy， Duchess and Woolly; this book is the trifecta; character， setting， plot。•I can find no fault here and I think this is destined to be an American classic。 And now I am back to waiting for his next book…until then。 。。。more
Vicki
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“The Lincoln Highway，” by Amor Towles， Viking， 592 pages， Oct。 5， 2021。In June of 1954， Emmett Watson，18， is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm in Salina， Kansas， where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter。 Emmett killed Jimmy Snyder， 17， in a fight that Jimmy started。Emmett’s mother left them years ago and his father died recently。 The bank foreclosed on their farm。 Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother， Billy， and head to Texa “The Lincoln Highway，” by Amor Towles， Viking， 592 pages， Oct。 5， 2021。In June of 1954， Emmett Watson，18， is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm in Salina， Kansas， where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter。 Emmett killed Jimmy Snyder， 17， in a fight that Jimmy started。Emmett’s mother left them years ago and his father died recently。 The bank foreclosed on their farm。 Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother， Billy， and head to Texas。 Billy wants to go to San Francisco because he found postcards that their mother mailed them。But two men from the work farm， Duchess Hewett and Woolly Martin， hid in the trunk of the warden’s car。 They want Emmett to take them to upstate New York， where Woolly’s great-grandfather is believed to have stashed $150，000。The novel is told from several points of view。 Emmett is just trying to do right by his brother。 Billy doesn’t go anywhere without his large red book: “Professor Abacus Abernathe’s Compendium of Heroes， Adventurers and Other Intrepid Travelers。” Duchess causes trouble for everyone around him。 Woolly likes to pay his respects to statues of Abraham Lincoln。 Sally lives on a farm near Emmett and Billy and she is tired of cooking and cleaning for her father。The writing is excellent。 While elements of the plot are not entirely believable， you get so wrapped up in the story that it doesn’t matter。 The characters are marvelous。 This is highly enjoyable。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Liesl
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An engaging amble。 Although the page length is initially daunting， I was never bored while reading; the swift pacing moves the story along well， the interestingly complex characters are well-drawn， the book is niftily divided into the ten days that the primary tale spans， and the setting of a road trip on a classic highway is a fun way to explore multiple locations。 Although not all of the perspectives are vital， it was enjoyable to get a glimpse into the heads of multiple characters， especially An engaging amble。 Although the page length is initially daunting， I was never bored while reading; the swift pacing moves the story along well， the interestingly complex characters are well-drawn， the book is niftily divided into the ten days that the primary tale spans， and the setting of a road trip on a classic highway is a fun way to explore multiple locations。 Although not all of the perspectives are vital， it was enjoyable to get a glimpse into the heads of multiple characters， especially to better understand each of their motivations。 While I've liked both of Towles' previous works， for some reason this one clicked a little more for me and I grew attached to several of the characters， rooting for them to somehow find a happy ending。 I really appreciated how a particularly annoying， troublesome character gets a fitting ending in the final few pages。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title。 。。。more
Leslie
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From the author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility comes Amor Towles latest novel， a story of brotherhood and finding your place in life。 Ten years before the creation of Route 66， the Lincoln highway was built to allow cars to drive across the country from New York City to San Francisco。 Towles latest novel takes us on a ten-day ride on the Lincoln Highway through 1954’s America。Emmett Watson has just been released from his sentence at a juvenile work camp after being convicted of a From the author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility comes Amor Towles latest novel， a story of brotherhood and finding your place in life。 Ten years before the creation of Route 66， the Lincoln highway was built to allow cars to drive across the country from New York City to San Francisco。 Towles latest novel takes us on a ten-day ride on the Lincoln Highway through 1954’s America。Emmett Watson has just been released from his sentence at a juvenile work camp after being convicted of accidently killing a classmate during a fight。 With their father just passed away and the farm foreclosed on， Emmett and his 8-year old brother Billy plan on starting over in California and searching for their mother who left them eight years ago。 The only clue to her location is postcards she sent them from along the Lincoln highway。 Their trip doesn’t go as planned when two escaped stowaways from his work camp， Wooley and Duchess， steal Emmett’s car and drive to New York City。 What follows is a race across railroads and highways while meeting new characters， Ulysses， a freight car riding wanderer and Abacus Abarnathe， the author of Billy’s favorite book。Towles uses varying perspectives， history， a variety of characters and teasers in each chapter to create a rich coming of age novel， very different， but equally as good as his previous bestsellers。 A storytelling of a ride through America。 Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to review this book before its release。 。。。more
