Downstairs, he hears some clanging, but he ignores it and climbs into bed. Townhouse was also black, which meant his punishment was twice as harsh as Duchesss since Ackerly felt that Negro boys were only half as suited to learning as white boys, their lessons had to be twice as long. Vehicle . When the train reaches New York, Billy, Ulysses and Emmett all disembark. He tells Pastor John to leave Billy alone and demands that Pastor John exit the moving train, saying that he rides alone. He also pours some water into a glass. Over at the Ransom home, Sally thinks about a parable that Reverend Pike had read to the congregation where Jesus chides Marys sister Martha when she complains about doing all the housework while Mary sits at Jesuss feet. The Quick Recap and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary for The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles are below. This is their chance to leave behind Nebraska and its bad memories and try out California. Duchess realizes that theyre at the intersection that is mentioned in Billys big red book (I write to you from the junction of Thirty-Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue on the isle of Manhattan), the location thats described as the office of Professor Abacus Abernathe, the author of the book. Woolly then muses that it would be magnificent to have a one-of-a-kind kind of day. He later attended Harvard, married a woman he loved named Polly and had two children. Two years later, when he returned from war, he learned that shed left two weeks after giving birth. Sally muses that men seem to think that meals just make themselves. T he Lincoln Highway is a 2021 novel about a young man named Emmett Watson who travels from Nebraska to New York City in 1954. His new novel, THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY, will be released on October 5, 2021. Welcome to the discussion about The Lincoln Highway! Reading the story from Duchess first-person perspective caused the reader to try to sympathize with him but soon it became apparent that not only was he a liar but hes also a dangerous person. 'A Gentleman In Moscow' Is A Grand Hotel Adventure, Idea For 'Gentleman In Moscow' Came From Many Nights In Luxury Hotels. That night, Billy opens up his big red book, considering where to start his story. Outside the library, Emmett is accosted by two guys he knows Jacob Jake Snyder and Eddie Anderson and one he doesnt wearing a cowboy hat. However, he actually goes down the steps to drop his body in the river. Duchess wakes up on a row boat with no oar in the lake next to the Wolcott residence. That afternoon, theyd found a perfect spot, and he listened to his mother laugh at his fathers stories, and it had seemed to Emmett that the three of them would be attending Sewards Fourth of July celebration for the rest of their lives. When they stop, they happen to find the envelope with the $3,000 that Emmetts father had given him, still stored in the car. Duchess tells Billy that hes been to hundreds of cities because her father was a traveling actor. The novel embraces the contradictions of our character with a skillful. The next morning, Emmett sees that Duchess and Woolly drove off in the Cadillac. In present day, Sarah eventually comes home to find Woolly there. In it, it explains how Charlie had managed to squander his sizeable inheritance by moving here to become a famer. One night, Duchess had seen them sneak two boxes of Oreos from the pantry into Townhouses locker in order to get him in trouble. It turns out Woolly did leave each of the friends his money. Duchess held grudges but recognized when he'd treated others badly (as when he found Townsend and got him to settle the score from the work camp). When they were 17, they started a side business of renting out the cars to the boys nearby. He then says hes going to drive to the police station with Duchess and leads him outside, but Duchess resists. Duchess manages to convince the officer that Woolly is mentally deficient, so the officer lets him go with a warning to keep a closer eye on Woolly in the future. Mr. Randsom says Emmett was always going to leave. Before they part ways, Emmett asks what Townhouse plans to do next. Each of the cases had contained accessories for that respective character. I've just finished reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. When the cowboy dismisses him, Duchess grabs a 2-by-4 from a trash can nearby and hits him with it, saying consider your debt repaid in full. However, spoilers can also be designed to reduce drag. I did not understand the role of Sally. He met his wife Macie Dixon during the depression. Duchess now turns to setting accounts with Townhouse, who was the one had gotten in trouble at one point after Duchess convinced him to sneak out to see a movie, Hondo. I did not appreciate the fate of Wooley. From the moment that Pastor John says the name Ulysses, Billy seem fascinated by the man. They arent home, so they enter though the (four-car) garage. While Billy hopes they can find their mother in San Fransisco (even though she abandoned the family), Emmett believes they can