Antoinette's Reviews > The Lincoln Highway

4.5 STARS

Amor Towles has done it again! He has written a compelling story that drew me in immediately and kept me keeping pace with our young adventurers on their road trip. There were detours, escapades, interesting encounters- the stuff of life!!

The characters are what makes this book so memorable. Firstly, we meet Emmett, 18 yrs old. Just released from a work camp, he wants to start a new life away from his past. He is honourable and trustworthy- the quiet, silent type. Billy, his 8 yr old brother, is smart as a whip. There is a magical quality to him that makes even strangers pay attention. Their plans are derailed when Duchess and Woolley enter upon the scene. They escaped form the work camp and want Emmett to join them in their quest for riches in New York. Woolley is sweet and innocent and very trusting. He needs protection from himself as well as those around him. Duchess is our con man. Wrongly put in camp, he wishes to seek out those that harmed him. Much as he is a scoundrel, you can’t help being moved by his past history and his thoughtfulness towards Woolley.

Much happens on this road trip. This is 1954- no cell phones or GPS- just maps! I don’t miss trying to read a map, I must say.

There are some very memorable secondary characters: Sally, Emmett and Billy’s closest neighbour, who feels invested in their future; Ulysses, a man that Billy and Emmett meet and Billy’s book that is referred to frequently-Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travellers.

What prevented me from giving this book an outright 5 stars was the ending. I didn’t believe an event that occurred as it didn’t seem in keeping with Emmett’s character. I know a book cannot go on forever, but their were a couple of loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up.

Overall, I loved this book and this journey that I took with all these memorable characters.

Published: 2021.