The Lincoln Highway
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- Create Date：2021-11-08 10:16:04
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Amor Towles
- ISBN：0593489330
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Summary
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 work farm where he has just served a year 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 and head west 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。
In June， 1954， eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year 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 and head west 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。
Reviews
Maggie McKneely
，
Towles’ writing chops were absolutely wasted on this book。 The great American road trip is a story that’s been done a hundred times。 This was just yet another version， and a boring and seemingly pointless one at that。 It had none of the charm and ingenuity of A Gentleman in Moscow， none of the sharp wit of Rules of Civility。 It was an excuse for the author to write 600 pages worth of 1950s nostalgia。 I was intrigued for the 1st 100 pages， utterly bored for the next 500， and completely unsatisfie Towles’ writing chops were absolutely wasted on this book。 The great American road trip is a story that’s been done a hundred times。 This was just yet another version， and a boring and seemingly pointless one at that。 It had none of the charm and ingenuity of A Gentleman in Moscow， none of the sharp wit of Rules of Civility。 It was an excuse for the author to write 600 pages worth of 1950s nostalgia。 I was intrigued for the 1st 100 pages， utterly bored for the next 500， and completely unsatisfied with the ending。It still gets 3 stars though because even a bad Towles book is better written than the vast majority of modern day books。 。。。more
Trisha
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Interesting， but lots of boring side stories and a depressing ending。
Jessica Lamothe
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4。5 stars。 Loved the whole thing。 Mixed feelings about the ending。
E。B。 Lee
，
I leave the pages of this book feeling somewhat of a jumbled mess: overwhelmed， entertained， perplexed， and in awe of a very talented writer who crafts a very interesting story with beyond-story， far-reaching meaning and an impactful writing style。 I feel I have missed something though， perhaps some connection or inner meanings of the events， characters， and story presented。 Amor Towels writes sentence upon beautiful sentence， conveys intriguing ideas， shows a different time and place with ease I leave the pages of this book feeling somewhat of a jumbled mess: overwhelmed， entertained， perplexed， and in awe of a very talented writer who crafts a very interesting story with beyond-story， far-reaching meaning and an impactful writing style。 I feel I have missed something though， perhaps some connection or inner meanings of the events， characters， and story presented。 Amor Towels writes sentence upon beautiful sentence， conveys intriguing ideas， shows a different time and place with ease and， of course， presents magnificent details from page to page。 It is a writing style to avidly applaud。 I was absolutely intrigued to read different characters' views of a single event。 I found this aspect fascinating。 I found the travels and insights into the time period， and variety of described circumstances extremely interesting。 Several truisms of human nature and human character （over the life of mankind） were truly poignant。 I was both enwrapped in the cross-country travels of teens， and wondering why I was reading what seemed like a Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn story。 I was fascinated by the tie-ins with ancient writings and repeat stories of human nature， but I feel I somehow didn't make all the intended connections。 I kept waffling between asking myself， "Why am I being told this？" and simply following an enjoyable journey。 So， overall， I feel I failed somewhat as a reader to grasp the full points presented。 This does not mean I don't believe this is an amazing novel or that Amor Towels is an amazing writer。 It is and he is！ Such an accomplishment creating this story and telling as he chose to tell it！ I am grateful to have been enriched by this reading。 。。。more
Greg
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I love anything Amor Towles writes， and this novel is no exception！ ♥️
Kurt J。Gary
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Great book。 Buddy story， adventures， lots of twists and turns。
Becky
，
Fabulous story！ This is one of the best books I ever read。 Amor Towles is a wonderful author。
Virginia
，
While I love the characters， I ask， where was the editor？
Desiree
，
wonderful storyA classic to be read for yearsgreat characters
Joan Mccarthy
，
Great book！ I couldn't put it down！ Great book！ I couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
Tyson Brown
，
This book is why I read books！ It’s as good as Mark Twain and his other book about that gentleman。 Thank you for a great read。
Christy
，
