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phoebewerling's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a very good book! took me a bit longer than usual but the entire book was so worth it the whole time. towels is a v great author to me and he just exemplifies it in the book. i adore the change in povs and specifically the character tone shifts/diction. it’s amazing to see the man’s talents when it comes to putting on the tone/voice that is absolutely needed (and completely fits the characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Death
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Murder, and Death of parent
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
well, this was a different experience from towles' previous effort. the lincoln highway is a book thats both big and (tries to be) bighearted, but the nearly-600 pgs puzzlingly fail to create any kind of emotional impact for me aside from the occasional urge to strangle some of the characters.
like, i get what it tries to do, but it doesnt rly end up working for me. the writing and narrative voices can be enjoyable - god knows how many times i chuckled or snorted from the periodically deadpanned narration and dialogue; the characters are fleshed out, making them understandable as ppl despite how ??? they can be, and billy's def my fav character for how endearing yet wise he is. at the same time, however, i find a few of them bland (esp emmett, befuddingly), and others simply rage-inducing (looking at u, the damn pastor and duchess). the book also often reads like a game of cat-and-mouse, just a long, winding trail chase that hops from one thing to another, one w/ an ending thats unfortunately a lil underwhelming at that.
my biggest issue w/ the novel is prolly its ability to evoke any emotions - the good ones anyway - from me, despite how long, adventurous, character filled it is, esp considering the amount of scenes that could be impactful, but ultimately fail to. overall, this unfortunately doesnt live up to my expectations despite its lofty potential.
like, i get what it tries to do, but it doesnt rly end up working for me. the writing and narrative voices can be enjoyable - god knows how many times i chuckled or snorted from the periodically deadpanned narration and dialogue; the characters are fleshed out, making them understandable as ppl despite how ??? they can be, and billy's def my fav character for how endearing yet wise he is. at the same time, however, i find a few of them bland (esp emmett, befuddingly), and others simply rage-inducing (looking at u, the damn pastor and duchess). the book also often reads like a game of cat-and-mouse, just a long, winding trail chase that hops from one thing to another, one w/ an ending thats unfortunately a lil underwhelming at that.
my biggest issue w/ the novel is prolly its ability to evoke any emotions - the good ones anyway - from me, despite how long, adventurous, character filled it is, esp considering the amount of scenes that could be impactful, but ultimately fail to. overall, this unfortunately doesnt live up to my expectations despite its lofty potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Racism
Moderate: War, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, and Sexism
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Bro, that was fucked up!!! Oh my gosh. What an ending. I can’t believe that was the ending! 🤯
Eighteen-year-old Emmett is released from a working camp after completing his fifteen month sentence. When he returns home, his father’s farm is being foreclosed upon, and he and his younger brother, Billy, seemingly have nowhere to go. The two set off for California in hopes of creating their own fresh start. When Emmett’s “friends” Duchess and Woolly show up unexpectedly, he is forced to construct a new plan.
From the beginning, I knew Duchess was bad news. He made me furious at every turn. On the contrary, I felt an immediate connection to Billy and wanted to protect him at all costs! I quickly became invested in the story and our main characters’ well-being. While there were a lot of shady characters in this story, there were a lot of lovable ones, too. Things may not always work out as you initially planned, but they will always work out. I really loved this! Shoutout to Book of the Month for my complimentary ‘Book of the Year’ copy.
“It’s yellow! exclaimed Billy, as he returned from a nearby newsstand. Just like the yellow of corn.” 🌽🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Addiction, Suicide, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
nrg_x's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Suicide, and Alcoholism
mashooexplores's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Addiction, and Suicide
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was moderately enjoyable through the story, though I still would have considered giving up on it a few times if I hadn't been reading it for book club. It was slow, and only about half the characters were likeable, though admittedly even the unlikable ones had a few great moments.
The ending ruined whatever enjoyment I got out of the rest of the book, and made me go "what was the point of all that". I didn't feel most of the characters had any kind of resolution or interesting arc, and the end was depressing.
The ending ruined whatever enjoyment I got out of the rest of the book, and made me go "what was the point of all that". I didn't feel most of the characters had any kind of resolution or interesting arc, and the end was depressing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Confinement and Racism
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
cedarwinterberry's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
kmw2017's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another masterpiece from Amor Towles.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
midnightverde's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book hooked me from the start. I loved the structure. The story takes place over 10 days and there is excitement in each section, and it increases as you read. You read from various character perspectives and gain insights as you go. Reading this book gave me the feeling of drinking a warm beverage on a cool day, it was a very cozy read with lots of room for interpretation on what motivated certain characters or what they were thinking when they took certain actions. The ending was wild and I don’t even know exactly how I feel about it, but ultimately it’s somehow perfect in a way I wouldn’t have imagined.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Pregnancy, Confinement, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol