Ulysses gets into the grave and opened the casket. Emmett ends with two two addresses, one for Kaitlin in New Jersey and the other for Sarah in Hasting-on-Hudson. Woolly hated the thesaurus and the unnecessary amount of alternative words it offered. Welcome to the discussion about The Lincoln Highway! They go to visit him and see that he's a real person. Duchess plans to start a new life after all of this and wants to clear out any debts he owes or owed to him before he does. However, once Duchess is awake and the money begins to blow away, Duchess shifts the boat to try and get itcausing it to sink and since Duchess cant swim, he drowns. Big Sky. Emmett confronts Duchess and tries to get him to leave. Four horses died in that fire because the firemen (who had been in a grocery store nearby) werent able to locate their truck. However, spoilers can also be designed to reduce drag. When the train reaches New York, Billy, Ulysses and Emmett all disembark. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel Audible Audiobook - Unabridged Amor Towles (Author), Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator), & 3 more 73,282 ratings Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction See all formats and editions Kindle $14.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More than ONE MILLION copies sold After the Ransoms leave, the brothers catch up, and Emmett explains to Billy that they should to move. For a non-spoiler version of the plot synopsis, see The Bibliofile's review of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. His mother had gone to the attic to fetch a perfectly packed wicker picnic set. Today, hed be looking around the house for other tools. Emmett had brought down the picnic set to urge them to go, and his mother had reluctantly agreed. Duchess manages to convince the officer that Woolly is mentally deficient, so the officer lets him go with a warning to keep a closer eye on Woolly in the future. Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers! Duchess wakes up on a row boat with no oar in the lake next to the Wolcott residence. Loved Billy and how the author used him as a guiding light throughout the novel. Woolly ended up getting in, and he tried to drive around looking for the fire station. It caused Jimmy to fall and hit his head on a cinder block, resulting in his death. Emmett Watson, just released . When Duchess starts talking about going to San Francisco with Emmett, Emmett insists that Duchess needs to go back to Salina. I do love everything stopping still like in Marcellines stage act - thats usual Amor Towles elegance. Load groceries and much more with ease into this 1/2 ton suv thanks to the power liftgate. In Chapters 4 and 3, Emmett goes to visit Townhouse, who warns that the police recently came by looking for Duchess. He wants to settle accounts with him, since Duchess owes Townhouse for having gotten Townhouse in trouble once. They show Emmett that they have his Studebaker, and Townhouse explains that Duchess left it there. Duchess and Woolly arrive at Sarahs place in Hastings-on-Hudson. When Sally asks him to check in, he initially balks, but she points out the he had no problem calling her when he wanted to demand her assistance. Back in Nebraska, Sally thinks about how his father has always spent Fridays chatting with his friends and ending up at McCaffertys Favern. Finally, in April, he passed away. He talks about The Three Musketeers, and they talk about what he would do with $50,000. From the moment that Pastor John says the name Ulysses, Billy seem fascinated by the man. Sally joins them (platonically) so she can start a new life out there as well. Over dinner, Duchess further explains that Woolly has a trust fund, for which his brother-in-law, Dennis Whitney, is the trustee (the person who makes decisions on behalf of a minor). In July, his mother didnt seem to want to go see the fireworks. This section covers Woolly Part 9 through Wooly . However, Sally says that the sheriff came to see her. Ulysses advises Billy not to tell Emmett what happened, at least for now, since Emmett has a lot on his mind. In the city, Emmett tries to track down Duchesss father, and he struggles to navigate the busy city. He still feels guilt over the killing. He shows him the registration and explains that he worked for two summers for Mr. Schulte doing roofing and carpentry work to pay for it. Duchesss father had lied about Duchess being his nephew and him being an army officer who was unable to care for him. Billy's voice is exuberant! It seems like the loud noise was probably Sallys car making some type of noise. Later, it rings again, and he lets it keep ringing. Emmett recognizes the numerous flaws in Billys plan if shes really there and whether she wants to see them but he agrees to think about it. The standing man who identifies himself as Mr. Parker is very drunk, and Emmett lies and says that hes a brakeman. Duchess sees wrongs as misdeeds essentially put someone in anothers debt, which can only be put right by finding a way to balance the accounts. The trust fund is worth roughly $150,000. However, Ulysses kills him and drops his body into the river. If this book were set today, their constant detours and U-turns would send GPS into paroxysms of navigational recalculations. . I did not appreciate the fate of Wooley. (Each individual county also had its own consul.) Billy quickly falls asleep. However, in April, hed come back from home on a Friday smelling like whiskey, and she sensed it was over. 