Title: The Lincoln Highway
Author: Amor Towles
Publisher: Viking
Genre: Historical Fiction
I feel like I need to start this review with a couple of warnings:
1. The Lincoln Highway is a long book. 576 pages to be exact!
2. It’s very character driven. I’m not saying that as a bad thing, I quite enjoyed it and the characters, but I know some readers struggle with this and I think it’s helpful to know before you begin.
3. This is a very meandering tale. There will be points where you might feel a little lost or bored and wished the author had shaved a little off the book. Or maybe you won’t. In which case, please kindly disregard.
Amor Towles is a well regarded author and it is easy to see why. This was my first book by him and I quite enjoyed his writing and character building. What I didn’t like was the lack of quotation marks in the book. I found this to be very distracting. Could someone in the industry explain to me this new trend?
What is this book about? Well, let me see if I can explain. It’s like when my husband asks how my book is going and I answer, “It’s hard to explain…it’s complicated!”…
The book begins with Emmett being released from a juvenile work program. It was a profound moment in the car ride home with the warden where the warden tells Emmett, “I haven’t known you long, but you’re a good kid. This was the ugly side of chance. You paid your debt. You have a brother to take care of. Don’t let this moment define you.”… With their mom leaving them a long time ago, their father having passed away and the family farm in foreclosure, Emmett and his little brother decide to hit the road in Emmett’s prized and beloved Studebaker picking California as their destination. Only to have their road trip de-railed by Emmett’s on the run juvie friend’s Wooly and Duchess. The book starts at Day Ten counting until the end.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved all the characters but my absolute favorite was Emmett’s little brother, Billy. He stole the show. The ending. Hmmm. I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it. Which is probably what the author wanted. So I guess, well done! I recommend this, but for the right audience only. You know if that’s you or not.