emma
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Towles has done it again。 What an incredibly thought out， well written and exciting novel。 From the very get-go， I knew I was going to like this。 Each and every character was real and raw， I felt their hopes and heartaches as if they were my own。 The dynamics between said characters was also perfect， not a single interaction felt forced or unnatural。 Towles has a gift for drawing you in and keeping you entertained， every single page was full of excitement。 The plot， albeit it was a little slow a Towles has done it again。 What an incredibly thought out， well written and exciting novel。 From the very get-go， I knew I was going to like this。 Each and every character was real and raw， I felt their hopes and heartaches as if they were my own。 The dynamics between said characters was also perfect， not a single interaction felt forced or unnatural。 Towles has a gift for drawing you in and keeping you entertained， every single page was full of excitement。 The plot， albeit it was a little slow at first， picked up and every side character， every side story， connected and made so much sense by the end。 There were certain quotes that took me off guard like a gut punch and had me reeling from the emotions of it all。 By the end， I was left in awe of the masterpiece I had just read。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 #TheLincolnHighway #NetGalley。 All opinions are my own 。。。more
Rebecca
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PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION: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。 With his mother long gone， his father recently deceased， and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank， Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to California to start a new life。 But when the warden drives away， Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION: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。 With his mother long gone， his father recently deceased， and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank， Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to California to start a new life。 But when the warden drives away， Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have stowed away in the trunk of the warden's car。 They have a very different plan for Emmett's future， one that will take the four of them on a fateful journey in the opposite direction - to New York City。 Bursting with life， charm， richly imagined settings and unforgettable characters， The Lincoln Highway is an extraordinary journey through 1950s America from the pen of a master storyteller。NO SPOILERS:This is not a road trip book。 Yes， there’s a road and there’s a trip， several small ones actually， all disconnected yet connected; but it is not a road trip book。 It is a book about redemption， hope， and unshakeable belief in the future。 I loved it。 I loved every carefully chosen word （for this is what Amor Towles does， he chooses the right word for the right character）， every totally believable character and every moment of observation。The story is told in chapters from each character’s point of view。 I like this technique very much as it gives extra insight to the reader， although， it is narrated so well in both the first and third person that I felt like a listener。 Third person narration which feels like a conversation with the narrator is something quite marvellous。The plot melds seamlessly， with back stories dropped in as anecdotes and explanations in such a way that I felt I was part of the conversations。 This is brilliant， skilled writing。Thank you to NetGalley and Random House， Cornerstone for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book， which I have voluntarily reviewed。 。。。more
AtomicBooks
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This book is now firmly one of my favourites。 The story is just so good， everything about it just works perfectly。 The story makes its way under your skin from the very beginning and makes straight for your heart where all these amazing characters with live for a very long time。 This book is heart warming， charming， full of fun， and positivity but with a little bit of sadness too。 These few words can’t really adequately describe this book and how much I loved it but all I will add is that I can’ This book is now firmly one of my favourites。 The story is just so good， everything about it just works perfectly。 The story makes its way under your skin from the very beginning and makes straight for your heart where all these amazing characters with live for a very long time。 This book is heart warming， charming， full of fun， and positivity but with a little bit of sadness too。 These few words can’t really adequately describe this book and how much I loved it but all I will add is that I can’t recommend this book enough and encourage you to read it。 。。。more
Barry Pierce
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oof。
Hendry
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Nice book
Susan Tunis
