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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'
Lincoln Highway: Roman | 'Eine Hymne auf das Leben auch unter allerwidrigsten Umständen.' Annemarie Stoltenberg, NDR Kultur by Amor Towles
45 reviews
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Emmett, Billy, Duchess, Woolly. Salina, KS boys prison. Mostly, NY. Ending not great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
Unlikeable characters, unnecessary characters, childish characters, meandering storyline, poorly written
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Abandonment
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
Why I Chose to Read It: Although I disliked Rules of Civility, I thoroughly enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, so I picked The Lincoln Highway for my October Book of the Month.
Plot:
Since The Lincoln Highway constantly jumps between at least 6 points of view and various locations across the country, the plot is correspondingly erratic. Erratic seems an insufficient descriptor—more like dizzying. I had to put the book down several times just to remark how bonkers the plot was. Like a leisurely road trip, The Lincoln Highway takes whatever turns it pleases while at the same time moving towards its destination. However, the characters and writing are so fascinating that I could not be annoyed it. I decided to enjoy the ride, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the seemingly pointless plot excursions reached toward a cohesive and impactful ending. It is brilliant.
Characters:
This story would not be half as compelling without its quirky, complicated, fascinating, and lovable characters. Just like the plot, the characters require a certain amount of suspended disbelief. Despite the large cast of characters, Towles is good at fleshing them all out and gives them all surprisingly in-depth backstories. Few if any are all good or all bad, but each exists on a spectrum between the two extremes.
Setting:
Despite the book’s title, very little of the story takes place on the Lincoln highway. Most of the story takes place in a small town in Nebraska and New York City. Towles never spends too much time describing his settings, but he gives enough to service the story.
Themes:
The Lincoln Highway covers a wide range of themes, but mainly focuses on the themes of justice/retribution and morality. Most of the characters have backstories in which they wrong others and are wronged by others, and the story explores these backstories shape their motivations and actions. Its three main characters, Emmet, Woolly, and Duchess were each sent to a juvenile prison labor camp for crimes they did not intend to commit or crimes they did not commit. It is fascinating to see how each character deals with the fairness (or unfairness) of their situation and the ending provides a satisfying conclusion to the thematic questions the book raises.
Writing Style:
Towles’ writing is a breeze to read. He’s good at capturing individual character voice. Despite the unwieldy plot, it was never too difficult to figure out what was happening and why.
Conclusion:
This book was not what I expected it to be, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. It requires patience and suspension of disbelief, but the journey and the destination are worth it. It is certainly better than Rules of Civility, and in my opinion, a step above A Gentleman in Moscow. Definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism, Dementia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Drug use, Violence, Abandonment