Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 416 pages
First Published: 2021
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Rachael’s Review
After spending a year at a prison work farm for involuntary manslaughter, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson returns to his Nebraska hometown. With his mother gone and his father recently deceased, Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head West. But his plans are derailed when two friends from the work farm suddenly appear with a scheme of their own, forcing an unexpected journey to New York City.
Amor Towles immerses you into the 1950s with his richly descriptive literary novel about the madcap ten-day adventure of Emmett and Billy Watson. I quickly fell in love with the gorgeous multi-layered characters in The Lincoln Highway. On the cusp of adulthood and coping with feelings of abandonment, they each are struggling to understand their place in the world.
Publisher’s Description
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. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But after the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm had hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they hatch an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.
Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.
About Amor Towles
Amor Towles is the author of Rules of Civility, The Lincoln Highway, and A Gentleman in Moscow. He was born and raised in the Boston area and currently lives in Manhattan. Visit the author’s website →
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