"The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles is a historical fiction novel that was voted by Amazon's book editors as the best book of 2021. Epic and original, mesmeric and life-affirming, in The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles takes his unmatched gift for storytelling and puts it on the road. Woolly doesnt respond. When you encounter slick or muddy roads, you can engage the four wheel drive on it and drive with confidence. Ulysses (a man in his early 40s) then turns to Billy and tells him (more gently) to leave as well since he wasnt kidding about riding alone. Duchess says that he already found Woolly, but that it was too late to do anything about it. The Lincoln Highway is a journey in multiple layers the escapades of a road trip, coming of age passages and a storytelling odyssey. Instead, he would rather use Fitzys feelings of remorse to guilt him into telling him where his father is. It was also accompanied by five other cases Hamlet, Henry, Lear, Macbeth and Romeo. He asks them to make a pit stop at the orphanage he stayed in for a few years as a child (because his father abandoned him there temporarily). Meanwhile, Woolly mentions wanting to make a pit stop to see his sister Sarah Whitney when they get to New York. He decides to lunge for the money instead to try to save it. Rear Spoiler . In Pennsylvania, much of the Lincoln Highway became Route 30. When he returned, Woolly was dead. Back at the camp, Ulysses asks Billy to read him the story of Ulysses again. Finally, he finds Woolly, but Woolly is already dead from overdosing. While it was a first offense, the value of the watch made it grand larceny. Emmett feels sad and then angry. Inside, are four objects: a goatee, a golden earring, a small jar of blackface, and a (retractable) dagger. The novel probes questions about how to structure a narrative and where to start; its chapters count down from Ten to One as they build to a knockout climax. When Billy refuses to give it up, Pastor John hits Billy. Duchess then imagines where hed open up his Leonellos if he could. Emmett awakes to see Duchess take Billy inside and close slam the door. As it gets late, Billy starts to worry since Emmett hasnt returned yet. (The book chapters count down from 10 to 1.). One thing smart Billy comes to realize: He belongs to a long tradition of sidekicks who come to save the day. Potentially, Emmett laid the groundwork for Duchess to have to choose between the money or survival. His father then proceeded to drive off with Miss Maples, leaving Duchess behind as he realized [hed] been had. I can't wait for his next book. He instead changes to subject and starts reminiscing about their childhood. Emmett tries to impress upon the consequences of Duchesss actions. In Chapters 8 and 7, they hit the road with the plan of dropping Woolly and Duchess off at the bus stop in Omaha before Emmett and Billy continue on to San Francisco. Townhouses friends and his cousin Maurice goad him on. Emmetts thoughts turn to how to track down Duchess. In Chapters 4 and 3, Emmett goes to visit Townhouse, who warns that the police recently came by looking for Duchess. Hi Jenelle, the chapters in the book count down from 10 so I am mirroring the chapters in the book. Over breakfast, Billy asks Emmett if he ever went to the movie theater in Salinas, since Duchess had mentioned going. However, by the next morning, she was already gone. But lets talk over several key events. The novel begins on June 12, 1954 and ends on the same date, clearly not coincidentally, as A Gentleman in Moscow. Meanwhile, Billy guesses the safe combination based on something Woolly had said about his great-grandfather loving the 4th of July. His interest is in those whose zeal has not yet been tamped down by what Duchess (the only first-person narrator) describes, with improbable flair for a poorly-educated 18-year-old, as "the thumb of reality on that spot in the soul from which youthful enthusiasm springs." They all have a delightful dinner, but soon Dennis and Sarah come home. Afterwards, Emmett sees Woollys will which was duly signed and dated. Woolly hated the thesaurus and the unnecessary amount of alternative words it offered. Excellent writer. Emmett finds him in another room playing piano. Fitzy tells him that Harry is at the Olympic Hotel in Syracuse, and that he imagines Duchess will be headed there as well. Duchess tells Townhouse that he figures he owes Townhouse about three punches (8 for the Hondo incident minus 5 for the Oreo incident), and he invites Townhouse the punch him, promising not to fight back. Emmett then takes a moment to talk about the story Duchess had told Billy about sneaking out to see movies. It took him six tries to get it open. Emmett takes a quick look and is dismayed to see that the envelope with the money from his father isnt there. Though dark shadows fall across its final chapters, the book is permeated with light, wit, youth. It would seem he would know the possible demise of Duchess - being left in a boat that could sink. I did not appreciate the fate of Wooley. The action (and there's a lot of it) unfolds over a 10-day period, starting in Nebraska and ending in. ABC's newest procedural crime drama, Big Sky, premieres . At Ackerlys place, Duchess tells Woolly to wait in the car as he goes inside. Also, he realizes that he never gave Emmett an address for Sarahs house. Then he thinks about it and forcefully knocks Duchess out. In the interim, a call had come in regarding a stable that was on fire. The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a . Mr. Cohens information leads Emmett to room 42, where he learns that Harry is gone, but that Duchess had there stayed last night. . As Duchess and Woolly head to New York down the Lincoln Highway, Duchess assuages Woollys guilt over taking Emmetts car by reminding him that with the money they recover, Emmett will be better off and Billy can come closer to having the house they dreamt up. I can't understand why would Billy and Emmets mom leave the family. Meanwhile, Duchess and Woolly have driven as far as Illinois by now. