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"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"--… (more)
Well, this book was a disappointment. I loved [b:Rules of Civility|10054335|Rules of Civility|Amor Towles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311705045l/10054335._SY75_.jpg|14950407] and thought [b:A Gentleman in Moscow|34066798|A Gentleman in Moscow|Amor Towles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551480896l/34066798._SY75_.jpg|45743836] was very good and deserving of the accolades it got. Unfortunately, [b:The Lincoln Highway|57109107|The Lincoln Highway|Amor Towles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655848045l/57109107._SY75_.jpg|89372632] didn't work for me at all. From the title to the structure to the plot, this book didn't engage me.
First and foremost, the length didn't help. The story is told from four different perspectives (with several others thrown in intermittently). How many ways do I need to read the same scene or a recap of the scene? Once is enough. Unless there's something dramatically different in the perspectives, I don't need to re-read it. Especially when the scene is primarily descriptive. One particular house was described in detail by three different characters . . .so boring and unnecessary.
The plot itself is contrived with many unbelievable scenarios. The best character, by far, is an 8 year old boy, Billy. Which also gives the whole book a YA feel, and honestly, I think the plot would be one that younger readers would enjoy. The writing is not as straightforward as a YA book normally would be, and that's the only aspect that got me to the end. But the plot . . .most of the decisions and choices made are exactly what you'd expect from immature young adults, and yet somehow, the characters escape the consequences of so many ridiculous scenarios over and over again.
**warning: spoilers ahead**
Until the end. Wtf. It completely upended the reader's perspective on the main character. I wasn't sure if the implication was that we were wrong about Emmett's character, or that Emmett finally woke up and smelled the coffee that Dutchess wasn't the kind of influence his little brother needed, or that his idea for delaying Dutchess was just ill conceived (and the incident was an accident solely to be blamed on Dutchess' greed). What's the takeaway?
My inner critic was also ruining the book for me. One character, Woolly, has a large inheritance which for reasons that are not compelling, nor even made explicit, he has agreed to share with his friends. He has two living sisters with whom he seems to have a good relationship, but they aren't in his thoughts at all (even though one of them is pregnant) Instead he's hell bent on ensuring his friends (from juvenile detention) and his friend's kid brother, get it all.
The whole book, but especially the ending, felt like a movie. It's like a long slow build to an ending that was at least interesting, but completely unbelievable. Why did Woolly do what he did? Why were these nice kids friends with Dutchess in the first place? I didn't see him as a redeeming character, and based on the ending, neither did the author.
I am all for a book having a theme, but could it be a little more subtle? The endless discussion of heroism using a children's book to share the stories of various heroes which are later paralleled by the characters actions . . .just way too blatant with too many re-tellings.
That's not to say there weren't a few good scenes in the book. I did enjoy the part where Emmett and his brother are riding the rails. Unrealistic as it was, the characters of the pastor and Ulysses were interesting and created some dramatic tension. I also enjoyed the scene where Billy meets the author of his beloved book. And frankly, the final chapter, while a bit absurd, was well written. There's really no doubt that Towles can write. But he wasted his talents here on a poorly conceptualized plot.
