Last Train to Paradise
Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
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4.3 • 120 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores.
In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century.
In Last Train to Paradise, Standiford celebrates this crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition, bringing to life a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A good idea to have a novelist tell the story of Henry Morrison Flagler, the 19th-century mogul credited with developing Florida as a vacation paradise goes sadly astray here. Readers hoping to learn about the man will be disappointed, as will those looking for a good yarn about the engineering marvel that is this tale's centerpiece Flagler's creation, in the early 20th century, of a rail line that traversed 153 miles of open ocean to link mainland Florida with Key West. The narrative bumps along, frequently veering off into tantalizing detours that lead nowhere. Standiford presents pages about the power of hurricanes to destroy property and savage the human body, an emphasis that is the book's undoing: readers are led to believe that storm damage in 1935 was the sole reason for the railroad's abandonment. This prompts Standiford to argue that Flagler's undertaking was a "folly" from the start, as his contemporaries claimed, and that his story constitutes a classic "tragedy." In fact, the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) was undone as much, if not more, by a force Standiford never mentions: the internal combustion engine. After the hurricane of 1935, investors and the government considered rebuilding the FEC, but decided instead on a highway. The book's conclusion references Shelley's cautionary poem "Ozymandias," a gloss on the impermanence of man's works. The warning might apply to this unsatisfying book. 8 pages of b&w photos.
Customer Reviews
"Last Train To Paradise" is a gem.
A fascinating read that should be mandatory for residents and a must read for visitors of the State of "Fla.". If you have any regard for Florida in your heart, this book is for you. This gem provides a clear vision of a different time.... not so long ago .... of a man, his dream, a place and it's people, and the challenges of a unique journey.
As they say, "It's not the destination..... It's the journey." In this work, you will find that and more.
A mysterious and amazing wonder
I decided to buy this book soon after my first trip to Key West for a 3 day visit. You can certainly feel and see the change past Miami and driving down to Key West. It was a beautiful drive and I certainly was curious about the railroad, especially when seeing the remnants left after the hurricane 1935. This was a pleasure to read as it brought to life the history of that massive undertaking. As I read this book…I would also do other internet searches prompted by the stories in this book to further satisfy my interest into the lives of those involved in this railroad project. It helped pull together the history of Florida in general. I appreciated the detail the writer took into various lives and the emotion it brought. I truly felt part of the past and like living in a past dream of Florida’s past.
A must read for anyone interested in FL history!
Great book! If you live in South Florida, you will certainly appreciate so much of the history!! Anytime I drive through the keys, I’ll think about the thousands of laborers who worked and even some who died to build this engineering marvel. This book will surely inspire me to read more about Florida and its fascinating history.