However, hed accidentally set the grass around it and the goalpost on fire, resulting in him being called to the disciplinary committee. The farmer sees Ulysses, but declines to let him into the shelter. Again, one of the ideas Towles explores is how evil can be offset by decency and kindness on any rung of the socio-economic ladder. Fitzy loved reciting Walt Whitman, but gained a reputation as the go-to Santa Claus around the holidays for the wealthy and fashionable New York crowd. Then, six months ago like her father had met a woman, Alice Thompson, and hed broken his routine. When Townhouse later returned, the guards were waiting, and Ackerly punished Townhouse severely. So dont read this unless youve finished the book. Feeling good about having squared things away with Townhouse, Duchess thinks about how good deeds can be habit forming, and he decides to give Maurice the keys to Emmetts Studebaker. He thinks it might begin with an S. Duchesss next stop is room 42 at the Sunshine Motel, a room where his father, Harrison Harry Hewett, used to stay. The Lincoln Highway is a coming-of-age tale about the transition from teenager to adulthood. Afterwards, Emmett thinks about how he had been free of debts and obligations that morning, but was now encumbered by two promises hed made that day. That night at the fair, Jimmy had set his sights on Emmett, saying insulting things about Emmetts father. This horrifies Emmett and hes determined for Duchess to finally go to the police to own up to his crimes and thats when the two get into a fight. Towles' intricately plotted tale is underpinned by young Billy's obsession with a big red alphabetical compendium of 26 heroes and adventurers both mythical and real from Achilles to Zorro, though the letter Y is left blank for You (the reader) to record your own intrepid quest. If Emmett didnt stop Duchess, Emmett believes that Duchess would again get in the way of their plans. Duchess watches as the guy in the cowboy hat walks away right when the Sheriff shows up. They explain that they stowed away in Warden Williams's trunk and have a proposition for Emmett. He and his brother hit the road, but life takes more turns than any roadway ever could . He directs him to the Unitarian church nearby. Emmett finds Woolly dead in his bed from a suicide. The season follows the. Emmett takes a quick look and is dismayed to see that the envelope with the money from his father isnt there. This 2023 Lincoln Navigator L has a V6, 3.5L high output engine. Fitzy explains that Duchesss father was the one who had refreshed his memory when he wrote that statement. Billy soon launches into a story about his own travels. Now, after Duchess has knocked Emmett out, Billy is upset after seeing Duchess hit Emmett. He gently warns Emmett that while it might be understandable (given his situation) to never want to put up a fight again, people who let themselves be defeated often end up turning to alcohol. It seems to indicate that his father knew Duchess would come looking for him and did not want to be there when that happened. He first heads up to the Tristar Talent Agency. Given what Duchess did to Ackerly, we can only imagine what Duchesss current relationship with his father is and what he might do when he does catch up with him. Readers [] will delight in this travelogue's touchstones." Star-Tribune "History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . In Chapter 1, Emmett arrives at Woolly's great-grandfather's house to find Woolly dead and Woolly still trying to get the safe open. Ackerlys body jolts, slumps lower and his bladder releases. (The full story is that Duchess had convinced Townhouse to sneak out to see a movie. Now, after kicking Duchess, Billy hides in a space under the stairs that Woolly had previously described to him. Ulysses gets into the grave and opened the casket. In case its not clear, her phone calls explain the calls Woolly received at the beginning of the chapter. Each of the main characters are at a crossroads of sorts and in a way, the Lincoln Highway serves as a getaway from their current, somewhat bleak situation. When she shows up, they all come out to greet her. In 1925, the Lincoln Highway was finally completed. Once he steals Emmetts car and heads up to New York, it completely delays Emmetts and Billys plans. He takes his medicine, and then he takes the pink pills from the little brown bottle. Meanwhile, Woolly visits his sister Sarah who says that she has talked to Warden Williams, who is offering Woolly minimal consequences if he returns to juvie immediately. Anyway, still bit troubled by the ending just as I was with A Gentleman - did occur to me would make great ending for the film though. Instead, a nearby panhandler tells him that hes the one to ask since he