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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took me awhile (Christmas present in 2021 - started it then - abandoned it - picked it up during holidays this past winter and took about a month after starting over from the beginning) and while I loved the premise and set-up of the book, it obviously didn't keep my interest as I went along. Thought it might make a good film and still wonder if it could. But I can move on to another book finally.
Clever and profound are the adjectives that come to mind to describe this book. Not a classic journey adventure, the book is an allegory or tale with a message. The typical road trip experiences one would expect never materialize and morph into the settling of scores, vendettas for past wrongs, and tragic resignations.
The parentless brothers, Emmet and Billy, decide on a journey west from Nebraska quite different from what transpires. Life has its own plans; the boys head east instead. The four young protagonists, and a female sidekick, travel from where they began. Two have quite different destinations; three may or may not reach the west, but they are joined as a family of sorts.
The child, definitely precocious, serves as the soothsayer, utilizing the knowledge he has gained from his eight years on a Nebraska farm and a tome of classic stories, i.e. Jason and the Argonauts, Ulysses. One of the male adolescents is scarred by an unfortunate accident. The other two have been marred by their upbringing. The woman, the most mature of the bunch, who accompanies the boys towards the end of the story, is bravely embarking on adulthood on her own terms.
Of course, if an 8 year old is the wise sage, one realizes both the sad truth but also the bittersweet humor in the situation. For eight year olds, no matter how smart, remain concrete and without experience and often come to conclusions which are incorrect yet sweet. Sad because the situations the youngest boy encounters are ones which we face our entire lives and never quite resolve.
The parentless brothers, Emmet and Billy, decide on a journey west from Nebraska quite different from what transpires. Life has its own plans; the boys head east instead. The four young protagonists, and a female sidekick, travel from where they began. Two have quite different destinations; three may or may not reach the west, but they are joined as a family of sorts.
The child, definitely precocious, serves as the soothsayer, utilizing the knowledge he has gained from his eight years on a Nebraska farm and a tome of classic stories, i.e. Jason and the Argonauts, Ulysses. One of the male adolescents is scarred by an unfortunate accident. The other two have been marred by their upbringing. The woman, the most mature of the bunch, who accompanies the boys towards the end of the story, is bravely embarking on adulthood on her own terms.
Of course, if an 8 year old is the wise sage, one realizes both the sad truth but also the bittersweet humor in the situation. For eight year olds, no matter how smart, remain concrete and without experience and often come to conclusions which are incorrect yet sweet. Sad because the situations the youngest boy encounters are ones which we face our entire lives and never quite resolve.
Edit: My original review is left unchanged. HOWEVER, I read this book almost a year ago and I still get these fond thoughts about the book pop up unexpectedly, it’s like my brain actually misses it! And for that, I give this another start and head back to the library to read it again!
Mixed feelings. I truly see the appeal of this novel. It’s beautifully written. Amor Towles is an absolute artist with words. I love the long winded, inspiration, and wisdom that came with the storytelling. However, it was a bit infuriating at times. You just want it to keep rolling but at every chance, you get taken back a few steps before rolling on again.
The beginning was capturing, love the character build and bits of comedy. The middle was a big gray zone that I mostly skimmed because it was fairly dry and boring. I just couldn’t bring myself to pick up the book during that part. And the end was much better, the last 1/4 of the book made up for the middle, in my opinion.
Mixed feelings. I truly see the appeal of this novel. It’s beautifully written. Amor Towles is an absolute artist with words. I love the long winded, inspiration, and wisdom that came with the storytelling. However, it was a bit infuriating at times. You just want it to keep rolling but at every chance, you get taken back a few steps before rolling on again.
The beginning was capturing, love the character build and bits of comedy. The middle was a big gray zone that I mostly skimmed because it was fairly dry and boring. I just couldn’t bring myself to pick up the book during that part. And the end was much better, the last 1/4 of the book made up for the middle, in my opinion.
Great descriptions of aspects of 1950s America but 200 pages in, too little plot for me.
Confirmation that this author is not for me. There is something inherently twee about his writing that I can't stomach.
This was so, so good!! I loved Gentleman in Moscow and had heard this one was even better. I thought it was going to be more of an odyssey/adventure story but the characters didn’t really get too far (geographically) in their journey. There were still multiple characters in every sense of the word…a trickster, a thief, an innocent child, a worldly traveler, a professor, a noble man and a sassy female. I loved them all—their voices were so authentic. The chapters were told from multiple perspectives and varying pov’s. Highly recommend!!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I did so primarily because of the high acclaim and expectations communicated by others.
In summary, to read this selection requires a huge investment of time. At times I was entertained and overwhelmed by the characters and their stories, and also by interesting word combinations and character dilemmas. At other times it felt as if the world was spinning out of control: the entire plot unfolds in only 10 days. I wasn't sure if I might need something like Aderall to remain focused, or if one or more of the characters needed it instead.
In the end, I find myself doubting I'd read this one again, not because the story is unworthy but because I didn't like the 'racing brain' feeling I experienced while reading it
In summary, to read this selection requires a huge investment of time. At times I was entertained and overwhelmed by the characters and their stories, and also by interesting word combinations and character dilemmas. At other times it felt as if the world was spinning out of control: the entire plot unfolds in only 10 days. I wasn't sure if I might need something like Aderall to remain focused, or if one or more of the characters needed it instead.
In the end, I find myself doubting I'd read this one again, not because the story is unworthy but because I didn't like the 'racing brain' feeling I experienced while reading it
I really enjoyed this book, but I wanted to enjoy it more than I actually did. A Gentleman in Moscow remains my favorite Towles novel, and The Lincoln Highway did not come close to unseating it.
Still, The Lincoln Highway has many charms, and I very much recommend it. The characters were interesting (you’ll never meet another one quite like Duchess), the writing is fabulous, and I loved the way that Towles takes a simple road tale and weaves in heroic journeys as well as deep contemplation about sin, redemption, and how you should assess your own life and the things that happen in it.
I’ll always be picking up the next Towles novel, for very good reason, and recommend that you do the same!
Still, The Lincoln Highway has many charms, and I very much recommend it. The characters were interesting (you’ll never meet another one quite like Duchess), the writing is fabulous, and I loved the way that Towles takes a simple road tale and weaves in heroic journeys as well as deep contemplation about sin, redemption, and how you should assess your own life and the things that happen in it.
I’ll always be picking up the next Towles novel, for very good reason, and recommend that you do the same!