Okay, wow, I really like this book! It's a bit of a doorstop, but I didn't ever feel fatigued with it. The characters are richly drawn, and the story follows a path that feels inevitable in the sense that myths feel inevitable. Also like a myth, there are rules of morality that the characters must follow. If they stay true to that morality, things work out, even if they take a detour. But if they lose sight of those rules, things don't go so well. ( )
Emmett, recently released from prison, plans to travel with his younger brother Billy and start a new life in California. Nothing goes according to plan (and I mean NOTHING!). The book reminds me of the Odyssey, Cold Mountain, Wild, Oh Brother Where art Thou, and other books and movies about someone on a journey and the people they meet. Some characters are more fleshed out than others, and some I could identify with, while others I wanted to smack up along side the head, or at least get as far away from them as possible. I thought the ending a little odd, and maybe anticlimactic. But it did leave me hoping for the best for Emmett, Billy, and Sally. Young Billy is the smartest person in the book, by the way. ( )
Since I had thoroughly enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow I expected to enjoy this book equally. Expectations were part of my problem with this novel as I had thought it would be about a road trip on the Lincoln Highway--witness the illustrations in the front matter--and the adventures and people on the way. 50's nostalgia. Yes it was but not in the implied direction. The plot was as times a page turner but at others just plain boring, so there were many ups and downs in the nearly 600 page reading experience. The author is a great story teller but I found the many, many digressions from the main story line particularly annoying. The characters--50's white dudes--I thought rather artificial. Did noone in Wooly's family discern his so obvious problem, but just transferred him from elite school to elite school? And Billy in the mold of Superboy, Emmett as Gary Cooper, Sally as Donna Reed...Actually I found adding Sally & her dad superflous, another example of annoying, pointless digressions. All in all, especially considering the length of this book, I found it a rather self-important contribution of Mr. Towles--we get it you know your classics. For me the book became a slog to get through, but as I like to finish things I was far enough along to grin and bear it. Perhaps I am a bit harsh in my evaluation, but it is because I 'expected' better of Mr. Towles. ( )
The miles of fresh-plowed soil, Heavy and black, full of strength and harshness, The growing wheat, the growing weeds, The toiling horses, the tired men; The long, empty roads, Sullen fires of sunset, fading, The eternal unresponsive sky. Against all this, Youth . . . —O Pioneers, Willa Cather
Dedication
My brother Stokly And My sister Kimbrough
First words
JUNE 12, 1954—The drive from Salina to Morgen was three hours, and for much of it, Emmett hadn't said a word.
Quotations
He knew too that he had been an agent of misfortune rather than its author. But he didn't agree that his debt had been paid in full. For no matter how much chance had played a role, when by your hands you have brought another man's time on earth to its end, to prove to the Almighty that you are worthy of his mercy, that shouldn't take any less time than the rest of your life.
... through our misdeeds we may put ourselves in another person’s debt, just as through their misdeeds they put themselves in ours. And since it’s these debts – those we’ve incurred and those we’re owed – that keep us stirring and stewing in the early hours, the only way to get a good night’s sleep is to balance the accounts.
Regardless of who had been provoked by who, or whom by whom, when Emmett hit the Snyder kid at the county fair, he took on a debt just as surely as his father had when he had mortgaged the family farm.
I don’t blame Him. Whom I blame is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and every other man who’s served as priest or preacher since.
To Emmett, all the houses in this part of the country looked like they'd been dropped from the sky. The Watson house just looked like it'd had a rougher landing. The roof line sagged on either side of the chimney and the window frames were slanted just enough that half the windows wouldn't quite open and the other half wouldn't quite shut.
Emmett could hear his father stirring in the next room, unable to sleep—and not without reason. Because a farmer with a mortgage was like a man walking on the railing of a bridge with his arms outstretched and his eyes closed. It was a way of life in which the difference between abundance and ruin could be measured by a few inches of rain or a few nights of frost.
Boys, she would begin in her motherly way, in your time you shall do wrong unto others and others shall do wrong unto you. And these opposing wrongs will become your chains. The wrongs you have done unto others will be bound to you in the form of guilt, and the wrongs that others have done unto you in the form of indignation. The teachings of Jesus Christ Our Savior are there to free you from both. To free you from your guilt through atonement and from your indignation through forgiveness. Only once you have freed yourself from both of these chains may you begin to live your life with love in your heart and serenity in your step.
What wisdom the Lord does not see fit to endow us with at birth, He provides through the gift of experience.
—In that man's heart, said Ulysses, sliding the door shut, there is more treachery than preachery.
Oh, he enjoyed delivering that little speech. Standing there with his legs apart and his feet planted firmly on the ground, he acted as if he could draw his strength straight from the land because he owned it.
I felt bad for him. Not man enough to be a man, or child enough to be a child, not black enough to be black, or white enough to be white, Maurice just couldn't seem to find his place in the world.
—Questions can be so tricky, he said, like forks in the road. You can be having such a nice conversation and someone will raise a question, and the next thing you know you're headed off in a whole new direction. In all probability, this new road will lead you to places that are perfectly agreeable, but sometimes you just want to go in the direction you were already headed.