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4。5 stars。 My immediate response。。。 Amor Towels is a gifted storyteller。 This is a terrific novel， but doesn't have the extraordinary magic that made A Gentleman in Moscow a phenomenon。 What it does have is a fantastic cast of characters， two of whom have a distant whiff of George and Lennie about them。 Need to think on that more。。。 4。5 stars。 My immediate response。。。 Amor Towels is a gifted storyteller。 This is a terrific novel， but doesn't have the extraordinary magic that made A Gentleman in Moscow a phenomenon。 What it does have is a fantastic cast of characters， two of whom have a distant whiff of George and Lennie about them。 Need to think on that more。。。 。。。more
O Z。
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Really terrific read。 Beautifully flawed characters。 Beautifully written。
Laylarose
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Michelle Beckwith
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“Because to aspire， to fall in love， to stumble as we do and yet soldier on， at some level we must believe that what we are going through has never been experienced quite as we have experienced it。”Amor Towles takes on his version of the Great American Novel with attentiveness and earnestness and I loved every word。 Set in the 1950’s， The Lincoln Highway chronicles a group of teens who are thrust together and embark on a cross country adventure。 I felt a roller coaster of emotions as each charac “Because to aspire， to fall in love， to stumble as we do and yet soldier on， at some level we must believe that what we are going through has never been experienced quite as we have experienced it。”Amor Towles takes on his version of the Great American Novel with attentiveness and earnestness and I loved every word。 Set in the 1950’s， The Lincoln Highway chronicles a group of teens who are thrust together and embark on a cross country adventure。 I felt a roller coaster of emotions as each character has highs and lows in their respective quests and predict the characters will become well-loved in literary circles。 The time period is a perfect backdrop， setting up the juxtaposition of a simpler time and incredibly complicated choices。 The articulate and often heartbreaking storytelling will surely be admired by fans of Mr。 Towles’ previous novels。 Especially for readers who enjoyed William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land。 Thank you NetGalley and Penguin/Viking for the opportunity to read a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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I loved Amor Towles previous novels and I am delighted that this is another five-star read。 It features eighteen-year-old Emmett， who returns home from a sentence for inadvertently killing a young man at the local country fair。 Greeted with delight by his young brother Billy， and neighbour Sally， he is less thrilled that two young men from the work farm have hitched a lift with Warden Williams。 Duchess is the son of a vaudeville performer and Woolly is from a wealthy family but was never a natur I loved Amor Towles previous novels and I am delighted that this is another five-star read。 It features eighteen-year-old Emmett， who returns home from a sentence for inadvertently killing a young man at the local country fair。 Greeted with delight by his young brother Billy， and neighbour Sally， he is less thrilled that two young men from the work farm have hitched a lift with Warden Williams。 Duchess is the son of a vaudeville performer and Woolly is from a wealthy family but was never a natural fit and his family now have authority over his trust fund。Emmett has none of those issues。 His father left nothing， but debts and the family farm has been foreclosed。 Indeed， the banker is waiting for Emmett on his return and all that he has left is his powder blue 1948 Studebaker Land Cruiser。 With locals having long memories， Emmett decides to head out on a road trip and make a new life。 He didn’t count on Duchess and Woolly coming along， nor for the host of other characters they will meet along the way。Without doubt， this is an excellent portrait of 1950’s America， with Towles painting a realistic view of life at that time。 The characters all have depth and I think readers may well find young Billy a favourite， with his big red book， “Professor Abacus Abernathe’s Compendium of Heroes， Adventurers and Other Intrepid Travellers，” which will provide lots of links throughout the story。 Overall， though， this is a delight， containing deep themes， which will appeal to book groups， a unique cast of characters， troubled young men， friendship and is， in many ways， the classic tale of young people making their way in the world without adults to guide them and a whole host of unforeseen circumstances that will make their journey a memorable， but bumpy one。I received a copy of this book from the publisher， via NetGalley， for review。 。。。more
Tami