worked on the rails for 25 years. Emmett initially makes a first to punch Duchess, but then thinks better of it and doesnt. A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, [The Lincoln Highway] is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. Ransom warns Emmett that if sticks around here, Jimmy Snyders family is likely to give him trouble. Fitzy tells him that Harry is at the Olympic Hotel in Syracuse, and that he imagines Duchess will be headed there as well. "The Lincoln Highway" is a road-trip-buddy book with a myriad of mixed agendas and detours. Hello and welcome to the second check in for The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.The first section had me hooked, and just so intrigued by all the characters already, but this section bought us new insight from some of the other players in the book, a deeper dive into the lives of the characters we already met and even a few emotional moments.. The second is because his father knew it technically belonged to his creditors. Theyd had a delightful picnic. In present day, Emmett learns his father's farm is being foreclosed upon by the bank. This is how I perceive the author's intent for all his characters. Meanwhile, when Duchess sees a traveling salesman keep track of his receipts, Duchess thinks to himself that he should do the same because he plans to pay Emmett back any cash of his theyve used once their plan is completed. As a clock chimes, he bows to each of them. Afterwards, they open three bottles of Denniss wine to try the same trick suddenly, Dennis and Sarah walk in. I just finished the audiobook today. It the drives away. It was a solid casket belonging to a man (who mustve been well off) named Noah Benjamin Elias. As a result, he was sentenced to 12 months in Salina. Later, it rings again, and he lets it keep ringing. (He doesn't kill Duchess because he had made a promise to Billy not to lash out again.) There's so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters male and female, black and white, rich and poor and filled with digressions, magic tricks, sorry sagas, retributions, and the messy business of balancing accounts. . Back at the camp, Ulysses tells Stew that hell be staying another night there. On that day, the youngest child over 16 would be tasked with reciting the Declaration of Independence, followed by the Gettysburg Address being recited by the youngest child over 10. In present day, Duchess guilts Fitzy into giving him Harry's current address in Syracuse. When they stop, they happen to find the envelope with the $3,000 that Emmetts father had given him, still stored in the car. He asks them to make a pit stop at the orphanage he stayed in for a few years as a child (because his father abandoned him there temporarily). Emmett and Billy are then visited by two people. 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. Then he thinks about it and forcefully knocks Duchess out. He had been named Sam as a boy. When the train reaches Cedar Rapids, Emmett goes to find food for him and Billy. They want Emmett to go with them to help Woolly get the cash, and in exchange they'll split the money evenly among the three of them. Much worse than death of Woolly - which was so sad and a tragedy but not shocking. Emmett soon shows up at Townhouses place. In Chapters 4 and 3, Emmett goes to visit Townhouse, who warns that the police recently came by looking for Duchess. The day before, Duchess had gone to the hardware store to look for tools to help get the safe open. As the reader will quickly realise, The Lincoln Highway is not the novel that it purports to be. She had taught them how the wrongs people do to one another become your chains by binding you with either indignation or guilt. He instead changes to subject and starts reminiscing about their childhood. Emmett finds himself regarding the drunk man with some measure of disdain, while thinking about how Mr. Parker is probably someone who has always been able to get anything he wanted his whole life. She has learned that he has purchased the Watson farm and all their land from the bank during the foreclosure. So, he plans to go there to ask about Harry Hewetts whereabouts and hopefully find Duchess in the process. The Lincoln Highway is a journey in multiple layers the escapades of a road trip, coming of age passages and a storytelling odyssey. It was helpful because I had only read about half of the book and It was my book clubs discussion day. At Sarahs house, Duchess notices Sarah about to put the contents of a little brown bottle into her mug of tea, but he interrupts her. "The Lincoln Highway" is a long and winding road, but one Towles's motley crew navigates with brains, heart and courage. I felt pleased that Emmett and Billy were on their way and on their own with the money but also felt sorrow for Duchess who did have some redeemable features, but alas in the end his greed killed him. He offers it to Billy, who initially declines it, saying that its too precious. Seriously! Duchess remembers Fitzy, who was an old friend of his fathers and also an actor. As a bedtime story, he ends up reciting to him the story of Macbeth. It leads him to Fitzy, who tells him about Duchess's past and also gives him Harry's Syracuse address. The highway itself acts as nothing more than a MacGuffin, or a device that motivates the plot but ends up being entirely irrelevant to the work. Also the additional explanations in grey alerted me to basic facts of the plot, whys, and hows. 