Often when I read our book club selections, I find myself reading perhaps too critically – especially when a book is well-reviewed and popular. Lessons in Chemistry was such a disappointment because it seemed to trade in cliches and misandry. Our discussions, though, remind me that perspective is everything. As I listen to stories and comments, I sometimes feel like the Grinch whose heart is growing three times at once.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is now one of my favorite books; one of the best I have read in a long time. I found it easy and quick to read, without much skimming. All 600 pages. I felt drawn to every character. Reading the same scene explained through different perspectives had the power of our discussions. Emmet’s battle with the brother of the man he killed, described by Duchess like a great dramatic act, allowed me to see Emmet as a “man of substance” and classic hero, despite Emmet’s previous, matter-of-fact, third-person narrative. It was heartbreaking to see Duchess head down the path toward becoming Pastor John rather than Professor Abernathy. And Emmet’s sense that he didn’t want to be beholden to Sally, his desire for self-sufficiency, was so perfectly rebuked by Sally’s first-person narrative: “Saying please and thank you is plenty old-fashioned” and “For kindness begins where necessity ends.”

The author explicitly draws the connection to Homer’s The Odyssey and Ulysses, using “Professor Abacus Abernathe’s Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers,” but it is Emmett and Billy’s journey, constantly sidelined by Duchess that seemed most poignant. Sometimes I still see various scenes in my mind’s eye, like the orphans gathered round the empty jars of preserve, Woolly’s perfect day, his visit to the train tracks, Mr. Abernathy’s sprint from bushes to join Ulysses hopping a train. All spear-headed by Billy’s innocence and determination. Even the ending, which left me wondering about Emmet’s choices and their future, seemed fitting – a modern-day grand adventure.

I was so disappointed to miss the discussion this month, but I was fortunate that one member sent me notes and a recording! Not everyone was so enamored with the book, and not for the same reasons; but the full discussion showed how the book impacted everyone. One of us struggled to get through and did not appreciate reliving the same moments. She enjoyed learning about the Lincoln Highway and another member liked visiting New York landmarks through the novel. He noted that the entire book covered only ten days and another member laughed and said that it took her longer than that to read it! Sally was a favorite character and many wished for more from her. Billy seemed to live a charmed life. He was the brains of the group. Was he on the autism spectrum? Was Woolly? What was the “medicine” that Woolly and his pregnant sister took? The title was misleading, disappointing one of us that the adventure didn’t actually take place on the Lincoln Highway.

One member was “all in” up until the end when she was ready to throw the book across the room! Everyone seemed to behave out of character and she wanted Emmet to follow up with Woolly’s sister – not just head off on a new adventure.  Another member wondered what purpose the husband “Dennis” played. Why was his name always written with quotation marks?

One of us considered “Dennis” as definitely a villain. This member loved the book. He appreciated the different perspectives and loved Sally, particularly because he has preached from the same bible passage that Sally quotes – and he agrees that somebody needed to help Martha[i]. It made him laugh out loud that it only took Billy three tries to open the safe. So many interesting characters. It reminded him of West with Giraffes and his own journey driving from Maine to Los Angeles.

Another found the ending just too sad. She wanted them to go find their mother. Others discussed that there were too many unfinished strings. The group discussed the author’s best-selling book, A Gentleman in Moscow, which is supposedly completely different and has been made into a movie. That book is only 496 pages!

These are just excerpts of comments. Throughout the discussion members delved deeper into the story: Emmet’s narrow moral code; Townsend’s and Emmet’s beatings; payback; old-fashioned violence; the importance of parental guidance, coin collecting; family gatherings like “Y’all come Thanksgiving”; and much more. During the meeting, one of us mentioned that he reads much more because of the book club. I already liked the book and still my heart grows three times just listening. Did I mention that everyone sang me Happy Birthday? What’s in a day, a month, a year? It’s what we make of it. Thanks for reading!

• Other works discussed:
• A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) Amor Towles
• “Martha & Mary” (The Chosen  2024) Season 4 Episode 5
• The Women (2024) by Kristin Hannah – Highly recommended possible future book club selection.

[i] Sally narrating, Chapter Nine, pages 101 – 102. Referring to Luke 10:38-42.

“Well, I’m sorry. But if ever you needed proof that the Bible was written by a man, there you have it.”

“But I am not willing to believe that Jesus Christ Our Savior—who at a drop of a hat would heal a leper or restore sight to the blind—would turn his back on a woman who was taking care of a household.”