The Lincoln Highway – October 24, 2022

Colette, Marg, Carla, Janet, Linda and Shirley were hosted by Betty for our October book club where we discussed Janet’s book choice The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Betty had a delicious assortment of cheeses and crackers to munch on with our wine. She also had chocolate covered almonds that make frequent appearances at our meetings and, as per our usual custom, were devoured. With a nod to the book’s character Sally who was known for her strawberry jam, dessert was fresh scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream. 

Janet went above and beyond in researching this book for us. It included a road trip following parts of the Lincoln Highway while listening to the audio book, a playlist including songs named for towns along the highway, and, of course, photo evidence of the plaque at the San Francisco end of the highway. 

The Lincoln Highway is Amor Towles’ third novel and the third one we have discussed in our group. Towles was an investment professional for over twenty years before publishing his first book, Rules of Civility, followed by A Gentleman in Moscow. Towles has a distinct writing style with unusual characters written with a touch of magic realism. This book was easy to read, a ‘good yarn’ as one member described it. 

The Lincoln Highway covers the lives of its characters over the course of ten days and the days are counted down very deliberately. In his Rules of Civility, the time period was exactly one year while A Gentleman in Moscow covered thirty years. This book is told in the voice of the various individuals, each with a distinct voice which was easily understood and which enhanced character development. There remained questions about some of the characters, Woolly in particular, as well as some disappointment in the main character, Emmett, however the book was unanimously enjoyed.

Some members expressed a bit of disappointment that the book did not follow the Lincoln Highway across the U.S. and was left for the reader to decide whether or not the trip would ever be completed. But then, the greatest part of a road trip – or life – is not the destination, it is all the stuff that happens along the way.

Thanks, Janet, for another enjoyable book choice.