What a Journey: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

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“For kindness begins where necessity ends.”

This is the third work that I've read by Towles and I did enjoy, however I did not love it. In this story, the reader will find rich character development and beautiful writing. The plot involves 4 major characters that plan a journey across country to start a new life. However, events take a slightly different turn when one character, Duchess, decides he has unfinished business on the east coast. This leads to a bit of a chase, where Emmett and Billy (two brothers and I love Billy), try to get their plan back on course by catching up with Duchess and Woolly. The story is told through the lens of each main player including Ulysses and Sally, minor characters, but important to the storytelling. So, why did I not love this work, I thought the story was lacking in originality and it reminded me of so many other books I've read (e.g., Of Mice and Men, This Tender Land). I also questioned the ending for Duchess...  Billy was bright enough and did not want to do harm to others, acting frequently as Emmett's conscience. So I cannot believe Billy would not have discouraged his big brother from placing an unconscious Duchess into a sinking boat when Duchess could not swim.

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Check out my online book club's great thoughts on the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22133065-january-2022-the-lincoln-highway-by-amor-towles


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