—Have you ever noticed, he said, have you ever noticed how so many questions begin with the letter W? He counted them off on his fingers. —Who. What. Why. When. Where. Which. He could see his sister's concern and uncertainty lifting for a moment as she smiled at this fascinating little fact. —Isn't that interesting? he continued. I mean, how do you think that happened? All those centuries ago when words were first being coined, what was it about the sound of the W that made the word coiners use it for all of the questions? As opposed to say, the T or the P? It makes you feel sort of sorry for W, doesn't it? I mean, it's a pretty big burden to carry. Especially since half the time when someone asks you a question with a W, they aren't really asking you a question. They're making a statement in disguise. Like, like ... —When are you going to grow up! And Why would you do such a thing! And What in God's name were you thinking!
Well, imagine all you like. It won't cost you nothing, and it'll cost me less. But later that night, after I'd served the chili, cleaned the kitchen, and switched off the lights, I knelt at the side of my bed, clasped my hands together, and prayed. Dear Lord, I said, please give my father the wisdom to be gracious, the heart to be generous, and the courage to ask for this woman's hand in holy matrimony—so that someone else can do his cooking and cleaning for a change.
Billy and Woolly both had big smiles on their faces, while Emmett, per usual, was acting like smiles were a precious resource.
Wouldn't it have been wonderful, thought Woolly, if everybody's life was like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Then no one person's life would ever be an inconvenience to anyone else's. It would just fit snugly in its very own, specially designed spot, and in so doing, would enable the whole intricate picture to become complete.
Many years before, Abacus had come to the conclusion that the greatest of heroic stories have the shape of a diamond on its side.
As Emmett walked out the door and climbed into his bright yellow car, I thought to myself that there are surely a lot of big things in America. The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are big. The Mississippi River and the Grand Canyon are big. The skies over the prairie are big. But there is nothing bigger than a man's opinion of himself.
Plain speaking and common sense. In my book, there's just no substitute.
Last words
And when the final chime sounded, I turned to them all in order to utter with my very last breath, The rest is silence, just as Hamlet had. Or was that Iago? I never could remember.
"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"--
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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.
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5
First and foremost, the length didn't help. The story is told from four different perspectives (with several others thrown in intermittently). How many ways do I need to read the same scene or a recap of the scene? Once is enough. Unless there's something dramatically different in the perspectives, I don't need to re-read it. Especially when the scene is primarily descriptive. One particular house was described in detail by three different characters . . .so boring and unnecessary.
The plot itself is contrived with many unbelievable scenarios. The best character, by far, is an 8 year old boy, Billy. Which also gives the whole book a YA feel, and honestly, I think the plot would be one that younger readers would enjoy. The writing is not as straightforward as a YA book normally would be, and that's the only aspect that got me to the end. But the plot . . .most of the decisions and choices made are exactly what you'd expect from immature young adults, and yet somehow, the characters escape the consequences of so many ridiculous scenarios over and over again.
**warning: spoilers ahead**
My inner critic was also ruining the book for me. One character, Woolly, has a large inheritance which for reasons that are not compelling, nor even made explicit, he has agreed to share with his friends. He has two living sisters with whom he seems to have a good relationship, but they aren't in his thoughts at all (even though one of them is pregnant) Instead he's hell bent on ensuring his friends (from juvenile detention) and his friend's kid brother, get it all.
The whole book, but especially the ending, felt like a movie. It's like a long slow build to an ending that was at least interesting, but completely unbelievable. Why did Woolly do what he did? Why were these nice kids friends with Dutchess in the first place? I didn't see him as a redeeming character, and based on the ending, neither did the author.
I am all for a book having a theme, but could it be a little more subtle? The endless discussion of heroism using a children's book to share the stories of various heroes which are later paralleled by the characters actions . . .just way too blatant with too many re-tellings.
That's not to say there weren't a few good scenes in the book. I did enjoy the part where Emmett and his brother are riding the rails. Unrealistic as it was, the characters of the pastor and Ulysses were interesting and created some dramatic tension. I also enjoyed the scene where Billy meets the author of his beloved book. And frankly, the final chapter, while a bit absurd, was well written. There's really no doubt that Towles can write. But he wasted his talents here on a poorly conceptualized plot.
Tedious. (