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. The Lincoln Highway is a fast paced and reflective adventure story centered on three young men from disparate backgrounds, whose incarceration together in a juvenile detention center brings them together on the outside where conflicting motives and moralities set them on a course for collision across the United States. Next to it, he places his medicine as well as a little brown bottle that hed found in his sisters spice rack. Current events make Woolly anxious, but Woolly likes now in old newspapers you can find out what happened. He also adds, however, that the abridged version of the legend of Ulysses in the book left out the part where the Great Ulysses was told that he was destined to wander the seas until he had appeased the gods through an act of tribute. He presents Duchess with a black leather case, which Duchess recognizes. His father then proceeded to drive off with Miss Maples, leaving Duchess behind as he realized [hed] been had. Every beautiful paragraph takes the reader a mile further into a world where our choices matter, where life surprises us, and where people are worth the trouble. Jimmy had always been someone who liked to stir up trouble, trying to say anything he could to get under your skin. Emmett sees that the book is from 1951, but Ma Belle tells him that with society people, the addresses never change. In The Lincoln Highway, the main characters undertake a would-be cross-country road trip in Emmett Watson's pride and joy, a 1948 powder-blue Studebaker Land Cruiser. Pastor John knocks him out with the shovel. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody's life was like a piece of a jigsaw puzzleno one's life an inconvenience to another'sfitting snuggly into its own, specially designed spot.enabling the whole intricate picture to become complete." However, in that moment, Billy says to himself I am truly forsaken (referencing what Ulysses has told him) and then proceeds to kick Pastor John in his injured knee and run off. Fitzy lied in a statement to corroborate Harry's lie. Emmett is shocked to see Daniel Duchess Hewett and Wallace Woolly Martin, two guys he knows from Salina, walking up to them. Emmett has carefully planned the trip so they can make it to Omaha to drop off Duchess and Woolly and then to San Francisco in four days flat. Emmetts father also got sick, and this year he passed away. For a non-spoiler version of the plot synopsis, see The Bibliofile's review of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Afterwards, Sarah wants to ask him a question, but he implies that hes rather she didnt. (Billy has been ably taken care of by a neighbor's hard-working daughter, Sally, during Emmett's absence; she's another terrific character.) So, maybe he didnt actually kill Woolly but he also didnt help to prevent the overdose. Mr. Parker explains that the two of them are accompanying their friend Alexander Cunningham the Third, the grandson of the owner of this passenger car who is sleeping in the car next door, to Chicago for his wedding. That night at the Watsons home, Duchess is snooping around looking for Emmetts car keys when a car pulls up and drops a shoebox on the front porch. This morning, Emmett had recalled that the Statler building was where Duchess had said all the big agencies were housed. Downstairs, he hears some clanging, but he ignores it and climbs into bed. They make their way to the study, and Duchess asks Woolly what the combination to the safe is. It detracts from the content & at the risk of sounding like an assh*le, it makes me feel as if this blog isnt serious, or credible. As Billy reads, Emmett wonders why the book contains stories about real men like Galileo, da Vinci and Edison alongside stories about mythical heroes. (the first item on the list was to Remove firing pins from the guns so its likely the gun Duchess is holding cant actually shoot). . Hes being let out a a few months early from his 18-month sentence because his father has passed away. Towles is creating a nuanced, comic vision of America. Instead, Paco and Pico offer to repaint the car to make it less recognizable, saying they can do it by Monday morning. . If you havent read the novel yet, wait to visit this post until after you finished it. 