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In the city, Emmett tries to track down Duchesss father, and he struggles to navigate the busy city. Emmett reminds Billy that its not necessarily safe to take food from random strangers. It tells the story of two brothers with a plan to travel down the Lincoln Highway from Nebraska to San Francisco, though their plans quickly get derailed from the onset. Standing in front of the statue, he thinks about how his great-grandfather had always loved the Fourth of July and insisted that the whole family gather on that holiday at his place in the Adirondacks. Marceline Maupassant was living there as well. When it was reported on in the newspapers, anti-communist sentiment ensured that Fitzys career as a well-paid Santa was over. As they drive, Sally says that the sheriff came by her place because the cowboy hat guy that had confronted Emmett (along with Jake Snyder) had been attacked. Woolly left a note behind apologizing for everything. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Duchess tells Billy that hes been to hundreds of cities because her father was a traveling actor. She brings over a jar of home-made strawberry preserves as well. This morning, Emmett had recalled that the Statler building was where Duchess had said all the big agencies were housed. While we dont know the details of it yet, it seems clear that it somehow implicated Duchess. He thinks it might begin with an S. Duchesss next stop is room 42 at the Sunshine Motel, a room where his father, Harrison Harry Hewett, used to stay. However, when they arrive, it turns out Woolly doesn't know the combination (and it never occurred to him there would be one). They make their way to the study, and Duchess asks Woolly what the combination to the safe is. Finally, as the train picks up speed, Emmett realizes he has no choice but to wait for the train to slow again before making his way back to Billy. After all this effort, all Duchess can do is laugh when he realizes that Woolly doesnt know the combination and that it genuinely didnt occur to Woolly that they needed a combination. Enjoy the incredible handling with the rear wheel drive on this unit. Now, after Duchess has knocked Emmett out, Billy is upset after seeing Duchess hit Emmett. He reminds Emmett that he has paid his debt to society and to make the most of your liberty. She likes that it requires effort, that its a process passed down from her mother. Emmett removes the chairs barricading the doors and tells the nuns what happened. If this book were set today, their constant detours and U-turns would send GPS into paroxysms of navigational recalculations. The last postcard she sent also talks about how the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Franciscos Lincoln Park has a huge firework show on July 4th each year. She's upset to learn from Duchess that Emmett plans on leaving. He also offers to tell the Snyders to leave Emmett alone. The official map of the Lincoln Highway, published by the Lincoln Highway Association. The Lincoln Highway is a fast paced and reflective adventure story centered on three young men from disparate backgrounds, whose incarceration together in a juvenile detention center brings them together on the outside where conflicting motives and moralities set them on a course for collision across the United States. Ulysses gets into the grave and opened the casket. I did not understand the role of Sally. Emmett has carefully planned the trip so they can make it to Omaha to drop off Duchess and Woolly and then to San Francisco in four days flat. He knows that population growth is crucial to his plan of ensuring the profits of possible rental properties. The idea of debts. On the way to Professor Abernathes, Woolly had thought about how there are certain places that one was supposed to see when traveling, and he knew to be diligent about visiting all those places when he traveled. He leaves and takes the train to Hastings-on-Hudson. However, in that moment, Billy says to himself I am truly forsaken (referencing what Ulysses has told him) and then proceeds to kick Pastor John in his injured knee and run off. I loved the tone and the atmosphere of this novel. Outside, Emmett smashes a windowpane to get back into the house. Sally also confronts him about suggesting that Emmett leave. This is a spoiler-filled discussion about the ending to The Lincoln Highway. The second event I want to discuss is the fact that Duchess makes it seem like this trip is an effort to get revenge at his father for framing him and sending him to the work camp. This was very helpful! Emmett thinks about how his father had always had plenty of bad luck, but also bad judgment, too. But Emmett is concerned that Duchess will try and find them. At the show (which features two women riding on horses and shooting each others clothes off), Billy spots Woolly. I love to read and review various genres with a focus on contemporary fiction, historical fiction with some mysteries/thrillers and also select nonfiction and memoirs. His father was an insurance adjuster for damaged ships and his mother was a seamstress. As he says this, Duchess picks up a whiskey bottle and thinks possibly hitting Fitzy with it. Meanwhile, Woolly is a troubled rich kid. Afterwards, Emmett thinks about how he had been free of debts and obligations that morning, but was now encumbered by two promises hed made that day. Then, she calls Sarahs place, but it keeps ringing and no one picks up. However, he feels certain Emmett did not