get a fresh start with fixing and then selling houses (the original house flippers). He shows him the registration and explains that he worked for two summers for Mr. Schulte doing roofing and carpentry work to pay for it. The Lincoln Highway Synopsis Emmett Watson, 18, is transported home to Nebraska by the superintendent of the adolescent work homestead in which he has recently served 15 months for inciting separatism in The Lincoln Highway. Duchess finds Fitzy FitzWilliams, an old friend of Harry. (The number 8 figures repeatedly, a reflection of the travelers' and life's roundabout, recursive route.) The suggestion is that he got it off his father after hed had a probably brutal encounter with him, but why would his father have ended up with the watch his son was done for stealing? On July 1, 1913, a group of automobile enthusiasts and industry officials established the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) "to procure the establishment of a continuous improved highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, open to lawful traffic of all description without toll charges." Billy tells Emmett not to worry. 18/26 City/Highway MPG White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat 2014 Lincoln MKX FWD 6-Speed Automatic with Select . Sally considers herself a good and believing Christian, but thinks of it as proof that the Bible was written by a man. Pastor John initially sounds like someone who is approaching Billy over concern about his well-being, but it quickly becomes apparent that thats not the case and that hes more interested in what he can get from Billy. Duchess warns Emmett that hes willing to shoot him if hes left with no other choice. So again, while I dont think Emmett set out to murder Duchess, I also believe he didnt care what happened to himhe just didnt want to deal with his toxic behavior any longer. Duchess spent a few years in an orphanage, being raised by nuns, after his father abandoned him there for two years when he was 8. The Lincoln Highwa y is a coming-of-age tale about the transition from teenager to adulthood. However, because he wasn't able to check in with Sally as he'd promised earlier, Sally ends up heading to New York (after attempting to call them) to check on Emmett and Billy. . However, since going to Salina a year ago, he had purposefully not been reaching out or responding to her. It winds its way over 3,000 miles between New York City and San Francisco. When we meet him, Towles' latest hero, Emmett Watson, has been released a few months early from detention in consideration of his father's death, the foreclosure of the family farm, and his responsibility for his 8-year-old brother, Billy. "The Lincoln Highway" is a road-trip-buddy book with a myriad of mixed agendas and detours. When he finishes, Professor Abernathe asks to meet Ulysses. When hes done, Billy asks to hear a story about Ulysses own life. Book Club Questions for The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, Review: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. With Woolly in Sarah in the city, Duchess is in the house alone, surveying the various rooms. Tommy was friends with Bo Finlay, who shared his sentiments about race. Then, in the kitchen hed found an envelope marked To Be Opened in the Event of My Absence in Woollys handwriting (which we soon learn is Woollys will). It involves getting a cork out of an empty wine bottle. The moving train makes it difficult to cross the gap between the cars. Meanwhile, Woolly is a troubled rich kid. Billy says they werent strangers since theyd spoken for a while. When Emmett goes to ask the Ransoms to jump his car, Duchess takes the opportunity to talk to Billy. When Sally implies that she wants to leave, too, Mr. Randsom comments angrily about how hes given Sally too much lee-way and that shes become too willful. They all sit down to have dinner which Duchess and Billy had prepared. That night, Emmett approaches Fitzy. Overall, the book just lacked the "delights on every page" feel of "Moscow." The writing is without a doubt excellent, and if you'd like a 1950s road trip filled with action and adventure, you may want to give "Lincoln Highway" a try. Meanwhile, Duchess chats about Leonellos in East Harlem, where is father had been a matre d for sic months, describing the delights of having an Italian dinner there. Used 2021 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve with FWD, Navigation System, Keyless Entry, Spoiler, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Roof Rails, Power Liftgate, 18 . One in a thousand can look at the world with amazement," Towles wrote in his first novel. Elsewhere, he finds a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and marvels at its design. His innocence, his love of people, love of belonging. She feels that doing something unnecessary is about kindness. Instead, a nearby panhandler tells him that hes the one to ask since he worked on the rails for 25 years. The Quick Recap and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary for The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles are below. Ulysses (a man in his early 40s) then turns to Billy and tells him (more gently) to leave as well since he wasnt kidding about riding alone. (The full story is that Duchess had convinced Townhouse to sneak out to see a movie. Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts Book Club Questions for This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens, Book Club Questions for Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, Review: The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan, Review: The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy, Review: The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim, Book Club Questions for The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, Review: The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, Q&A with Bart Mruz, Author of All My Clothes Were White, Book Club Questions for Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica, Book Club Questions for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, (Updated February 2023) Reeses Book Club Picks: Entire List, The Lincoln Highway: Lets Talk About That Ending! How do you think Emmett, Duchess, and Woolly's various upbringingsparticularly their relationships to their parentshave shaped them? So dont read this unless youve finished the book. Emmett confronts Duchess and tries to get him to leave. Find the perfect used Lincoln Nautilus in Greensboro, NC by searching CARFAX listings. SUV Engine: 4 Cyl 2.0 L MPG City/Hwy: 21/28 . Billy insists they can find her by going there. One takeaway is that a single wrong turn can set you off course for years though not necessarily irrevocably. On the spare tire, he finds a letter from his father. That night, Duchess tells Woolly that if he had 50 grand, hed open up a place like Leonellos. They all have a delightful dinner, but soon Dennis and Sarah come home. At the door, he asks to speak to Duchess in private. Afterwards, Duchess and Woolly head for 132 Rhododendron Road in South Bend, which is the address Duchess had gotten for the retired warden Ackerly. After surveying Morgen, Nebraska, Duchess notes how small the town is, only four blocks in either direction. It seems there was some incident involving the police where Duchesss father had told Fitzy to lie to the police. As he keeps hacking away, Emmett goes to call the police, but the phone is dead. On some cars the distance between the rear edge of the roof and the tail end disrupts the airflow and increases drag. Before Emmett leaves, Sally mentions that when they do finally hit the road, she plans to go to San Francisco as well. Warden Williams reassures Emmett that everyone knows that what happened wasnt an indication of Emmetts character and that bad luck played a role in what happed. He knows that Duchess and Woolly plan to see out Mr. Hewett, Duchesss father. However, by the next morning, she was already gone. Hed decided to walk the 40 miles to the nearest junction in Des Moines instead. When Ackley investigated the missing food the next day, Tommy was punished, and the boys shared the other box of Oreos which Duchess had hidden. However, Peterson had asked if Emmett had visitors from out of town. As the reader will quickly realise, The Lincoln Highway is not the novel that it purports to be. Sister Agnes then asks Emmett to stand by Duchesss side as a friend even though Duchess has taken liberties with his car. But lately, Ive noticed some books deserve a third articleone dedicated to shocking endings. Afterwards, Duchess goes to visit Townhouse, who was released from Salina a while ago. When they arrived, one of the tenants asked about his watch, since Marceline had a solid gold watch that had been part of his act which he refused to sell, even when he was broke. It's marked here as the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. With some difficulty, Woolly is able to locate it. Dennis then yells at Woolly about how irresponsible he is. At first, Emmett is hesitant, telling her that he doesnt want her to have expectations regarding the two of them. Emmett seems worried about Billy over-romanticizing breaking rules and whatnot since he wants Billy to understand that your actions have consequences which can often effect others as well. Instead, Townhouse said that hed snuck in and taken the key from the body shop. Billy says that after their father died, he found a collection of post cards addressed to them from their mother, who left them 8 years ago. They arrive at an area near some abandoned tracks with a makeshift encampment. Emmett then thinks about how Duchess has been saying he has unfinished business with his father and worries what he plans to do. He says that it seems to be about something more serious than Duchess skipping the fence at Salina. . The two novels have collectively sold more than four million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. He points out an officers watch that had once belonged to his grandfather it has a black background and white numbers. (Spoilers), Book Club Questions for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. As Dennis yells about needing to catch the 6:42 train each