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 . Back downstairs, Duchess books rooms for him and Woolly for the night. When Billy refuses to give it up, Pastor John hits Billy. Duchess thinks about the teachings of Sister Agnes, a nun at St. Nicholass Home for Boys where his father had dropped him off. I will definitely finish the book, as I like it, but your summary will help me bluff my way through book club. Instead, she asks how he ended up at Salina. Abacus asks to meet Ulysses, and the two become acquainted. He sees that it was given to him by Ellie Matthiessen, the librarian. She was a singer who got sick and died. In town, Jake Snyder (brother of Jimmy Snyder) accosts Emmett, trying to goad him into a fight and then punching Emmett a few times, though Emmett doesn't fight back. With that, Emmett grabs the gun away from Duchess. 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. The character of Woolly will remain with me. She asks him to try to help Duchess find his purpose. When they accidentally run out of gas, Duchess realizes he has very little money for gas. Meanwhile, Duchess and Woolly have driven as far as Illinois by now. It was a solid casket belonging to a man (who mustve been well off) named Noah Benjamin Elias. Knowing the Fitzy is an alcoholic, Duchess offers to buy him a drink in an attempt to loosen his tongue. He sees that Californias growth had exceeded Texass impressive growth over the years. This was a good review. Emmett immediately declines. Also, he realizes that he never gave Emmett an address for Sarahs house. Toward Philadelphia, it skirts the modern U.S. Highway 1. Laying in deb, Duchess reminisces about traveling with his father in August of 1944 when he was 8. He thinks about the promise he made to Billy about counting to 10 before hitting someone. He goes to Kaitlins first, who is not happy to see him there, asking why so many people are suddenly coming around looking for Woolly. One thing smart Billy comes to realize: He belongs to a long tradition of sidekicks who come to save the day. Buy The Lincoln Highway: A New York Times Number One Bestseller 01 by Towles, Amor (ISBN: 9781786332523) from Amazon's Book Store. Triumphantly, he gets ready to depart with the bag until he realizes the shovel is missing and . Afterward, Emmett looks around the house nostalgically, looking at Billys model planes and surveying his fathers land which hed farmed for twenty years. The Bibliofile's review of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. When the old man tells Duchess that his father only recently vacated the room on Monday, Duchess understands that his father mustve left after learning Duchess had escaped from Salina. 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. At the risk of sounding condescending, (but that is not my intention), there are a couple of typos I would be happy to point out if youd like. When Sally called Kaitlin, Kaitlin ended up calling Sarahs place and was unhappy when it sounded like Woolly might be there. We apparently see a flash before Duchess dies that shows the brothers in California, Woolly alive, Sally with a child and Sister Sarah. Tom informs them that the bank has no choice but to foreclose on the house, meaning that Emmett and his brother have to move out. Advance praise for The Lincoln Highway "Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow. When the juvenile judge additionally learned that Duchess hadnt been in school for five years, it was decided it was best to have Duchess in a juvenile reform program until he turned 18. In that same year, the Federal Highway Administration eliminated named roads and began a system of numbered highways. Instead, Emmett works quickly to clear up and traces that theyd been there, and they deal with Duchess. This is how I perceive the author's intent for all his characters. Billy Watson, a precocious 8-year-old portrayed by Ballerini, dreams of traveling to California on the Lincoln Highway. Woolly also happens to know that his great-grandfather has a wall safe at their house in upstate New York that contains around $150,000. "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles is a historical fiction novel that was voted by Amazon's book editors as the best book of 2021. However, he actually goes down the steps to drop his body in the river. Billy insists they can find her by going there. One day during his junior year of school, he impulsively found a way to ditch school and take a taxi to visit his sister in Hastings-on-Hudson. But he never does come into contact with his fatheralthough it seems like he does try. The book features a number of great travelers and adventurers, both real and fictional. Belonging to to a man named Gonzalez, Gonzaless two twin teenage sons Paco and Pico would often help out there. He find Duchess in the hallway pointing a rifle at him. In the house, Woolly gives Duchess a tour. Ulysses is thrown off by his questioning and wonders how Billy knows these things about him (which all happen to be accurate). Before they leave, Sister Agnes gives Billy a medallion of Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. Afterwards, Sarah wants to ask him a question, but he implies that hes rather she didnt. Be sure to tell me your thoughts below! Determined not to make the same mistakes, he asks people for directions and makes his way to the Statler Building. It also shows us how Ulysses has a soft spot for Billy (perhaps out of some sadness having to do with being apart from his own child) so hes willing to break his own rules for him. Load