owe a debt to the man in the cowboy hat (the cowboy). Woolly also happens to know that his great-grandfather has a wall safe at their house in upstate New York that contains around $150,000. In the meantime, the Snyders had told everyone that Emmett had punched Jimmy for accidentally bumping into him. She was a 28-year-old-ish widow with no kids who worked as a teller at the bank. That night, Duchess sleeps in Emmetts room, and he notices how barren the walls are, as if Emmett had been preparing to walk out of his house with nothing but a kit bag for a long, long time. Ulysses advises Billy not to tell Emmett what happened, at least for now, since Emmett has a lot on his mind. Chapters 10 and 9 open with Emmett Watson (18) returning home to Morgen, Nebraska (dropped off by Warden Williams) after having spent a year in juvenile detention for killing Jimmy Snyder. In the house, Woolly gives Duchess a tour. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. As Ulysses attempts to run there, the winds and rough terrain fight against him. I realize this is likely a hobby but to develop a real following you must take grammar and spelling seriously, these are readers you are dealing with, we are much more inclined to be exceptional spellers & editors. Hed then spotted the encampment due to the campfire, and saw that Billy and Ulysses were there. Determined not to make the same mistakes, he asks people for directions and makes his way to the Statler Building. He later attended Harvard, married a woman he loved named Polly and had two children. However, various cases had been lost or sold over the years. Emmetts father describes his legacies as being a form of sacrilege. Jimmy had always been someone who liked to stir up trouble, trying to say anything he could to get under your skin. So again, while I dont think Emmett set out to murder Duchess, I also believe he didnt care what happened to himhe just didnt want to deal with his toxic behavior any longer. She says that Billy has spent a lot of time at the library reading stories since hes been gone. He purchases three old newspapers. From the moment that Pastor John says the name Ulysses, Billy seem fascinated by the man. Upstairs, he checks the bedrooms. He notices his dictionary, and it reminds him of the thesaurus it had come with. 20 Reviews Write a Review. Duchess now turns to setting accounts with Townhouse, who was the one had gotten in trouble at one point after Duchess convinced him to sneak out to see a movie, Hondo. He offers to drive them back in the morning, but Duchess says that Woolly is unhappy there after Warden Williams fired the nurse that used to supply Woolly with drugs. Against his attorneys advice, Emmett had plead guilty on March 1, 1943. Early the next morning, Emmett, Billy, Duchess and Woolly head for the road. Advance praise for The Lincoln Highway "Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow. She is unhappy that he didnt mention that he was planning on leaving for California tomorrow and that she had to find out from Duchess. Duchess hits him on the head with a cast-iron skillet and leaves, noting that Ackerly's debt to him has been paid. Back downstairs, Duchess books rooms for him and Woolly for the night. I also do think he could read a little bit. It seems like the loud noise was probably Sallys car making some type of noise. Knowing the Fitzy is an alcoholic, Duchess offers to buy him a drink in an attempt to loosen his tongue. The Lincoln Highway is a joyrideAmor Towles new Great American Road Novel tails four boys three 18-year-olds who met in a juvenile reformatory plus a brainy 8-year-old as they set out. It causes him to fall into the water. Sheriff Peterson comments on how Emmett doesnt appear to have fought back with Jake at all. Emmett and Billy are then visited by two people. The Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road in the U.S.open for business in 1913has none of the pop-culture force of Route 66. Emmett agrees, and says he plans to leave. One in a thousand can look at the world with amazement," Towles wrote in his first novel. Macie hadnt wanted him to enlist, but as time passed Ulysses had been unable to stand stares of everyone else who judged him for that decision. By Amor Towles Viking: 592 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent . At first, Emmett is hesitant, telling her that he doesnt want her to have expectations regarding the two of them. He tells Pastor John to leave Billy alone and demands that Pastor John exit the moving train, saying that he rides alone. Very sad and tragic. When the train starts to slow, Ulysses tells Billy he doesnt have to leave and invites him to stay. In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. It the drives away. After all the commotion, Emmett feels ashamed for making a mess in Sallys house and drinking their wine. Sheriff Peterson offers to drive Emmett back in his Studebaker and to let him clean up at his house before dropping him off. Much worse than death of Woolly - which was so sad and a tragedy but not shocking. She asks him to try to help Duchess find his purpose. Duchess and Sally both presented themselves to me as first person narrators right from the start, and I trusted that. Pastor John knocks him out with the shovel. Of course, Towles is drawn to that one in a thousand. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. Before they part ways, Emmett asks what Townhouse plans to do next. Welcome to the discussion about The Lincoln Highway! Two years later his father came to reclaim him, but Sister Agnes knows how damaging it mustve been for him to be abandoned out of convenience. The legal-drama follows Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Los Angles lawyer who inherits the practice from his colleague Jerry Vincent after the latter's murder.