Author Spotlight: Amor Towles + A Review Of The Lincoln Highway

Reading has always brought me the purest form of joy. As a kid, I spent endless hours binge-reading whatever series I was into that year. My nightstand remains a constant witness to my love affair with reading.  It is permanently weighed down by books and magazines (yes, I still subscribe to a few!)

 

I really enjoy being part of a book club and appreciate reading the variety of books other book club members suggest. But I also have my favorite go-to genres and authors that I read on my own. I have been particularly impressed with one author named Amor Towles. He’s an American writer who specializes in literary fiction. His three books you are most likely to have seen or read are Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway.

 

I finished The Lincoln Highway while quarantined recently and thought it was definitely worthy of a complimentary review. I chose the book purely because his previous books were well-written and memorable. I love Towles’ writing style because it’s beautiful but he also has a talent for creating a subtle note of curiosity. I’m never quite sure where the story is going so it keeps me turning the pages. But it’s not because it’s fast-paced. There is a mysteriousness to some of the characters that leaves you unable to exactly figure them out.  I think his ability to weave his stories together is unique because he really adds an element of artistry to his story telling. It’s a quality you don’t often see at such a high level in other modern day novels. I truly believe he will be considered one of the most talented writers of our time.

 

 

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year 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 and head west 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. 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.

One aspect I particularly admired in The Lincoln Highway is how even though the protagonist is only 18 years old, the ordeal he finds himself in is relatable at any age. Emmett and his friends represent a variety of personalities and reflect on the type of moral encounters we have to navigate in life no matter what our age.

 

Lori and I both discovered Amor Towles thanks to the Book of the Month Club or BOM. Lori sent me an invitation through the website and I joined a couple of years ago. Your first book is $9.99 and after that it’s $15.99/month. You get to pick one of the featured books each month as part of the subscription. I have loved the convenience aspect. The book choices are current and you can add on additional titles from their library of other books. (I ordered American Dirt, The Guest List, Anxious People, The Four Winds, and Leave the World Behind to name a few.) It saves me time trying to wade through new titles to find one worth reading. You can also skip as many months as you want and use your monthly tokens whenever convenient. It’s a win, win! Click here to join.