groceries and much more with ease into this 1/2 ton suv thanks to the power liftgate. After Emmett departs, Sally goes to check on Billy to see that he is gone. 1 large or two small onions halved and thinly sliced. So, he plans to go there to ask about Harry Hewetts whereabouts and hopefully find Duchess in the process. Then, Woolly hid the phone. Then, in the kitchen hed found an envelope marked To Be Opened in the Event of My Absence in Woollys handwriting (which we soon learn is Woollys will). The acts of violence against the Cowboy & Ackerly come from an 18 yr old w/anger - being left by his father at 10, then being sent to the work farm unjustly. Dennis then yells at Woolly about how irresponsible he is. C.J. Why are the summaries counted down from 10? Duchess takes the opportunity to apologize for everything. There are blank pages under the You chapter for the reader to write their own story as well. This 2023 Lincoln Navigator L has a V6, 3.5L high output engine. "Most of us shell our days like peanuts. Celebrating America's first cross-country roadway New York San Francisco Est. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles does capture the excitement of travel, the sense of adventure, and the company of strangers along the way. 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. They're soon interrupted by the presence of Duchess and Woolly, two guys Emmett knows from juvie. He sees a scene with Sarah, Sally, Woolly, Billy and Emmett. Instead, as he heads to another agency, a man name Mr. Morton (along with his African grey bird, Mr. Winslow, who is part of his act) stops him. The action (and there's a lot of it) unfolds over a 10-day period, starting in Nebraska and ending in. His first novel, Rules of Civility (2011), set among social strivers in New York City in 1936, took its inspiration from F. Scott Fitzgerald and its title from George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. They are aided by Sally, a family friend, and Ulysses, a black man they meet on the train. Duchess watches as the guy in the cowboy hat walks away right when the Sheriff shows up. 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. He also mentions Duchess going to Harlem first (which Emmett seems to understand was likely for the purpose of visiting Townhouse). On the train, Billy nearly gets his silver coin collection stolen from him by a fake pastor, "Pastor" John, but Pastor John is stopped by Ulysses -- a black WWII vet who is also hitching a ride on the train. Odometer is 4078 miles below market average! "The Lincoln Highway is a road novel that celebrates the mythos of an era via a cross-country highway . 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. Jimmy ended up in a coma for two months before finally succumbing to his injury. As Ulysses attempts to run there, the winds and rough terrain fight against him. They mentioned that former warden Ackerly was attacked and a blue Studebaker was spotted nearby. He then sees hes next to a freshly dug grave with a casket at the bottom. 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. Duchess hits him on the head with a cast-iron skillet and leaves, noting that Ackerly's debt to him has been paid. She was a 28-year-old-ish widow with no kids who worked as a teller at the bank. Pastor John assumes that its because Billy has never seen a black man before, but the next chapter makes clear that Billy recognizes the name Ulysses as one of the heroes from his book. The Lincoln Highway: A New York Times Number One Bestseller: Amazon.co.uk: Towles, Amor: 9781786332523: Books He makes the point that while oftentimes nothing bad happened, in one instance Duchess got one of his friends in trouble because of it. At the train station, Emmett decides theyll need to hitch a ride on a freight train since they dont have money for a train. And with Emmett, while he did not kill the bully on purpose back in Morgen, it does sound like he has anger issues and only Billy can get him to calm down. Ulysses is a seasoned boxcar traveler, who has been iterant ever since he returned from the war to learn that his wife left him. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I've just finished The Lincoln Highway and found myself shedding a tear although I couldn't say why! When he heads back, hes dismayed to see a police officer placing a parking ticket on Emmetts car. "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." This is how I interpreted The Lincoln Highway ending. Sally had lied, saying he didnt. 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. After some research, he agrees to the plan. He follows the cowboy hat guy. Mr. Emmetts father describes his legacies as being a form of sacrilege. In present day, Duchess guilts Fitzy into giving him Harry's current address in Syracuse. Expectations are repeatedly upended. Then, theyre interrupted when they hear a loud noise coming from downstairs. Before they part ways, Emmett asks what Townhouse plans to do next. His favorite part of the store is the huge dollhouse. If youre new to Book Club Chat, I write spoiler-free reviews and spoiler-filled book club questions for each novel I read. The Lincoln Highway is a coming-of-age tale about the transition from teenager to adulthood. In the station, Emmett tries to approach one of the workmen at the station to try to get advice on the best way to hop a train, but hes dismissed. He seems like such a giving person. Earlier that day, Emmett had woken up with a headache, naked, and Charity at his side. He wants to start in media res (in the middle of the story), and he considers what the best starting point would be. 