The Lincoln Highway in Big Book Summer Reading Challenge 2023

Aug 29, 2022 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2022-read, 2022-summer-big-book-reading-challe

Amor Towles third novel is different, yet similar to his previous books. It takes place in 10 days in 1954. Emmett Watson has been released early from a youth incarceration camp. Is crime was an accident in a way, but Emmett took full responsibility for the outcome. He returns home, collects his little brother Billy and they set off, trying to find their mother who left the family when Billy was an infant. Complications ensue, but their is so much flavor of the time instilled in the novel, with ...more

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Jun 21, 2023 Melinda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2023, botm, historical-fiction, print, big-book-of-summer

Grade: A+

As much as I enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, I was unsure that The Lincoln Highway would be a book for me. A story about boys from a reform school? That didn't catch my fancy. However, I needed some big books for the #BigBookSummer challenge, and this was one of my "extra" options as a finalist for the Book of the Month Book of the Year, so why not?

I may have enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow but loved The Lincoln Highway. This book is pure pleasure- sometimes nostalgic, sometimes anxious, a Grade: A+

As much as I enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, I was unsure that The Lincoln Highway would be a book for me. A story about boys from a reform school? That didn't catch my fancy. However, I needed some big books for the #BigBookSummer challenge, and this was one of my "extra" options as a finalist for the Book of the Month Book of the Year, so why not?

I may have enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow but loved The Lincoln Highway. This book is pure pleasure- sometimes nostalgic, sometimes anxious, and sometimes infuriating. We follow four characters. Emmett has been released early from his incarceration, due to the death of his father and the fact that he is now the guardian of his young brother, Billy. Two of his co-inmates, Duchess and Woolly, have hitched a ride in the Warden's trunk as he brought Emmett home. While Emmett has a plan for how the next step in his and Billy's lives, Duchess has another--and it all goes from there.

I loved all these characters. Emmett is the person we all aspire to be; he is responsible and caring. Billy has the fantastical wide-eyed wonder of a little boy who loved adventure stories, while Woolly has the realistic wide-eyed wonder of a little boy who has never really grown up. And Duchess--oh, Duchess! I loved Duchess as much as I wanted to clobber him--a reaction that Towles clearly intended.

Towles brings the America of 1954 alive, both the good and the bad. I never doubted that I was firmly in 1954, and I made the point to align my reading to the dates of the book. It starts on June 12 and ends on June 21, and my reading started and ended on the same days. In fact, the book is designed for this sort of reading, although I did have to practice a surprising amount of restraint only to read one day's worth each day.

The Lincoln Highway immediately became one of my "Swiss Army Recommendations" (it has something for everyone), and I believe it belongs in the vaulted levels of the "Great American Novel." If you haven't read this book, I recommend you get a copy as soon as you can. ...more

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Dec 10, 2021 Deb rated it it was amazing

This is an absolutely beautiful story. Amor Towles weaves his characters' stories so perfectly. Each comes to life from the page so uniquely. Emmet has been released from a correction center and taken back to his family farm. His father has passed away and it is now just him and his little brother. There mother had left her boys years ago and Billy, the little brother, has a plan to find her. Stowed away in the car that brought Emmet home are escapees Duchess and Woolley who interrupt this perfe ...more

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Nov 13, 2021 Donna rated it liked it

A very ordinary and somewhat boring story. Definitely not what I expected from this author.

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May 25, 2022 Barb rated it it was amazing

A Most Excellent Adventure! Perhaps it was the romp through 1954 which dazzled me, but Amor Towles can make any time in history seem captivating. I love his side roads to other topics as he takes you on the journey. This is off-putting to some readers, but I love it. I'm a couple weeks out from finishing it and I am still delighted by the scenes that keep coming back to me. Although I found Billy’s character annoying, his repetition of historical journeys helped provided a philosophical context ...more

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Aug 26, 2023 Suzan Jackson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-group-book, coming-of-age, realistic-fiction, good-audio-books, travel, favorites, historical-fiction, adventure

I enjoyed every minute of this delightful, engrossing road trip novel set in 1954 that follows the hero's journey of three young men and a charmingly precocious 8-year-old boy. I finished this book a week ago and am still thinking about it! This is a novel that needs to be discussed, so suggest it for book group or read it with a friend, like I did. My full review & a sample of the audio:
https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2023/... ...more

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May 29, 2022 Gerri rated it it was amazing

I made sure not to read any reviews or summaries of this book. So it was a delightful surprise. Of course I still went into it with my own expectations. I almost never give 5 stars, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The perfect book for a beautiful summer day to submerge yourself in this beautiful storytelling. The kind of book that readers love and hate because it’s hard to find another that compares. They are few and far between but always appreciated and enjoyed. Thank you Amor Towles ...more

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