This is such an enjoyable book! Set in 1950s America, it follows a group of young people on an unexpected cross-country adventure, each with their own motives and dreams. It gives slight On the Road vibes. Towles' writing is vivid and nostalgic, with great character depth and little surprises along the way. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but if you’re in the mood for a thoughtful, character-driven story, this one really delivers.

I’m afraid this one just wasn’t for me. I liked the premise of the story but I just found it a hard one to stick with.

I loved "A gentleman in Moscow", and I enjoyed this book almost as much. Well paced, good characters, and an interesting premise, I found this book solid.

Highly enjoyed this read.

Wasn't sure how the tale would transpire but it had me gripped. The writing is sublime.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

In "The Lincoln Highway," Amor Towles takes readers on a thrilling and poignant journey across America in the early 1950s. The story follows two young boys, who escape from a reform school and embark on an adventure to find their way back to their family in Wyoming. Along the way, they encounter a diverse cast of characters, each with their own struggles and secrets. Towles’ writing is captivating and his attention to detail is impressive. While the plot can feel a bit predictable at times, the characters are so well-drawn that they carry the story forward with emotional depth and complexity. Overall, "The Lincoln Highway" is a touching and enjoyable read.

This was a wonderful read, engaging characters and a very interesting journey. It's the kind of novel that makes me call in love with reading all over again.

I was eager to read this book as I am a big fan of his other novel A Gentleman in Moscow. I enjoyed this, but perhaps my expectations were too high, and I felt slightly deflated and let down by it by the end.

I was really excited for this one as I know many of my friends are great fans of A Gentleman in Moscow (which I have yet to read) and I love a roadtrip novel. It was an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t quite the roadtrip novel I was expecting, and the ending was unsatisfactory in my opinion. I’m glad I still have his other books to read, but this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations unfortunately.

Since A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all-time favourite books, and Rules of Civility is also in my top few, my expectations for The Lincoln Highway were probably unfairly high. But having flown through the other 2 books, it took me weeks of chipping away to get through this one, and I’m sorry to say I was very happy when it was finished!

The story tracks the lives of Billy, Emmett, Duchess, Woolly and Sally, and their journeys across the US in search of a better life. The chapters are told from the perspectives of the different characters, which gives great insight into the relationships between them.

My main issue with the story is that it never really goes anywhere, and whilst it pulls at a lot of different threads and we get good insight into the back stories of the different characters, none of them really reach a conclusion before the end of the book! I’ve come away with so many unanswered questions, that I flicked back a few pages to see if I’d missed out an entire chapter!

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit this isn’t notmally a genee I would read or be interested in however the front cover drew me. The story follows two brothers travelling across America
on the Lincoln Highway. The characters were well written and relatable, each one with a different destination in mind, and the dialogue between them was fun and quick witted.
Im glad I gave the book a go, I thought it was maybe a little too long and dragged out towards the end but overall a pleasant read.

I found this to be a charming coming of age story, with wonderful main characters, painted with Towles’ usual astute observations and the many anecdotes that comprise someone’s story. It had undertones of John Irving and even Steinbeck, to me. Towles presents the reader with a completely immersive world so that I felt like I had been on an adventure along with the characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I enjoyed this coming of age novel. Good plot and characterisation, descriptions of places visited also added to the enjoyment of the read. I would recommend.

How does Amor Towles succeed in making you feel nostalgic for a time and place you'e never been? What a beautiful piece of writing this is. Towles' characters are always flawed, real yet lovable. Throughout the book, you bond with these characters despite their downfalls. It's a slow burn of a book, definitely character driven other than plot, but as with both A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility, I loved this one. I couldn't put it down - just didn't want to leave Emmett and Billy's world. If you've read Towles' other books, you'll know exactly why I say to pick this one up immediately. If you haven't, you should - and you're in for a treat.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone for the ARC.

I have recently read A Gentleman In Moscow, after that I had to check out Amor Towles other works.

The Lincoln Highway was not a disappointment. Firstly the map at the front and back are absolutely stunning. I'm a sucker for a good end page and the detail in the maps helps you follow the characters along their ride filled with great twists and turns along a road filled with glorious moments.

I loved the use of language throughout and how a one character questions the use of a thesaurus and in-fact burns one. All of the characters were likeable and engaging, the relationships between the characters were skilfully crafted, enabling me to really connect with them.

