The Lincoln Highway

A Read with Jenna Pick (A Novel)

By: Amor Towles

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland, Dion Graham

Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

More than ONE MILLION copies sold

A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

A New York Times Notable Book, and Chosen by Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Bill Gates and Barack Obama as a Best Book of the Year

“Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A classic that we will read for years to come.”—Jenna Bush Hager, Read with Jenna book club

“Fantastic. Set in 1954, Towles uses the story of two brothers to show that our personal journeys are never as linear or predictable as we might hope.”—Bill Gates

“A real joyride . . . elegantly constructed and compulsively readable.”—NPR

The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months 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, Billy, and head to California where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden's car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett's future, one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction—to the City of New York.

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. “Once again, I was wowed by Towles’s writing—especially because The Lincoln Highway is so different from A Gentleman in Moscow in terms of setting, plot, and themes. Towles is not a one-trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has range. He takes inspiration from famous hero’s journeys, including The Iliad, The Odyssey, Hamlet, Huckleberry Finn, and Of Mice and Men. He seems to be saying that our personal journeys are never as linear or predictable as an interstate highway. But, he suggests, when something (or someone) tries to steer us off course, it is possible to take the wheel.”–Bill Gates

©2021 Amor Towles (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] mischievous, wise and wildly entertaining novel . . . Towles goes all in on the kind of episodic, exuberant narrative haywire found in myth or Homeric epic . . . Each [character], Towles implies, is the central protagonist of an ongoing adventure that is both unique and universal . . . remarkably buoyant . . . permeated with light, wit, youth . . . Towles has snipped off a minuscule strand of existence—10 wayward days—and when we look through his lens we see that this brief interstice teems with stories, grand as legends.”—Chris Batcheldor, New York Times Book Review

“Not only is it one of the most beautifully written books I have ever picked up, it’s a story about hope, friendship and companionship in a time when we need it so much . . . Towles brilliantly captures the inner reality of each [character] with profound and poetic prose. All eight of them are incredible forces in literature . . . Amor Towles is one of those authors that I think will become a Steinbeck of our generation and [...] I think The Lincoln Highway will be a classic that we will read for years to come.”—Jenna Bush Hager, Read With Jenna book club

“Once again, I was wowed by Towles’s writing—especially because The Lincoln Highway is so different from A Gentleman in Moscow in terms of setting, plot, and themes. Towles is not a one-trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has range. He takes inspiration from famous hero’s journeys, including The Iliad, The Odyssey, Hamlet, Huckleberry Finn, and Of Mice and Men. He seems to be saying that our personal journeys are never as linear or predictable as an interstate highway. But, he suggests, when something (or someone) tries to steer us off course, it is possible to take the wheel.”—Bill Gates

I'm totally opposite

It took me more than a month to finish A Gentleman In Moscow. I finished this book in 2 days. AGIM was just....so slow for 2/3 of the book. By the time I was done, I had it on 2.8 speed to hurry the book along. However, with The Lincoln Highway, I was surprised when it was over. I'm aware that I'm totally opposite of most reviewers, but this was much better and interesting than A Gentleman In Moscow
I enjoyed the multiple narrators and POVs. Like I say, I finished this book in 2 days. I just...found it interesting. I know I'm in the minority, but it's OK..

His Best

Excellent plot, exquisite characterization and pacing but above all a story of human lives, adventures and relationships.Beautifully crafted and beautifully narrarated by masters of the art of storytelling!

Incredible Characters!

What a joy to read a book that is a wonderful heartfelt story and has fully developed characters. It will be on my top 10 of all time great reads.

This is a must listen!

The story is engrossing, the characters enduring and the narration is wonderful. Not to be missed.

Strangely touching

What a gem of a book. The story is a tangled mesh of strange twists and beautifully concealed surprises. Now and then I’d find a deeper and very subtle metaphorical meaning to some of the action that couldn’t have been there by accident. And that would cue me to spot the same thing happening over and over again throughout the whole book. There is a second and possibly a third layer underneath the storyline and it was great fun savoring this book.

This is the best narration I have ever listened to.

The story is great but made even better by the incredible job the narrators did. I absolutely love Amor Towles’ use of language. I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful!

Amor Towles is a wonderful storyteller. The Lincoln Highway is a ‘road’ story but what makes it special is the beautiful, lyrical prose and the insightful and colorful characters. The author keeps the story moving through twists and turns in the narrative as the characters live out their fate
like characters in a Greek myth. The book is beautifully and sensitively read and I’m sorry I have come to the end.

Disappointing Ending

Towles weaves an engaging adventure story. I was captivated from page 1. He also masterfully creates memorable characters. In that regard, the behavior of two of the main characters at the end is inconsistent with their carefully developed personalities . The narration is well done.

My New Favorite Book!

Regretful when I finished. I wanted to continue on the journey with Emmett, Billy, Sally, Wooley & Duchess!

A Touching, Engaging Tale Sure to Entertain

There is something here for everyone. This is a wonderful period piece/time capsule of America before the 1960’s and all that has changed since then. Lovers of Americana, you’ll appreciate this book. The book gives much more than that, however, with its rich characters, well conceived , tender relationships, rumination on fate and what constitutes a life well lived, or not, etc.

Overall, a very fun, highly engaging, touching book that is sure to stir your soul.