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. Box's The Highway novel is filled with suspense. On some cars the distance between the rear edge of the roof and the tail end disrupts the airflow and increases drag. But at the same time, I feel that Emmett didnt care what happened to Duchess. Afterwards, Duchess and Woolly head for 132 Rhododendron Road in South Bend, which is the address Duchess had gotten for the retired warden Ackerly. Inside, are four objects: a goatee, a golden earring, a small jar of blackface, and a (retractable) dagger. In July, his mother didnt seem to want to go see the fireworks. I realize this is likely a hobby but to develop a real following you must take grammar and spelling seriously, these are readers you are dealing with, we are much more inclined to be exceptional spellers & editors. Ransom for watching over Billy while he was gone. Emmett Watson, just released . CONTAINS SPOILERS. He then takes a taxi partway to Sarahs place, but he sees that hes out of money to pay for the rest of the trip. Elsewhere, Abacus thinks about how Billy has reawakened his desire for adventure. Next to him is a picture of Ackerly with two boys, presumably his grandsons. They arrive at an area near some abandoned tracks with a makeshift encampment. He sees that Maurice is mixed race (part black and part white) and imagines that he struggles to fit in. Sarah finds Woolly looking at the dollhouse, and they reminisce about past holidays. I found it to be a really wonderful book; light-hearted most of the way through with some really impactful character moments. Emmett returns to Billy to find that was given two sandwiches from a stranger, Mrs. Simpson, in his absence. As it gets late, Billy starts to worry since Emmett hasnt returned yet. He thinks about how Emmett is not reckless, but tends to lash out when angry. Duchess tries to justify both but its undeniable that those were unprovoked actions and the fact he doesnt see that is pretty disturbing in itself. He understands why Sally is upset, knowing that there was once the possibility of something between them. With no money and no mode of transportation, Emmett and Billy hitch a ride on a train to go to New York to track down Duchess and Woolly. He renamed himself Abacus. (The number 8 figures repeatedly, a reflection of the travelers' and life's roundabout, recursive route.) Finally, as the train picks up speed, Emmett realizes he has no choice but to wait for the train to slow again before making his way back to Billy. Over breakfast, Billy asks Emmett if he ever went to the movie theater in Salinas, since Duchess had mentioned going. When he comes back, he sees that Woolly has driven off with the car. Warden Williams drops Emmett Watson off at his house after being released from juvenile detention at Salina after completing his sentence. As Duchess questions Fitzy, Fitzy apologizes for a statement he had written and signed for the po9lice. He goes looking for Duchess and finds him hacking unsuccessfully at the safe with an ax. 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? Stew is surprised since Ulysses has always had a rule about not staying in the same place two nights in a row. He ends up heading there on foot. If youre new to Book Club Chat, I write spoiler-free reviews and spoiler-filled book club questions for each novel I read. He later attended Harvard, married a woman he loved named Polly and had two children. The night, Sally looks up the number for Father Colmore. So the brothers take their share of the money and plan to finally go to California. Sally also confronts him about suggesting that Emmett leave. So Emmett will not get pushed around any longer and is willing to do whatever it takes to get him and Billy to safety. His father was between jobs. Epic and original, mesmeric and life-affirming, in The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles takes his unmatched gift for storytelling and puts it on the road. Emmett thinks to himself that he fully intends to do so and to take good care of his younger brother, Billy. As in his previous book, A Gentleman in Moscow, Mr. Towles sets up his plot points upfront and revisits them throughout. He is genuinely curious about the dilemmas the various actors describe and is relieved when a product is introduced to help solve it. Sheriff Peterson offers to drive Emmett back in his Studebaker and to let him clean up at his house before dropping him off. I just finished reading it last night and was so wound up by the ending I had to Google what other