morning, Woolly had realized that his boarding schools had been designed to train them to become adults who had every-day days as well. In that case, it was Townhouse, Emmetts bunkmate. It leads him to Fitzy, who tells him about Duchess's past and also gives him Harry's Syracuse address. Additionally, one of the other bunkmates in Bunkhouse Four (where they all lived) was Tommy Ladue, an Oklahoman who is racist. (352) 795-7371. It shouldnt be that hard to read over your work once to skim for these blatant mistakes. This is why his interactions with his sister seemed to have a farewell component to it. At the library, he looks up the numbers tracking the population grown in Texas and California over the decades. Seriously! Afterwards, they both agree that they are square. In Pennsylvania, much of the Lincoln Highway became Route 30. He thinks it's about something more serious than Duchess's escape from Salina. I think he drifts in and out of consciousness while on the boat and I surmise that only about ten bills are described as floating/flying away, leaving $49500 which is a lot of money in 1954why would he do anything to jeopardize losing that? He unpacks his collection of stuff that hed shown Billy. When he heads back, hes dismayed to see a police officer placing a parking ticket on Emmetts car. This Lincoln Aviator has a V6, 3.0L high output engine. Ironically I can see the NYC police finding her registration for her truck and tracking her down in Morgen to pay for the tickets and impounding fees she would have likely incurred. The Lincoln Highway: A New York Times Number One Bestseller Paperback - 5 October 2021 by Amor Towles (Author) 70,688 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $14.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $48.99 1 Used from $75.29 4 New from $48.99 Paperback $22.75 1 Used from $41.50 10 New from $22.75 Up until about the last 60 pages or so, the story is fairly straightforward coming-of-age tale with vivid imagery of the time period and lots of pondering about the past and whats next. He gets Harry's former address from his agency. The Lincoln Highway is a journey in multiple layers the escapades of a road trip, coming of age passages and a storytelling odyssey. The old man says Duchesss father recently vacated the room and left something behind. So, he plans to go there to ask about Harry Hewetts whereabouts and hopefully find Duchess in the process. However, various cases had been lost or sold over the years. After hearing Pastor John yelp in pain (when Billy kicked him), he got up to move toward Pastor John, though not before he heard Stew get knocked out as well. He find Duchess in the hallway pointing a rifle at him. As he drives by the fairgrounds, it reminds him of Jimmy Snyder. Back at the camp, Ulysses tells Stew that hell be staying another night there. I sent you a $5 tip. By Amor Towles Viking: 592 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent . The Lincoln Highway: A Novel Audible Audiobook - Unabridged Amor Towles (Author), Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator), & 3 more 73,282 ratings Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction See all formats and editions Kindle $14.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More than ONE MILLION copies sold As he says this, Duchess picks up a whiskey bottle and thinks possibly hitting Fitzy with it. Instead, Duchess marches up to the cowboy and confronts him. Also, he realizes that he never gave Emmett an address for Sarahs house. She tells him that she has spoke to Warden Williams and that hes willing to give him minimal repercussions for running away if he returns immediately. She arrives soon after Emmett. Meanwhile, the Studebaker wont be ready until tomorrow morning. Celebrating America's first cross-country roadway New York San Francisco Est. He also mentions Duchess going to Harlem first (which Emmett seems to understand was likely for the purpose of visiting Townhouse). Towles works in pieces of actual history into his story to give it a stronger sense of happening in the time that its set in. This chapter also shows a little more about the types of things that interest Woolly and shows off his child-like fascination in certain things. There is the question of how come he got the gold pocket watch. Duchess tries to calm him down, saying that he needs time to get into the safe so that Emmett and Billy will have the money for their dream house. For a non-spoiler version of the plot synopsis, see The Bibliofile's review of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. (Later, well learn that Duchess was not born in Dutchess County, but instead got his nickname for a different reason.). The Lincoln Highway: About the Book Click the image to expand A #1 New York Times Best Seller 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. As as and Billy now stand over Pastor Johns unconscious body, Stew gets up as well. I just finished the audiobook today. Its worth noting that Woolly is described as being somewhat child-like, easily fascinated by things and also easily distracted by or led away by things that interest him.