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This is the story of people brought together through circumstance。 4 very different men take off on a road trip from Nebraska to California along the Lincoln Highway。 They come from different backgrounds and life experiences。 The narration gets tossed around with each man having a voice in the tale as well as Sally， a woman from the next farm over who's had enough of taking care of men and ready for her own life experiences。While sold as a road trip， the Lincoln Highway is more about the people This is the story of people brought together through circumstance。 4 very different men take off on a road trip from Nebraska to California along the Lincoln Highway。 They come from different backgrounds and life experiences。 The narration gets tossed around with each man having a voice in the tale as well as Sally， a woman from the next farm over who's had enough of taking care of men and ready for her own life experiences。While sold as a road trip， the Lincoln Highway is more about the people you meet than an actual trip。 Living in Kansas I was drawn to visions of the midwest and places I have seen and lived。 Ultimately this is a story of quests and dreams， of balancing debts owed and owing。 Along the quest， each person gets diverted from their original intentions。 And while we don't know if they made it to California， we want to believe some of those dreams came true in the end。Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy。 。。。more
abookshared
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A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all-time favourite books， so I had high expectations going in to The Lincoln Highway。 Amor Towles’ new book is set in 1954 and begins with 18-year-old Emmett returning home to his family farm after being released from a juvenile detention centre。 His father has recently died and Emmett is now sole guardian of his 8-year-old brother， Billy。 Together， the two formulate a plan for a new beginning by heading to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway。 But their plans A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all-time favourite books， so I had high expectations going in to The Lincoln Highway。 Amor Towles’ new book is set in 1954 and begins with 18-year-old Emmett returning home to his family farm after being released from a juvenile detention centre。 His father has recently died and Emmett is now sole guardian of his 8-year-old brother， Billy。 Together， the two formulate a plan for a new beginning by heading to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway。 But their plans are quickly scuppered when two stowaways from Emmett’s detention centre， Duchess and Woolly， reveal themselves with a scheme of their own which only serves to delay Emmett’s plans on an unimaginable scale。 Amor Towles is a truly wonderful storyteller， I absolutely loved this book from the very first paragraph to the last。 The cast of characters Towles has written are so complex they feel entirely real; they are perfectly flawed; good， bad， clever， charming， reflective， lonely and everything in between。 I found myself completely absorbed in each of their individual stories， their thoughts and their actions and I wanted a fresh start with a bright future for every single one of them， well， except for the odious Pastor John。 This is a rollercoaster of a novel from the very beginning， it was such a joy to read， it is moving and heart wrenching as well as humorous and endlessly entertaining， this is humanity in all its forms。 Another incredible story by Amor Towles， The Lincoln Highway is definitely one of my top books of the year。Thanks to NetGalley and Hutchinson Heinemann for a digital copy for review。 。。。more
Terry Earley
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recommended ebook to overdrive 10-1-2021
Cook Memorial Public Library
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Read about Jo's Pick of the Week on the Cook Memorial Public Library blog， Shelf Life: https://shelflife。cooklib。org/2021/09。。。Check our catalog: https://encore。cooklib。org/iii/encore。。。 Read about Jo's Pick of the Week on the Cook Memorial Public Library blog， Shelf Life: https://shelflife。cooklib。org/2021/09。。。Check our catalog: https://encore。cooklib。org/iii/encore。。。 。。。more
TBS
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To read an Amor Towles book is much like walking into that special gallery in an art museum where an entire room is devoted to a masterful allegorical painting the size of a great wall。 There is nowhere else to look and nowhere else you want to look as your mind loses and occasionally stumbles over itself in the rich sweeping storyline of the painting， where every object and subject signifies a moral or spiritual analogy and the shifting quality of light adds complexity and ambiguity。 In the han To read an Amor Towles book is much like walking into that special gallery in an art museum where an entire room is devoted to a masterful allegorical painting the size of a great wall。 There is nowhere else to look and nowhere else you want to look as your mind loses and occasionally stumbles over itself in the rich sweeping storyline of the painting， where every object and subject signifies a moral or spiritual analogy and the shifting quality of light adds complexity and ambiguity。 In the hands of a lesser author， this would easily become overbearing and annoying; in the myth-inflected narrative of The Lincoln Highway it is an irresistible invitation to throw any reservations aside and carry on into the great journey of heroes and misfits， wanderers and tricksters， bullies and visionaries。On the surface it is a novel about brothers and friends， in particular two brothers， 18-year-old Emmett and 8-year-old Billy Watson who， after the bankruptcy and death of their father in 1954， plan on following the Lincoln Highway from Morgen， Nebraska to San Francisco to fashion a new life。 Emmett， newly released from the Salina prison， for accidental manslaughter， finds a secret legacy his father has left for him， $3，000 hidden in Emmett’s 1948 Studebaker; Billy’s legacy has been the discovery of a string of postcards mailed from various points on the Lincoln Highway sent by their absent mother， who abandoned the family when Billy was a baby。 