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A review by barbarahallforrest
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3.0
Amor Towles is one good storyteller and in this novel is a celebration of myths, stories, legends and books. As in his previous work, "A Gentleman in Moscow," his latest novel is multi layered, but unlike the previous that spanned several decades, this one spans a mere 10 days.
18 year old Emmett Watson is released from a juvenile work farm, having completed his sentence for a crime that the local sheriff described as Emmet being "on the bad side of luck." Emmett returns home to the just foreclosed farm in Nebraska to reunite with his 8 year old brother Billy; their father having recently died and their mother having abandoned them several years previously. Needing to make a "clean start" with their lives, they decide to set out on the transcontinental Lincoln Highway to San Francisco, where they believe their mother now lives. But before the brothers depart, their plan is thwarted by the unexpected arrival of 2 of Emmett's friends from the work farm that sends them on a journey in the opposite direction to New York.
This highly readable 10 day road novel is written in chapters that begin at Chapter 10 and end at Chapter 1, each told through a narrative by the main characters. With the exception of Billy, who is bright and virtuous, all others display their essential good and big hearts, while also out of necessity, act with cunning and questionable wits and decision making. Their road trip is full of adventures and misadventures and has a good mixture of the sentimental, danger and suspense. My anticipation was heightened by the sense of the "countdown" aspect of how the chapters were numbered. What would eventually happen to the brothers and would they ever realize their Lincoln Highway dream?
At the novel's conclusion, while mostly satisfying, also left me puzzled at the outcome for one of Emmett's work farm friends. Nevertheless and overall though, it was a worthwhile and very entertaining work.
18 year old Emmett Watson is released from a juvenile work farm, having completed his sentence for a crime that the local sheriff described as Emmet being "on the bad side of luck." Emmett returns home to the just foreclosed farm in Nebraska to reunite with his 8 year old brother Billy; their father having recently died and their mother having abandoned them several years previously. Needing to make a "clean start" with their lives, they decide to set out on the transcontinental Lincoln Highway to San Francisco, where they believe their mother now lives. But before the brothers depart, their plan is thwarted by the unexpected arrival of 2 of Emmett's friends from the work farm that sends them on a journey in the opposite direction to New York.
This highly readable 10 day road novel is written in chapters that begin at Chapter 10 and end at Chapter 1, each told through a narrative by the main characters. With the exception of Billy, who is bright and virtuous, all others display their essential good and big hearts, while also out of necessity, act with cunning and questionable wits and decision making. Their road trip is full of adventures and misadventures and has a good mixture of the sentimental, danger and suspense. My anticipation was heightened by the sense of the "countdown" aspect of how the chapters were numbered. What would eventually happen to the brothers and would they ever realize their Lincoln Highway dream?
At the novel's conclusion, while mostly satisfying, also left me puzzled at the outcome for one of Emmett's work farm friends. Nevertheless and overall though, it was a worthwhile and very entertaining work.