Although this entire novel surreptitiously revolves around their road trip from Morgen, then from New York to California...somehow I felt that this had nothing to do with the journey per se. This entire book completely threads around the four protagonists, and certain other additional but essential characters, in trying to decipher them and reason them out against the backdrop of the times and the setting of the novel. It addresses a lot of issues and pains and dilemmas that one goes through in their late teens and especially, if they belong to a certain kind of households. I must say, Towles is a genius, because he didn't keep a single stone unturned - from the rich and homely hearth of Woolly's household, to the wandering gypsy and trickster of a father that Duchess had...he travelled from the highest to the lowest, to the luckiest to the worst of drudgery, to the most conscientious and the coolest, from the best to the worst of crimes, in sickness and in health, from marriage to rejection, to missing mothers to dying fathers. In other words, the novel is a potpourri of feelings, emotions, experiences and adventures. One of the best I've ever read❤️. ( )

After his father's demise, Emmett Watson is driven home by the Warden after 15 months in a juvenile detention work farm. He decides to leave Nebraska and drive to California with his younger brother Billy for a fresh start. Billy dreams of traveling the transcontinental Lincoln Highway as their mother had when she left them when they were younger. Old postcards sent in the course of her travels give Billy an idea of where she might be and he tries to convince his brother to follow the same route. The appearance of two of Emmett's friends Woolly and Duchess, who stowed away in the trunk of the Warden's car, results in a change of plans.

Emmett and Billy end up having to travel to New York after Duchess 'borrows' Emmett's car leaving them stranded in Lewis, Nebraska after a visit to an orphanage where Duchess's father had left him for some years before coming to collect him again. Sally, a family friend of Emmett and Billy, eventually joins them in New York.

Through multiple POVs Amor Towles takes us on a journey - not just on a road trip in the 1950s but on an exploration of these different characters , Emmett, Billy and, Woolly, Duchess and Sally - their stories and aspirations, their strengths and their flaws. The internal dialogue of each of these characters is extremely well written. The bond between Emmett and Billy is heartwarming. Emmett is a level headed young man who is trying to do his best for himself and his brother. He has learned from his past mistakes and genuinely looks forward to a better future. Billy, a child who seems wiser than his years with his big red book on heroes, is endearing in that he sees the best in everyone around him. He is a smart child, but unassuming and trusting(not quite discerning between an 'acquaintance' and a 'friend') and how his perspectives are broadened over the course of ten days is beautifully laid out for the reader to see. Duchess, at times, is the street smart one who knows how to fend for himself but at times is as vulnerable as can be and whose take on balancing his rights and wrongs may seem foolhardy and cause friction but the author gives so much dimension to his character that even though you might not like him at times you still want him to get a happy ending. Woolly comes from a privileged background but is all heart. He is quiet and introspective but takes joy in sharing stories with Billy. He revels in adventure and novel experiences with his friends. Sally is depicted as a willful young woman and a true friend to Emmett and Billy.

You feel so invested in these characters and the people they meet over the course of the ten days, that till the very last page and beyond you wonder where their adventures will take them. With its memorable characters and brilliant storytelling The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is hard to put down! ( )

Wat een geweldig boek is dit. Ik heb dit bijna in een dag uitgelezen en het is een behoorlijke dikkerd. Het is het verhaal van de broers Emmett en Billy Watson. Emmett heeft een dik jaar in een jeugdinrichting gezeten. Zijn vader is ondertussen overleden en als hij weer thuis bij zijn 8 jarige broertje blijkt de boerderij door de bank in beslag genomen. Ze moeten weg en besluiten in de oude auto van Emmett de Lincoln highway te rijden en op zoek te gaan naar hun moeder. Billy heeft namelijk een aantal ansichtkaarten gevonden die zijn moeder aan haar kinderen heeft gestuurd. De ansichtkaarten zijn van 8 verschillende steden die langs de Lincoln highway liggen. Dan staan Emmett's vrienden Woolly en Duchess voor de deur. Alle plannen vallen in het water want Woolly en Duchess gaan er met de auto vandoor voor hun eigen zoektocht in de andere richting. Dat is het stramien waar om dit boek is gebouwd. Reizen per trein, het ontmoeten van allerlei interessante figuren, Ulysses, Pastoor John, Townhouse, Abacus Abernathe, Zuster Agnes, Sally en Sarah.
Een bijzondere rol is er voor het lijfboek van Billy: "Professor Abacus Abernathes Compendium van Helden, Avonturiers en Andere Onversaagde Reizigers".Billy heeft het boek al vierentwintig keer gelezen en sleept het overal mee naar toe.
Het boek is af en toe filosofisch, komisch, dramatisch. Met diepzinnige en onzinnige bespiegelingen. Ik heb er enorm van genoten en hoop dat ik ook andere boeken van Amor Towles mag lezen. ( )

This glorified book posing as a road picture left me bone dry. Wooly, Emmett, and the Duchess—the trio that meant in a juvenile detention center held little interest for this reader. Billy, Emmett’s-know-it brother and Sarah as an unrequited love interest of Emmett, all added up to zero. ( )

Madcap journey of 3 friends, and a much younger brother, from juvenile detention, following the first coast to coast highway. Questions of guilt, responsibility, heroism, and good and evil play out in the trip from Nebraska to New York. The goal is California and a search for a mother who deserted the family 8 years ago. ( )