The plot’s compass is pointed toward San Francisco， when Duchess and Woolly， two inmates who escaped from Salina turn up and upend Emmett’s painstaking plans with a scheme to drive to Woolly’s family grand summer residence in New York to reclaim his inheritance and split it between them。 And off they go…。sort of。 Duchess， who has one of recent literature’s most abhorrent fathers （which is saying a lot）， has a legacy of betrayal， small time cons and abandonment， framed through his father’s second rate Shakespearian “career，” which has lately been staged at seedy and seedier bars in the Bowery。 From his time in Salina， Duchess has learned the importance of keeping a balance sheet， which sometimes involve meting out judgment with cast iron pans， rocks and two by fours， resulting， as he describes it， in a “welling sense of moral satisfaction” and “serenity in my step。” Silently tending to this sheet becomes a top item on his travel itinerary and Duchess’s rationale for doing so is laced with charm and even compassion。 His tenderness he reserves for Emmett， who he holds in highest esteem for his being a man of integrity and substance， and Woolly for his sweet， poetic philosophical， child-like way of viewing the world， his dependence on Duchess， and possibly for the sequestered cash in his family’s upstate manor。 Woolley’s legacy is the most straightforward， perhaps the most difficult， the legacy of legacy-great family wealth amassed and carefully preserved through entitled generations and with it， the even greater legacy of expectation and rules。 It is a very bad fit， and this is often the subject of Woolly’s ruminations on his family， “how a statement disguised as a question could be an ugly sort of thing。”But just like the questing characters in Billy’s favorite book， Professor Abacus Abernathe’s Compendium of Heroes， Adventurers， and Other Intrepid Travelers， the Watson brothers get thoroughly initiated in the lot of voyagers， through Duchess’s appropriation of their car early on in their trip and Emmett’s （and Billy’s） hunt for its return， an expedition which involves considerable danger and takes them hopping freight trains， battling hustlers， and meeting a black Ulysses， with his own tragic tale of wars and separation。 When they reunite with Duchess and Woolley in New York， with Duchess’s balance sheet almost completed along the way， well， in Duchess’s words， “it’s all about the set-up。” Throughout Towles generously shows you his narrative slight of hand and then equally delightedly subverts it。 An author must have considerable dexterity and faith to pull this off; this is a courageous book and like any mythological enterprise， it’s amalgam will get richer with each visit。 Unexpected occasions of self-discovery occur for nearly all of the main characters， and the lost souls they meet along the way。 Each section， which number down from 10， is replete with abrupt twists， anguish， and odd moments of joy-truly a hero’s journey。 Some of the coincidences bend credulity， such as Billy’s preternatural precociousness， but ultimately they are all earned。 The suspense electrifying the last 20 pages of the book as the trek concludes or begins， will be accompanied by a steadily increasing pounding in the background-it is the rapid beating of your own heart。 And， as with any timeless story， the outcome is both unpredictable and illuminating。 Ultimately Towles knows when to get out of the car， leaving us with angst and a little heartbreak at leaving these remarkable characters and the open-ended question of an open road。 Choose your own adventure as to what happens next。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Gemma Swain
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Having read both of Amor Towels’ previous books I had high hopes for this one and it didn’t disappoint。 Many readers come to Towles during the pandemic - the story of a Russian count being kept under house arrest in a Moscow hotel resonated with most of us during those long days of lockdown。 The humanity and richness that was to be found in ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ runs through every page of ‘The Lincoln Highway’ and I genuinely believed in every character。Released from juvenile detention followi Having read both of Amor Towels’ previous books I had high hopes for this one and it didn’t disappoint。 Many readers come to Towles during the pandemic - the story of a Russian count being kept under house arrest in a Moscow hotel resonated with most of us during those long days of lockdown。 The humanity and richness that was to be found in ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ runs through every page of ‘The Lincoln Highway’ and I genuinely believed in every character。Released from juvenile detention following the death of his father， Emmett is left without a home after the bank forecloses on the many loans taken out against the family farm。 Having been deserted by their mother years before， Emmett’s younger brother Billy and a bright blue Studebaker are the only things left in his world。 When Billy reveals a series of postcards that he believes will lead them to their mother in San Francisco so begins a road trip through 1950’s America packed with a cast of sometimes flawed， sometimes loveable， and always interesting， characters。Running parallel to Emmett and Billy’s story is that of Duchess and Woolly - escapees from Emmett’s detention centre who have their own reasons for wanting to join the brothers on their cross-country journey。 With each chapter written from the point of view of a different character the book really allows you to understand their motivations and why they’ve ended up where they are。 There’s a real heart to this book， and the author does a wonderful job of building connections between the reader and each of the characters。 You might not always agree with their behaviour， but they feel so much like real people that you’re somehow invested in them and want to see them walk along the path to redemption。I imagine the lockdown success of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ will bring a lot more readers to this book on release， which can only be a good thing。 It’s a great story， and one that I would thoroughly recommend。 Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Paromjit