people thought - including Amor Towles. Expectations are repeatedly upended. His is a collection of thing that people rarely use, but should be set aside safely anyway. He still feels guilt over the killing. He tells Billy that he doesnt think Duchess can read (but isnt willing to admit it), citing various incidents where Duchess had used some excuse not to read something, He says that Duchess doesnt know the rules for closing the house. It also becomes clear that Pastor John isnt really a pastor, but perhaps someone who uses the moniker to his benefit. That night, situated in the trains empty car, Emmett and Billy open the cars hatch (with warning from the panhandler to shut it when they near the Chicago station mid-way). After all the commotion, Emmett feels ashamed for making a mess in Sallys house and drinking their wine. Sally first calls Kaitlin, who is unfriendly when she brings up Woolly. They say a last good-bye to Woolly, and then get in the car to pick up Sally and leave. Woolly ended up getting in, and he tried to drive around looking for the fire station. Emmett feels sad and then angry. He then says hes going to drive to the police station with Duchess and leads him outside, but Duchess resists. 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. The boat contains a hole and Emmett stacks stones in order to stop the boat from flooding. At the park, Woolly notices a man feeding the birds and some squirrels (the Birdman) by placing kernels of popcorn all over himself. Billy also asks if heroes can return, and he talks about Ulysses. Shortly after the warden drives off, two fellow inmates turn up, stowaways from the warden's trunk trouble-maker Duchess and his hapless but sweet proteg, Woolly. Emmett apologizes for forgetting to call her, but he says that her coming here was unnecessary. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway runs coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York . He knows that population growth is crucial to his plan of ensuring the profits of possible rental properties. Townhouse then takes Emmett to a body shop nearby. Used 2021 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve with FWD, Navigation System, Keyless Entry, Spoiler, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Roof Rails, Power Liftgate, 18 . 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. Sally drops them both off at the train station, and she asks him to promise to call and check in (on Friday at 2:30) when they get to New York. Back downstairs, Duchess books rooms for him and Woolly for the night. He calls Ma Belle and it turns out the night went poorly, since Duchess had drugged Emmett with Woollys medicine and it was apparently too strong for him. Billy has been reading an abridged version of from a big red book authored by someone named Professor Abacus Abernathe. I will definitely finish the book, as I like it, but your summary will help me bluff my way through book club. However, flour is much more dense than crackers, so on the way to New York, there is extra space (and empty train cars at the back) although it carries it same weight back and forth. His father had started getting various illnesses two years ago, in 1952. Townhouse ended up crossing without him. He assumes that Emmett wants to shield Billy from what he considers to be the intricacies of modern life. Theyve both turned 18 recently, which means that if caught they could end up at Topeka (prison) instead of Salina (juvenile detention). I found this summary very helpful.thank you. When it was reported on in the newspapers, anti-communist sentiment ensured that Fitzys career as a well-paid Santa was over. A Ride Along The Lincoln Highway DVD. Your email address will not be published. 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 wind also causes some bills to fly away. Duchess is certain that Emmett is saying no only because he made the proposition in front of Billy. She thinks to herself that she does it because its time-consuming, old-fashioned, and unnecessary. At first, Emmett is hesitant, telling her that he doesnt want her to have expectations regarding the two of them. Nearby, they spot a spike in the ground, and Ulysses picks it up. Of course, Towles is drawn to that one in a thousand. He thinks about the promise he made to Billy about counting to 10 before hitting someone. Emmett tries to get Duchess to leave (this place that appears to be a brothel), but before he can, a woman there (Ma Belle) shoves him into a room with one of the prostitutes, Charity. Dennis then yells at Woolly about how irresponsible he is. Emmett plans to move them to Texas, a plan he has carefully researched. Emmett ends with two two addresses, one for Kaitlin in New Jersey and the other for Sarah in Hasting-on-Hudson.