The Lincoln Highway Review: Stunning prose, subpar story
While it wasn't a 100% perfect novel for me, A Gentleman in Moscow was a wonderful masterwork that holistically inspired my next novel. That was a genuinely incredible book, so I consequently checked The Lincoln Highway out on Libby! Following multiple points of view as they wrestle with their conflicting life decisions, this book paints a compelling picture of 1954 rural America. So, did this book live up to his previous work, or did it struggle to hold up? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will be covering in today's review.
Let's start with the negatives. First, the book promised a really emotional, impactful journey, but it didn't live up to its original premise. Instead of venturing into the emotional coming-of-age story deeply rooted in Billy's aspirations, it ends up feeling like a journey filled with 600 pages of middle-act subplots. By the end of the book, I felt betrayed by the promise. By contrast, A Gentleman in Moscow or Rules of Civility live up to their first point—a promise of exploring house arrest or high society. That was the biggest letdown in this novel: it ended before it it should have. In a 600-page book, the reader shouldn't feel like they never got a complete third act.
Instead, the novel concludes with a bombastic, over-the-top ending that felt unearned. Instead of earning the new home in California, it ends with taking down a conflict: the Duchess character. This character is flawed and antagonistic, but not some RPG final boss like this book randomly shifts to. For a literary fiction novel, the action felt forced, and the emotional journey never came to pass. This is the letdown that holds the book back from being a perfect follow-up to his previous book.
This could be partially solved by cutting Sally, Ulysses, Pastor John, and the like from the novel. I hate to say that, since Sally and Ulysses were my favorite characters, but a 600-page book needs to find its ending. I'm all for endings that don't wrap everything in a nice bow—even if this were a part-one novel, that would solve it! You just can't finish on a note that leaves all the multiple points of view feeling like filler to the unfinished, grander story.
Aside from the misguided, cartoonish ending that left the book awkwardly unresolved, there were plenty of wonderful highlights here. Each point of view is completely distinct and adds to the grand story. As I said, Sally and Ulysses are my favorites, as they offer much different experiences and flavors than the boys on the adventure, even if they feel unrelated—sometimes it's hard to kill your darlings that are this good. That's just the hard thing about editing a book with structural flaws.
The boys are pretty great themselves. Emmett is a pretty simple character compared to Towles's previous protagonists, but it's his friends and how they create a delicate balance that really keep him interesting. His brother, Billy, is a bright, very intelligent light. Wooley is a troubled young man with multiple story beats you won't see coming, and Duchess is so full of himself yet charming that he gives conman vibes.
Towles's writing is just as great as ever. With the same sophistication as his previous novels, he delivers worldbuilding and emotion perfectly through the lens of the setting. This book captures the 1950s American rural aesthetic and language of youth just as well as the witty nature of Count Rostov in 1922–1954 Russia or the sparkling cynicism of late 1930s New York City high life. If I had to rank the three, the prose here is in second place, behind A Gentleman in Moscow but in front of Rules of Civility.
The Brighton's Bookshelf Verdict
Brighton's Bookshelf Score - 6.5/10
Letter Score - C+
The Lincoln Highway somehow feels overly long—and overly short at once. At 600 pages, it feels like the book explodes to an odd ending that misses the dénouement the novel promises. While the story fell apart a bit for me, I can confidently say that Amor Towles yet again displays a mastery of accessible yet holistic historical fiction through some of the best prose you'll ever read and a cast of characters with diverse perspectives and morals.
Interested in checking out some of my other Amor Towles book reviews? Check them out below!
Author Bio
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