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Amor Towles spins a beguiling and rollicking historical adventure set in the 1950s， brilliantly imaginative， and with an unforgettable cast of characters， ostensibly about a Lincoln Highway road trip to California that keeps gets derailed。 18 year old Emmet Watson is a surprisingly composed and mature young man， who arrives back home to Morgen， Nebraska， after serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter at a juvenile work farm in Salina。 His unsuccessful farmer father has died， debts mean th Amor Towles spins a beguiling and rollicking historical adventure set in the 1950s， brilliantly imaginative， and with an unforgettable cast of characters， ostensibly about a Lincoln Highway road trip to California that keeps gets derailed。 18 year old Emmet Watson is a surprisingly composed and mature young man， who arrives back home to Morgen， Nebraska， after serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter at a juvenile work farm in Salina。 His unsuccessful farmer father has died， debts mean their family farm has been foreclosed upon by the bank。 None of this is a shock to Emmet， he has planned for new beginnings， to pick up his 8 year old brother， Billy， driving in his 1948 Studebaker， to start a more secure future in California， where it appears their mother went after abandoning them years ago。 However， two of his friends， Duchess and Wooley， from Salena have escaped， hiding in the car that Emmet was driven home in by the warden， and they have other more immediate ideas of going to New York。 Duchess is a good， if frustrating， man， but his ideas and misguided good intentions fail to take account of the consequences of his actions， he seeks to balance the scales of justice in his life， which includes taking a beating that he feels he deserves。 Wooley is a dreamer， out of sync with the world and his wealthy family's expectations， requiring medication for his condition， looking for a one of a kind day rather than the normal every day kind of days， he has access to money that could set all of them for the new lives they all dream of。 So begin a series of adventures， where Billy's precious book， Professor Abernathe's Compendium is key， including a thrilling freight train journey to New York， taking in a circus， the Empire State Building and so much more。They encounter a memorable set of characters on their oddyssey， including the Great Ulysses in search of his wife and child， a villainous Pastor John， Wooley's sister， Sarah， and are joined by the remarkable Sally from Nebraska。 Towles vibrant storytelling is spellbinding， oozing with a sense of magical wonder， with its echoes of ancient myths， legends and heroes， brought to life in 1950s America。 This is a beautiful， multilayered read， of life， brothers， love， friendship， the spirit of adventure， misfits that a world struggles to accommodate， and the heartbreak of tragedy。 I adored young Billy， wise beyond his years， with his heart of gold and simplicity that cuts through what might be thought of as logical and normal。 A superb novel that I recommend highly， a wonderful must read。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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A long and winding road。 It's 1954 and newly released from a work camp， Emmet wants nothing more than to pack up his little brother Billy and head to Texas where he plans to use his carpentry skills to renovate houses。 Billy， however， wants to go to California where he believes their mother， who left the family， is living。 Both of their plans are knocked sideways by the surprise appearance of Willy and Duchess， who escaped the camp in the trunk of the car that brought Emmet home。 Duchess has ha A long and winding road。 It's 1954 and newly released from a work camp， Emmet wants nothing more than to pack up his little brother Billy and head to Texas where he plans to use his carpentry skills to renovate houses。 Billy， however， wants to go to California where he believes their mother， who left the family， is living。 Both of their plans are knocked sideways by the surprise appearance of Willy and Duchess， who escaped the camp in the trunk of the car that brought Emmet home。 Duchess has hatched a plan to go to New York and take $150k from the safe in Wooly's family home= and he's steals Emmet's car， forcing Emmet and Billy onto a freight train where they meet Ulysses， who has been riding the rails since his own family disappeared during WWII。 Duchess also wants to wreak revenge on or atone to several people and to find the father who abandoned and betrayed him。 This is a story of seekers， of fathers and sons， of heroic tales， of the hidden places， of mental illness， and of hope。 These are vivid characters， even if they might seem archetypes- it works。 While the novel is set over a ten day period （it counts down from the day Emmet gets home and then documents each day in the journey to and around New York）， each character's back story is parceled out along the way。 I found myself wrapped up in this well told story thanks to Towles' storytelling and， frankly， a desire to know what would happen。 And I was surprised。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 Excellent read。 。。。more