Throughout the book you learn the stories of all the main characters and of their lives at Salina, Towles plot provides humour, danger, fantasy and adventure. The use of description really helps you as the reader picture the characters and also the surroundings along the Lincoln Highway.
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“The funny thing about a picture, thought Woolly, the funny thing about a picture is that while it knows everything that’s happened up until the moment it’s been taken, it knows absotively nothing about what will happen next. And yet, once the picture has been framed and hung on a wall, what you see when you look at it closely are all the things that were about to happen. All the un-things. The things that were unanticipated. And unintended. And unreversible.”

“Wouldn’t it have been wonderful, thought Woolly, if everybody’s life was like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Then no one person’s life would ever be an inconvenience to anyone else’s. It would just fit snugly in its very own, specially designed spot, and in so doing, would enable the whole intricate picture to become complete.”

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The Lincoln Highway • Amor Towles • Should you read it or just wait for the film?

We meet Emmett, released from a juvenile reform school at Salina, Kansas, and returning home after the death of his father. He’s there to collect his 8-year-old brother Billy. Emmett has decided that they need to make a fresh start and he and Billy plan to drive to California along The Lincoln Highway. Billy is also hoping they might trace their mother, who abandoned them many years earlier. Everything seems set until two more young men on the run from Salina turn up. They are Duchess, a theatrical fast-talker and Woolly, the slow-witted son and heir of a WASP family. Suddenly all Emmett’s carefully laid plans are blown apart.

It’s an interesting experience reading something where you’re constantly thinking of it as a film that hasn’t yet been made. On the one hand that’s a plus, the prose is vividly cinematic with set pieces that seem designed almost like briefs for a locations scout. On the other, it can’t be a good thing when you’re frequently imagining how a good director and a few a-list actors might fill in the gaps.

Towles writes enormously likeable books, with characters that have an easy charm. I found the Lincoln Highway enjoyable but not much beyond that. The characters are engaging with plausible back stories and motivations, but they don’t really change much or develop in the course of the book (the female characters especially so). The 8-year old Billy was adorable but also implausible and there was a particularly random escapade to meet the author of his book of true-life stories that while delightful added nothing to the plot. There wasn’t ever a moment in this that really caught my attention – at the same time as I couldn't stop turning the pages. I also wanted way more Lincoln Highway – as in literally the road – than I got.

Ann Patchett sums it up as ‘a big book of camaraderie and adventure in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast.’ For me, it felt like a comfort read. A big-hearted, warm, reassuring book. Nothing wrong with that. But with a writer this good I was hoping for something more.

I was drawn to "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles as I enjoyed his two previous books. The word for this book though is "frustrating". I do like a book about a road trip and the thought of a road trip across America, down the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco was very appealing. However due to the nature of the narrative, there were many detours, and every time you thought they were going on their way, something else cropped up. Character-wise, the book is fantastic and the setting too in 1950s America is very evocative of John Steinbeck novels and others set in and around the same time. However, there were many "frustrating" incidents like when they tipped Chateau Margaux wine down the sink. You just don't do that!

One of my favourite books in recent years has been A Gentleman in Moscow, it just made me smile at every turn. Now Amor Towles has a new novel out Lincoln Highway. It is a very different beast. For a start we start in Kansas where Emmett is returning home after a stint in a youth facility. His father has died and he is here to collect his brother Billy and head out of state in search of a new life. For me it was a cross between On the Road by Jack Kerouac and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck … both novels that I have read and am glad to have read but have no desire to read again. Which is also my feeling about Lincoln Highway

I got totally immersed in this story and immediately went to see out more of the authors work.

I loved the use of language throughout, the characters were likeable and engaging. The relationships between the characters were skilfully crafted, enabling me to really connect with them.

It gradually tells the stories of all the main characters and of their lives at Salina. There is also a strong theme of settling scores. The story takes place over just a couple of days, but it felt so much longer than that, in a good way, as I got so invested in the charcters.

The introduction of Wooly and Duchess confused me a little and I felt the book lost some of it's impetus at this point, but not so much to distract from my enjoyment. There were other times when I got a bit confused by the plot, but the characters carried me through.

The descriptive prose painted great pictures and set the scene historically and socially:

"Just seeing the picture made you want to smoke, and wear at hat, and lean on lampposts all by your lonesome". I love that! Throughout the author employed a lovely light touch that added to both plot and characters.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.