Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases

    October 7, 2022

    Live Before You Die | Neeraj Rai

    October 7, 2022

    Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway

    September 23, 2022
    Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn
    Trending
    • 12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases
    • Live Before You Die | Neeraj Rai
    • Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway
    • The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields, Review: Heart-pounding
    • A WRINKLE IN TIME: The Graphic Novel
    • The School for Good Mothers | Jessamine Chan
    • UPRISING by Nic Low, Book Review: Candid walk through history
    • The Greatest Enemy of Rain Stories | Manu Bhattathiri
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Booktok Club
    • Home
    • Categories
      • 5 Best Books
      • 10 Best Books
      • Book Blog
      • Fantasy
      • Book Recommendations
    • Free Book
    • BookTok Videos
    • Request For Book
    • Pages
      • About
      • Contact Us
      • Disclaimer
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms And Conditions
    Booktok Club
    Home»Action & Adventure»The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, Review: Heroic dogma
    Action & Adventure

    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, Review: Heroic dogma

    BookTokClubBy BookTokClubAugust 24, 2022Updated:August 24, 2022No Comments5 Mins Read
    WhatsApp Facebook Pinterest Telegram Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Email
    The Lincoln Highway By Amor Towles Book Review Feature
    Share
    WhatsApp Facebook Pinterest Telegram Email Twitter

    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is filled with characters that charm but international readers may find the anthemic Americana less beguiling. Read my full review.

    The Lincoln Highway Book Synopsis

    The Lincoln Highway By Amor Towles Book Review

    Two brothers venture across 1950s America to New York in the absorbing new novel by the author of the bestselling A Gentleman in Moscow.

    In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter.

    With his mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to California to start a new life.

    *Ads*

    But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have stowed away in the trunk of the warden’s car. They have a very different plan for Emmett’s future, one that will take the four of them on a fateful journey in the opposite direction – to New York City.

    Bursting with life, charm, richly imagined settings and unforgettable characters, The Lincoln Highway is an extraordinary journey through 1950s America from the pen of a master storyteller.

    (Penguin Books Australia, 2021)

    Genre: Literature, Historical, Drama, Adventure

    Disclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.

    Book Review

    After raving over Amor Towles’s debut novel Rules of Civility, I was very much looking forward to reading his highly anticipated third novel The Lincoln Highway. It is featured in countless Best Books of 2021 lists, and the Amazon Book Review editors even named this their #1 book of the year.

    Towles once again displays his skill and dare I say it, devotion to character development. There were multiple characters and descriptions that charmed me.

    You’ve got to love that about Woolly. He’s always running about five minutes late, showing up on the wrong platform with the wrong luggage just as the conversation is pulling out of the station.

    But, I think it is worth approaching this chunky 576-page novel with managed expectations – particularly so international readers who like me are less likely to be beguiled by this tale’s anthemic strains of Americana.

    Now, I was always going to finish reading The Lincoln Highway because Towles hooks you early on setting off a domino-like series of events with menacing portent. But my expectation that this novel only spanning 10-days in the life of its characters would translate to a fast-paced reading experience was misguided.

    The Lincoln Highway narrative is told from alternating character perspectives – a literary construct I typically really enjoy. But I found Towles’ decision to use third-person perspective for some characters and first-person for others perplexing, to say the least. I suspect it was something to do with ‘reading about heroes’ and a desire to heighten narrative suspense. But this, the numerous side tales, and at times labored moral messaging broke my reading spell on many occasions.

    There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.

    I would describe The Lincoln Highway‘s conclusion as thought-provoking and worthy of interrogation, rather than satisfying. I am a big believer in karma, but this brand of casual fatalism and eye-for-an-eye dogma was just a little hard for me to swallow.

    In The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles once again delivers characters that charm. That is his enviable talent. But, whether readers are ‘swept away by their story, I think rests heavily on personal experience and philosophical outlook.

    BOOK RATING: The Story 3.5 / 5; The Writing 4 / 5 – Overall 3.75

    Get your copy of The Lincoln Highway from:

    Bookshop US Amazon Book Depository Booktopia AU

    OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)

    And, these Lincoln Highway book club questions are sure to get the conversation flowing at your next book club.

    More compelling fictional adventures:

    More The Lincoln Highway reviews

    ‘The Lincoln Highway is a joyride… delightful tour de force .. There’s so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters’ – NPR.org

    ‘Towles’ third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)… A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, Towles’ novel is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.’ – Kirkus Starred Review

    ‘With its down-home style and ideas about the lone hero, The Lincoln Highway is pure Americana. Reading it in any other country is like taking a vacation in the Land of the Free: a long, easy, enjoyable if at times hokey ride on a highway filled with adventure.’ – The Guardian

    About the Author, Amor Towles

    Amor Towles was born and raised in the Boston area. He graduated from Yale University and received an MA in English from Stanford University. An investment professional for over twenty years, he now devotes himself full time to writing. Towles lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children. Check out his website or connect with him on Twitter.

    * My receipt of a review copy from the publisher did not impact the expression of my honest opinions above.

    Share. WhatsApp Facebook Pinterest Telegram Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleKathy Reich’s Cold Cold Bones, Review: Feisty fallibility
    Next Article A Woman’s Journey Through India | Madhu Veena
    Avatar Of Booktokclub
    BookTokClub
    • Website

    Related Posts

    6 Mins Read

    Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway

    September 23, 2022
    5 Mins Read

    UPRISING by Nic Low, Book Review: Candid walk through history

    September 18, 2022
    4 Mins Read

    The One Impossible Labyrinth by Matthew Reilly, Review

    September 1, 2022
    6 Mins Read

    Conviction by Denise Mina, Audiobook Review: Thrilling metafiction

    August 20, 2022
    7 Mins Read

    Author Rae Cairns Interview + #Giveaway

    August 19, 2022
    6 Mins Read

    Sean Rabin’s inspiration for cli-fi thriller The Good Captain

    August 18, 2022

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    Childrens

    12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases

    By BookTokClubOctober 7, 2022

    This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an…

    Live Before You Die | Neeraj Rai

    October 7, 2022

    Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway

    September 23, 2022

    The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields, Review: Heart-pounding

    September 23, 2022
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    *Ads*👇
    Our Picks

    12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases

    October 7, 2022

    Live Before You Die | Neeraj Rai

    October 7, 2022

    Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway

    September 23, 2022

    The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields, Review: Heart-pounding

    September 23, 2022
    About Us

    BookTokClub is your Books & Novels Review website. We provide you with the latest Books Reviews, Book Deals, Popular Books List and Book Collections straight from the Books industry. visit our website for more info on BookTokClub.com

    We're accepting new partnerships right now.

    Email Us: info.booktokclub@gmail.com

    Our Picks

    12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases

    October 7, 2022

    Live Before You Die | Neeraj Rai

    October 7, 2022

    Larry Feign’s pursuit of a pirate queen + #Giveaway

    September 23, 2022
    New Comments
    • BOOK REVIEW: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi on The Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
    • Noah Williams on The Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
    • They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera on The Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
    • Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas Book Review on The Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
    Facebook YouTube Instagram Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram RSS
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    • BookTok Videos
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    © 2023 BookTok Club All Rights Reserved. This Website Designed and Developed by Trinix InfoTech

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.