Justice Simanek
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3。5THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles tells the story of Emmett， an 18-year old Nebraskan boy who just served a sentence for manslaughter， his brother， and a load of other characters as they travel on the Lincoln Highway in 1954。 Spanning over the course of just ten days， this novel explores themes of masculinity， loneliness， and what it means to be a hero。 Overall， I did enjoy this book。 Each and every character is a fully-realized individual with their own flaws and strengths。 Each person is c 3。5THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles tells the story of Emmett， an 18-year old Nebraskan boy who just served a sentence for manslaughter， his brother， and a load of other characters as they travel on the Lincoln Highway in 1954。 Spanning over the course of just ten days， this novel explores themes of masculinity， loneliness， and what it means to be a hero。 Overall， I did enjoy this book。 Each and every character is a fully-realized individual with their own flaws and strengths。 Each person is compelling and I genuinely was excited to see where their stories would end up。However， while I am partial to a long book， this novel was absurdly long。 The ARC I received was nearly 600 pages。 I think the final hardcover is around 400， but that just might mean the type is smaller。The sheer girth of this story drowned what could have been a compelling tale of what it means to become your father and how to escape the cyclical nature of our parents’ mistakes。 But because this was so bloated with unnecessary flashbacks and peripheral details， the meaning and power of the novel was diluted。 While I do understand that the point of the ancillary stories was to make the reader feel a certain emotion， I don’t think that emotion was supposed to be boredom。However， I did enjoy this and thought the writing was lovely。 And I always love Nebraska rep！ I haven’t read Towles’ previous novels， but if you’ve enjoyed him in the past， I’d give this one a go。Thank you to Viking Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 The Lincoln Highway comes out on 10/5/21。 。。。more
Kara Klos
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3。5 starsAmor Towles fooled me into believing that we would be on a journey down the Lincoln Highway in search of a long-lost relative。 Instead， we went on a journey to learn the stories of a group of lost boys。 This is a character-driven story。 I was immediately engaged and invested with the characters。 My only nagging thought was that the characters all seemed to be either too wise or to have very sophisticated thoughts for their age and station in life。 Duchess was not a very believable chara 3。5 starsAmor Towles fooled me into believing that we would be on a journey down the Lincoln Highway in search of a long-lost relative。 Instead， we went on a journey to learn the stories of a group of lost boys。 This is a character-driven story。 I was immediately engaged and invested with the characters。 My only nagging thought was that the characters all seemed to be either too wise or to have very sophisticated thoughts for their age and station in life。 Duchess was not a very believable character to me。 The book is well-written with pieces of writing that are so clever they made me smile。 However， it’s a very long book that takes its time to unfold。 I grew a little bored near the end and weary of the Professor Abernathy references。 The view is constantly shifting from character to character which was not difficult to navigate but made the book longer than it needed to be。 I found it interesting that Duchess was the only character that was told in the first person。 I really wanted to know Sally more。 There were a few chapters with her point of view but not enough to understand her motivations fully。 The conclusion was a disappointment with Woolly and Duchess。 Thank you to Goodreads and Viking for this ARC。 I was a Goodreads giveaway winner。 。。。more
Bam cooks the books ;-）
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*3。5 stars rounded up。 I think my expectations were a little too high for this new book by Amor Towles， a favorite author。 I expected that it would be a road trip， an odyssey of sorts， along the famous Lincoln Highway。 Seems reasonable since that is the title。 And it started out that way with Emmett Watson and his little brother Billy piling into Emmett's Studebaker and leaving their hometown in rural Nebraska behind in the dust with plans to reach San Francisco by the 4th of July， 1954。 But the *3。5 stars rounded up。 I think my expectations were a little too high for this new book by Amor Towles， a favorite author。 I expected that it would be a road trip， an odyssey of sorts， along the famous Lincoln Highway。 Seems reasonable since that is the title。 And it started out that way with Emmett Watson and his little brother Billy piling into Emmett's Studebaker and leaving their hometown in rural Nebraska behind in the dust with plans to reach San Francisco by the 4th of July， 1954。 