An adventure tale for all time; a journey befitting Odysseus。 Follow along with Emmett， his eight-year-old brother， Billy， and Emmett's two friends， Duchess and Woolly。 Emmett has just been released from a juvenile work camp and upon returning home， has learned that in the wake of his father's death， the family farm is in foreclosure。 Emmett and Billy pack their essentials and want to head west to California for a new start。 However， two friends， Duchess and Woolly， whom Emmett met at work camp， An adventure tale for all time; a journey befitting Odysseus。 Follow along with Emmett， his eight-year-old brother， Billy， and Emmett's two friends， Duchess and Woolly。 Emmett has just been released from a juvenile work camp and upon returning home， has learned that in the wake of his father's death， the family farm is in foreclosure。 Emmett and Billy pack their essentials and want to head west to California for a new start。 However， two friends， Duchess and Woolly， whom Emmett met at work camp， decide to tag along and the trip takes a turn。 。。。more
Jen
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I thought I would love this book enough to give it five stars， but it seemed unfocused and more scattered than I expected。 I was left feeling adrift and unfulfilled， but I did enjoy the writing。
Kristin （Always With a Book）
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This is the first book I’ve read by Amor Towles and I read it because it’s one of this month’s #mommaleighellensbookclub picks。 It’s a beautifully written， character-driven story and I think you really need to know that last bit going in。 This is not a fast-moving book at all and having the right expectations will make all the difference。This book is long， and at times， it feels like it meanders a bit， but I have to say that I completely fell in love with the characters and that is what made me This is the first book I’ve read by Amor Towles and I read it because it’s one of this month’s #mommaleighellensbookclub picks。 It’s a beautifully written， character-driven story and I think you really need to know that last bit going in。 This is not a fast-moving book at all and having the right expectations will make all the difference。This book is long， and at times， it feels like it meanders a bit， but I have to say that I completely fell in love with the characters and that is what made me stick with the story。 They were so dynamic and flawed and even though this book only spans a period of ten days， these characters have such an extraordinary journey that they become quite unforgettable。 There were times while reading this that I was reminded of William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land， which I absolutely loved – the whole feeling of a band of misfits trying to get from one place to another。There are times this story deviates from it’s destination， much like the brother’s journey deviated from their original plan， but in the end， it is a story that winds its way into your heart so much so that you become attached to the characters。 There are many poignant， funny and shocking moments along the way， and a few heartbreaking ones， too。 But in the end， it is quite the original story and one that I’m glad I picked up。This is definitely a great book club pick as there is much to unpack and I’m looking forward to our discussion。 I also plan on checking out this author’s other books because I have a feeling since I liked this one， I might enjoy the others， too。Audio thoughts: I ended up listening to this once I saw that Edoardo Ballerini was one of the narrators。 He’s one of my favorites and between him， Marin Ireland and Dion Graham， I was captivated by this story。 I think， because of the length， audio might be the way to go， at least it was for me， because it didn’t seem as long。 Each of the narrators really did a fantastic job bringing this story to life and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it。You can see all my reviews at: https://www。alwayswithabook。com/ 。。。more
Ina Gravitz
，
Amor Towles has done it again。 Quirky characters with an improbable storyline that works beyond all reasonable expectations。 I read till my eyes closed。
Laura
，
Oof。 I think I loved it。 Full review to come。
Ryan
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Fresh out of a juvenile center for accidentally causing his bully’s death， Emmett Watson is excited to leave his hometown behind and head for Texas for a fresh start。 When he comes to collect his younger brother， Billy， Emmett learns that his childhood home is being foreclosed on due to his dead father’s debts being too great to ever pay off。 Although the brothers have lost everything except each other and the car Emmett bought before his incarceration， Billy found something of interest。 Their f Fresh out of a juvenile center for accidentally causing his bully’s death， Emmett Watson is excited to leave his hometown behind and head for Texas for a fresh start。 When he comes to collect his younger brother， Billy， Emmett learns that his childhood home is being foreclosed on due to his dead father’s debts being too great to ever pay off。 Although the brothers have lost everything except each other and the car Emmett bought before his incarceration， Billy found something of interest。 Their father intercepted postcards sent from their mother。 