Last Train to Paradise

Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean

De: Les Standiford

Narrado por: Del Roy

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.©2002 Les Standiford; (P)2002 Books On Tape, Inc., Published by arrangement with Random House Audio Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This is the remarkable true-life chronicle of one of America’s greatest engineering achievements, and how it was all blown to bits in a few hellish hours. No novelist could have invented such a stunning tale, or such unforgettable characters.” —Carl Hiaasen, bestselling author of Razor Girl and Bad Monkey

“Last Train to Paradise is a fast-moving and gripping story about one of the most ambitious and difficult engineering projects of the last century.” —Henry Petroski, author of Engineers of Dreams

“This is a wonderfully told tale, a strange and compelling story about a strange and compelling part of the world. With sharp, evocative reporting, the book captures an era, the Florida landscape, and the very human dream of doing the impossible.” —Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief

“Last Train to Paradise is an extraordinary achievement, a nonfiction book as exciting and finely written as a first-rate novel, with the narrative drive of a locomotive. . . . Throw in Ernest Hemingway and some of the most dramatic scenes of the chaos of a hurricane ever written and you’ve got one hell of a spectacular book.” —James Hall, author of Blackwater Sound and Under Cover of Daylight

“Only one thing could have stopped entrepreneur Henry Flagler: the most powerful storm ever to strike the United States. Les Standiford has given us a rousing—a deeply sobering—story of this 1935 collision between hubris and hurricane in the Florida Keys.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed

“Last Train to Paradise is a mesmerizing account of Gilded Age titan Henry Flagler and his extraordinary dream to build a railroad across the sea. Henry Flagler’s quest to build an overseas railroad has all the elements of a classic Greek tragedy, and Les Standiford has captured both the man and his times with pitch perfect grace.”
—Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women Had Wings and When Katie Wakes

Flagler's Folly

A reasonably entertaining story about an outlandish plan to extend railroad into the sea (not exactly crossing an ocean). However, the author's presentation is a bit overly sympathetic to the man behind the plan (Henry Flagler), at times bordering on sycophantic. A famous robber baron and visionary, Flagler is a worthy subject for biography, but after the umpteenth time the author defends him against accusations and lawsuits of unfair labor practices, up to an including engaging slave labor, one has to wonder how reputable or admirable a man he was. What we do know, is that his "folly", which later became known as "the Eighth Wonder of the World", ultimately did fail. Despite the engineering feats that were achieved to complete (not to mention the loss of life and health to workers), it couldn't withstand the force of a category 5 hurricane. This fact is rather belabored as well, seeming to rationalize that only the storm of the century could have destroyed this marvel. Yet it did, and part of its folly is that it was inevitable, as the author foreshadows with irony in an early chapter, defining tragedy. 22 years is worthy of note, but architecture built to last centuries or millennia, that is truly impressive.

First audio book

It was very Interesting as well as well read. Great book to begin my audible membership.

loved it!

I am very familiar with the keys. I can only imagine what it was like cutting through the mangrove forest in the early 1900s. those workers all lived through hell.

Great historical & biographical account of the railway and Florida Keys

Really enjoyed learning about the history of the south Florida railroad, trials & tribulations. Well written, well read. More historical events than you’d ever read about or hear in history class.

Great insight into forgotten Florida

I’m biased. I live in Florida, albeit is transplant – isn’t everyone? I’ve been up and down the east coast more times that I can count. I can picture every town and place in this book, albeit as it is today. I have seen the hulking wreck of Henry Flagler's railway on the way to Key West. I wanted to know more. This book did not disappoint.