But they have two other passengers in the car， one of whom has different plans， and their trip goes off the rails almost immediately。 This is an exciting adventure story filled with thrills and chills and eccentric characters but it could oddly be a bit dull and repetitive at times。 Certain scenes were repeated from another character's point of view and that often seemed unnecessary and slowed the plot。 It's intriguing that Towles uses first person pov with some characters; I assume to better reveal their motivations and internal dialogue。 But I have to ask why quotation marks were eschewed for dashes？ It worked for the most part but could occasionally be confusing。 Lack of quotation mark usage happens to be a pet peeve of mine--okay， so it's the English teacher in me， lol。 One character agrees with me and actually discusses the importance of punctuation for ease in understanding meaning。 Yes！！The last 20% of the book is 'edge of the seat' reading with a really satisfying ending。 That， plus some truly wonderful characterizations， brought my rating up to 4 stars。 But I would have really enjoyed a road trip on the Lincoln Highway across 50s America， sigh。 Sequel？ I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Many thanks for the opportunity。 。。。more
Ivana Dawe
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My best read for 2021！ How do I even try to write a review for another Towles Masterpiece？ I flew to Moscow after The Gentleman of Moscow just to emerge myself into the Metropole。 This time I was transported back to Athens and high school classical history class after Lincoln Highway 。 It's not the destination it's the journey and now I need a Studebaker ！ Amore Towles， Count & Professor you are truely the best 。 My best read for 2021！ How do I even try to write a review for another Towles Masterpiece？ I flew to Moscow after The Gentleman of Moscow just to emerge myself into the Metropole。 This time I was transported back to Athens and high school classical history class after Lincoln Highway 。 It's not the destination it's the journey and now I need a Studebaker ！ Amore Towles， Count & Professor you are truely the best 。 。。。more
Louisa
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Completely gripping， would 100% recommend。 Amor Towles you have done it again！
Judith
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The Lincoln Highway reads like Mark Twain if Huck Finn had a Studebaker， not a raft。 It's a road trip novel that's more about the people than the places。 It's engrossing， peculiar， and empathetic。 Emmett is fresh out of a juvenile work camp for something like involuntary manslaughter。 Two of his fellow inmates， Wooley and Duchess， have escaped and join 18-year-old Emmett and his wise 8-year-old brother on what is supposed to be a road trip on the Lincoln Highway west to San Francisco。 When the b The Lincoln Highway reads like Mark Twain if Huck Finn had a Studebaker， not a raft。 It's a road trip novel that's more about the people than the places。 It's engrossing， peculiar， and empathetic。 Emmett is fresh out of a juvenile work camp for something like involuntary manslaughter。 Two of his fellow inmates， Wooley and Duchess， have escaped and join 18-year-old Emmett and his wise 8-year-old brother on what is supposed to be a road trip on the Lincoln Highway west to San Francisco。 When the brothers have to head east instead because Wooley and Duchess have absconded with the Studebaker。 The brothers follow， hitching a ride on boxcars and adventures ensue。 Part road story， part inheritance tale， part adventure the novel is larger than the sum of its parts and arrives at an unexpected destination。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC。 。。。more
Sharon
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It’s 1954 and 18-year-old Emmett Watson is being returned to his family home by the sheriff after serving time in a juvie-jail for involuntary manslaughter。 The hitch is that the banker who has repossessed his Nebraskan home is waiting at his old home to finalize the foreclosure。 There’s no family to welcome him as his mother walked off years earlier and his father， lacking the farming skills necessary to keep a place going， has passed on to his heavenly reward。 His eight-year-old brother Billy It’s 1954 and 18-year-old Emmett Watson is being returned to his family home by the sheriff after serving time in a juvie-jail for involuntary manslaughter。 The hitch is that the banker who has repossessed his Nebraskan home is waiting at his old home to finalize the foreclosure。 There’s no family to welcome him as his mother walked off years earlier and his father， lacking the farming skills necessary to keep a place going， has passed on to his heavenly reward。 His eight-year-old brother Billy is in the care of the next-door neighbor。 With no roots to bind them， Emmett and Billy decide to take a road trip on the Lincoln Highway to California where they hope to reunite with their mother。When the sheriff brought Emmett home， he also unwittingly provided transport for two friend inmates， Duchess and Woolly， who hitched a ride in the sheriff’s trunk。 This is a road trip like no other。 For starters their trip to California kicks off with a hoboing train ride to New York。 The journey is the characters along it。 For readers of Ivan Doig and William Kent Krueger。 This is Amor Towles at the top of his game。 。。。more
Jeannette Brown
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