These postcards show a detailed journey from New York City to San Francisco， on The Lincoln Highway。 Billy convinces Emmett this is the way they should go for a fresh start and possible reunite with their mother。 Plans derailed become further messier when two of Emmett’s friends from juvie， Duchess and Woolly， show up unannounced and reveal they snuck into the truck of the warden’s car just before he drove Emmett from the juvenile center to his hometown。 What is supposed to be a detour to drop off Duchess and Woolly in their hometown in Nebraska， turns into the journey from hell when Duchess and Woolly distract and “borrow” Emmett’s car。 Now it’s up to Emmett to get his car back and hit the road in time to take a leap of faith and potentially meet his and Billy’s mother。 This was a whirlwind road trip that pissed me off in all the best ways。 As they say， “all the best laid plans go to waste”。 This is also a lesson about how you should never off ANYONE a ride if you have things to do and places to go because when you give an inch， they WILL take a mile。 Towles does a wonderful job in creating unique voices for each character as well as he builds worlds。 It may seem a little meandering if you’re not used to his style of prose but each detail is deliciously rich if you are a fan。 A must read on your next road trip！ 。。。more
Ann
，
How often does one read a novel of this length and wish it were longer？ Towles' follow-up to "A Gentlman in Moscow" couldn't be more different in subject matter， but his meticulous plotting and lovely prose are very much in evidence。 In 'Highway'， 18-year-old Emmet Watson is driven home by the warden of the work farm he had been sentenced to when his father passes away at his bankrupt family farm in Nebraska。 Emmet plans to leave Nebraska and start a new life elsewhere for himself and his bright How often does one read a novel of this length and wish it were longer？ Towles' follow-up to "A Gentlman in Moscow" couldn't be more different in subject matter， but his meticulous plotting and lovely prose are very much in evidence。 In 'Highway'， 18-year-old Emmet Watson is driven home by the warden of the work farm he had been sentenced to when his father passes away at his bankrupt family farm in Nebraska。 Emmet plans to leave Nebraska and start a new life elsewhere for himself and his bright 8-year-old brother， Billy。 However， two friends of Emmet's from the Kansas work farm had hidden in the warden's trunk， and there ensues a road trip of amazing twists and turns。 Every character， however small their role， is exquisitely rendered。 This is a work of great heart and beauty。 。。。more
DL
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Wow- even better than I expected！ Absolutely loved all the characters， big and small， with all their strengths and weaknesses。 Such a grand adventure of a story with so many tangents， but masterfully put together。 There is humor， wit， joy， sadness， anger， forgiveness， redemption， love and so much more to highlight the humanity of man， with a nice healthy dose of philosophy thrown in。 Definitely a book I would want to revisit one day， because there was so much to ponder。
Val
，
I wanted to like this book more than I did。 I really enjoy the author's writing style， but felt like he fell in love with himself and made the book too rambling。 Parts of it are quite poignant， but others are repetitive as the same scene is told by different characters。 I recommend it for Amor Towles fans， but temper your expectations。 I wanted to like this book more than I did。 I really enjoy the author's writing style， but felt like he fell in love with himself and made the book too rambling。 Parts of it are quite poignant， but others are repetitive as the same scene is told by different characters。 I recommend it for Amor Towles fans， but temper your expectations。 。。。more
Linda Larbi-Cherif
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What a great read。 I loved it！
Krithika
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While I’ve devoured Amor Towles’s previous books， and consider The Rules of Civility one of my all-time favorite books， it was extremely hard to get into this book—with minimal character depth （and with female characters little more than caricatures） and repetitive plot devices。 It’s clear it’s meant to mimic the heroes’ journeys referenced throughout the story， but it was a pale imitation of the greats at best。
Linda
，
A very unusual story。 I couldn’t put it down， but this story probably isn’t for everyone。 Very unique and the character development is superb。 I read this from audible。com and it was their rated excellently。
Diana Hahn
，
A Great readThe writing style was captivating and the characters and plot were extradinarily rich and suspenseful。 Hope you enjoy the book。
Amanda