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 Lincoln Highway is an adventure story through and through. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This was very helpful to me, especially the careful chronological summary of the events. When I picked up The Lincoln Highway I wasn't sure what to expect from the story. She brings over a jar of home-made strawberry preserves as well. Sally also thinks unhappily about how Emmett had described her going through the time-consuming process of making homemade preserve as unnecessary. Whether riding boxcars or "borrowed" cars, Towles' characters are constantly diverted by one life-threatening adventure after another offering Billy plenty of material for a rousing Chapter Y, once he figures out where to begin. 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. But Billy merely kicks him and runs away. Listening to the novel on Audible, I thoroughly enjoyed the retelling of many of the scenes from the perspectives different characters. But Emmett is concerned that Duchess will try and find them. It seems to indicate that his father knew Duchess would come looking for him and did not want to be there when that happened. However, when they arrive, it turns out Woolly doesn't know the combination (and it never occurred to him there would be one). There were no firemen around, and he somehow became convinced that someone accidentally left it there. The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. "The Lincoln Highway" is a road-trip-buddy book with a myriad of mixed agendas and detours. Instead, a nearby panhandler tells him that hes the one to ask since he worked on the rails for 25 years. Townhouse warns, however, that the police looking for Duchesss were asking about a blue Studebaker. Emmett goes into the city to track down Duchess, who knows is looking for his father. She had taught them how the wrongs people do to one another become your chains by binding you with either indignation or guilt. However, they often ended up needing help from others. Afterwards, Duchess goes to visit Townhouse, who was released from Salina a while ago. The two novels have collectively sold more than four million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. His interest is in those whose zeal has not yet been tamped down by what Duchess (the only first-person narrator) describes, with improbable flair for a poorly-educated 18-year-old, as "the thumb of reality on that spot in the soul from which youthful enthusiasm springs." With Emmett busy at Ma Belles place, Woolly and Duchess have Billy in tow. Sally first calls Kaitlin, who is unfriendly when she brings up Woolly. On Sunday June 20th, Duchess and Woolly slip out at the crack of dawn and head for Woollys great-grandfathers place. Duchess thinks about how Emmett clearly felt he owed a debt which is why allowed Jake to beat him up. The panhandler tells Emmett that the Sunset East is the best train to board discreetly at night. It took him six tries to get it open. Stock #: 75732; VIN: 5LMCJ2DH9LUL28819; Condition: Used; . When Townhouse was 16, he rented out one of the cars a Buick Skylark convertible for a date with a girl, Clarise. However, he quickly decides that thered be no point to it. He promises to be back soon and to give Emmett his share of the cash when they return. So the brothers take their share of the money and plan to finally go to California. By Amor Towles Viking: 592 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent . Mr. Eagerness to discover what landed these three disparate musketeers in custody is one of many things that keeps us turning pages. They make a quick stop at the house of the retired former warden, Ackerly, who used to beat them. In 1925, the Lincoln Highway was finally completed. This is kind of a cute chapter. Emmett then thinks about how Duchess has been saying he has unfinished business with his father and worries what he plans to do. How else would he know where to drive to in New York City? Woolly is excited to see the statues of Abraham Lincoln which Billy says have been placed along the road, since Woolly is a great admirer of Lincoln. 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. Duchess goes to Townhouses place on 126th Street in Harlem and finds him sitting there on the stoop with some other boys. She points out how he never lifted a finger to help Charlie Watson as he struggled with his farm for years and years, but then rushed to buy it from the bank. But lets talk over several key events. In present day, Emmett and Sally piece together that it was likely Duchess who did it. 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. He realizes the rush of cars mustve been people at the funeral. Hi Jenelle, the chapters in the book count down from 10 so I am mirroring the chapters in the book. Additionally, one of the other bunkmates in Bunkhouse Four (where they all lived) was Tommy Ladue, an Oklahoman who is racist. The ride there was wordless, but when the fireworks finally started, she reached out in order to squeeze her husbands hand, and gave him a tender smile as tears ran down her face. Rear Spoiler . In 1919, during the height of his military career, future president Dwight Eisenhower described the Lincoln Highway in Nevada when he accompanied an Army caravan from the White House to the West Coast: "From Orr"s Ranch, Utah, to Carson City, Nevada, the road is one succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes.