Susan asked:

Anyone else disappointed in the ending of this novel? Some many different ways to end it.

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3 years ago
14 answers

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Diane DiSerafino I was disappointed. The author made me care enough about the characters that I wanted them to find their place in the world. I thought that’s where we were headed but deaths robbed me of my hope. I imagine the author was trying to be realistic with the “not everyone has a happy ending” but I was hoping the characters would find redemption. It bothered me that Duchess died bc Emmett put him on the boat, knowing he couldn’t swim. Makes Emmett seem like a murderer. Not what I want from or for him.

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Jennifer Brashear I did like the ending. Emmett didn’t kill him. If he would have sat still in the boat, he would have still been there when the family arrived at the house and then he would have to account for his consequences. But, Dutchess can’t make good decisions and died because of it.

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Ruth I think this book is all about the middle. Billy wants to start his story in the middle and is constantly seeking to find it. I felt like that's exactly where this story ends- right about at 50% of the way thru. And yet, the book did have a distinct ending in so many ways. I didn't love this book, but I love how Towles presents his stories in such original ways that keep you thinking even after you finish reading.

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Gigi I'm disappointed that they never travelled the Lincoln Highway using the mothers postcards for highlights.

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Alice Armstrong I hated the ending. I thought it punctuated Woolly's eschewed "eye for an eye" and "I owe you one" ethics instead of the original good-hearted, kind one of Billy and maybe his brother Emmett.

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Surkesh I'm disappointed. It was way more violent than needed, in a way that didn't fit with the rest of the story. Also, it didn't make sense. If Emmett worried about being linked to Duchess so much that he went back to find him instead of taking off, why would he take the money and disappear, making things even worse for himself if caught? It also doesn't fit Billy's character at all, being one to follow the rules so strictly he had to be told a white lie just to board the train without paying.

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Jane I didn't have a problem with how Duchess died. He recognized that Emmett had put the stones in the stern so the boat wouldn't fill with water. When the wind blew the money, it was Duchess's greed that caused the boat to sink. However, the last 4 paragraphs, which were ostensibly his final thoughts WHILE DROWNING (!), struck me as a bizarre stylistic departure from the writing of the other 575 pages of the book.

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Kelly No, not disappointed. It’s all about the journey, not the destination🤗

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Merricat I felt sorriest about Woolly. I did not feel sorry about Duchess. He seemed Sociopathic to me. If he had managed to make it to shore he would have somehow hunted the Watson’s down and continued to screw up their lives. (Lol supposing the book continued) That is how that type of character acts.
All in all I really enjoyed the book. I thought Sally was more than a bit irritating though. I really love Towles style of writing.

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Deborah Epstein

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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Savannah I enjoyed the ending. I think it was a satisfying tie to the story's origin: Emmett didn't mean to kill and didn't do so directly, but through his actions someone died. It makes me wonder how much Emmett really grew over the course of the story.

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Ken Campbell I was very disappointed by the ending. It felt like the author had become bored with the various story arcs and decided to just make some quick 'resolutions'. Wooley's suicide and Duchess's murder did not fit the characters and ruined any hope for a resolution for these four youths

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