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Another excellent piece of writing from Towles who has become one of my favourite writers。Told via the perspective of the various characters， this road story a compelling， well structured and captivating read， rich with flawed， but fascinating characters who are chasing each other across the country in search of a hidden fortune。I think what I enjoy most about Towle's writing is his treatment of his characters， which is always deeply compassionate - even those whose behaviour is somewhat questio Another excellent piece of writing from Towles who has become one of my favourite writers。Told via the perspective of the various characters， this road story a compelling， well structured and captivating read， rich with flawed， but fascinating characters who are chasing each other across the country in search of a hidden fortune。I think what I enjoy most about Towle's writing is his treatment of his characters， which is always deeply compassionate - even those whose behaviour is somewhat questionable。I'm not sure that I was entirely happy with the ending but， all-in-all， I loved it。 。。。more
Claudia Piepenburg
，
There's much to love about Towles latest novel， which is to be expected， he's a terrific writer （"A Gentleman from Moscow" is on my list of ten best books of the last several years） That said， structurally I was bothered by the redundancy from chapter to chapter as each one was written in a different POV。 When you've read the conversation between two characters in one chapter， and then you read the same lines of dialogue in the next chapter because that one is written from the POV of one of them There's much to love about Towles latest novel， which is to be expected， he's a terrific writer （"A Gentleman from Moscow" is on my list of ten best books of the last several years） That said， structurally I was bothered by the redundancy from chapter to chapter as each one was written in a different POV。 When you've read the conversation between two characters in one chapter， and then you read the same lines of dialogue in the next chapter because that one is written from the POV of one of them， just like the previous chapter was from the POV of the other， it gets a bit annoying。 I found myself skipping over action and dialogue that I'd already read。Perhaps the book could have used some developmental editing because I was confused， particularly after reading the final chapter， as to who this story was really about。 If Emmett and Billy were the protagonists and Duchess was the antagonist， why was the last chapter written from Duchess' POV？ I loved some of Sally's dialogue， but I don't feel that her character was necessary unless Towles was attempting to show the reader that even in the '50s there were women who knew that their place was somewhere other than in the kitchen and bedroom。 That's certainly a worthy subject but it had no relation， at least as far as I could tell， to this story。The relationship between Emmett and Billy was what kept me reading: their love for one another， Emmett's need to protect him， their dual goal of finding their mom and making a new life for themselves。 But there wasn't nearly enough of that relationship and this book certainly isn't the "road trip" novel I thought it was going to be， which also was disappointing。Woolley's character is heartbreaking， kudos to Towles for creating him。 Some of his observations， as many of Billy's， are beautifully written。 I could have used more of Woolley and less of Duchess。 I found it interesting that Towles chose to write Duchess in first-person， when he was the least empathic and relatable character in the novel。 And finally， the Lincoln Highway itself。。。what happened there？ More time was spent in boxcars， wandering around NYC， in trunks of cars and in mansions then was spent on the road。 This novel would have been so much better if Towles had decided exactly what kind of story he wanted to tell。 。。。more
Adrian Matthews
，
4。5 stars。 I thought Gentleman in Moscow one of the finest books I've ever read。 I so wanted The Lincoln Highway to match it -- and it almost does。 It is clever and engaging and thought-provoking。 It made me think about family。 About the arc of life。 And that's an amazing thing for a writer to do。 Yet I couldn't quite reconcile myself to all the POV storytelling and I'm not at all sure about the ending。 But Amor Towles is a superb storyteller。 It's very， very good。 4。5 stars。 I thought Gentleman in Moscow one of the finest books I've ever read。 I so wanted The Lincoln Highway to match it -- and it almost does。 It is clever and engaging and thought-provoking。 It made me think about family。 About the arc of life。 And that's an amazing thing for a writer to do。 Yet I couldn't quite reconcile myself to all the POV storytelling and I'm not at all sure about the ending。 But Amor Towles is a superb storyteller。 It's very， very good。 。。。more
Jennifer Vick
，
I just love his writing so， so much。 The way he develops characters and dialog…not to be missed！
Natasha
，
Really enjoyed this book although some parts were slow for me the ending really drew me in and was not what I was expecting。 I enjoyed reading every characters story and liked how it flipped back and forth from the past to present。
Natalie
，
Amor Towles is an amazing storyteller。 Loved this book…read it！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lincoln Highway
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lincoln Highway&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lincoln Highway&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0