Rating: 
Summary: At least he tried
Review: What saves this effort at all is the subject matter. The transcontinental railroad and its story is so grand that it is hard to screw it up. Stephen Ambrose has made a valiant effort but even with his great literary prowess he has proved unable to destroy the magic of the tale. Other reviewers have pointed out the repetitions, the errors, the plagarisms. I will point out just one strange one. On my copy of the book the rear cover prints reviews and raves for his Lewis and Clark book. At first glance you are prone to interpret it applying to this one. Mr. Ambrose, we still love you and know you can do better.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Confusing?
Review: I found this book difficult to read. It had a text book feeling. Many of the facts were wrong such as the Govenor of Arizona riding with other dignitaries to the ceremonies of May 10, 1869. Arizona did not become a state until 1912. Maybe he meant the Territorial Govenor? The Panama Canal being finished the same time as the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869? Overall, I enjoyed the story of the massive financial undertaking and incredible human labor involved. Inaccurate and confusing yes, especially the maps, but he brought to focus the inconeivable story of achievement for that time. Sun Lakes, Arizona
Rating: 
Summary: When History is better than Fiction
Review: The book concentrates on the human drama associated with the building of the railroad, rather than on the "bad" things that the "robber barons" of the CP and the "bad guys" running the UP are accused of. It is far better than most fiction, and I am very glad I read the book before reading the reviews. While this book may not be up to the past quality of Amborse's books, it is nonetheless exciting reading. The editing is a bit shoddy, but so is most fiction. It is both enjoyable, and provides an unforgettable picture of one of the great feats in American History. ENJOY the story.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre book
Review: I was excited about this book after, I believe, hearing the author on a radio show, but after reading the book I'm disappointed.The story was interesting, but the organization of the book did not hold my attention. There was a lot of repitition between chapters. I read quotes and remembered them from previous chapters. I didnt really find myself associating with the players of the era either. There are some nice pictures in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Disappointment!
Review: Ambrose was clearly uninterested in his subject. This is a disjointed, poorly written book. One would guess it was a student's first term paper if one did not know that Stephen Ambrose is an acclaimed author. The maps are simple and poorly placed. Under Ambrose's pen, the story is dull. Some sections appear to come straight out of the other recent railroad book, The Empire Express.
Rating:
Summary: a bad book
Review: I dont want to repeat what so many others have already said. This book seems to be a collection of all the 3 by 5 cards used in doing the research for it. There are many mistakes, repetitions and fillings. The story is interesting, but it is too poorly done. It would have made a good article for a magazine.
Rating: 
Summary: appropriate title
Review: Despite reading other reviews pointing out factual and historial errors, I truly believe this book satisfactorily imparts to the reader why recounting the events related to the building of the trans-continental railroad should prove beyond a doubt that at the time there was indeed nothing like it in the world. I am not enough a student of history to know for sure that there were a lot of errors of fact, but I do know that the research and planning that went into this book could not have been improved upon. This book is a testament to the spirit of American ingenuity. It clearly shows how this railroad, completed shortly after the Civil war, completed the reuniting of the country; not just North and South, but East and West. The details about the actual building of the railroad will astound and amaze even the most jaded reader. Before reading the book, I had no clue as to how many obstacles had to be overcome and what an arduous task these men faced. I recommend this book. You'll enjoy it, you'll learn from it and believe it or not, you will find a lot of correct historical facts.
Rating:
Summary: Bad work by a history professor
Review: Stephen Ambrose and his team did voluminous research and then managed to put together a book filled with mistakes. He has geographical errors like placing like placing the discovery of gold in California WEST of Sacramento when it was actually thirty or so miles the the east. He claims that Robert E. Lee got hold of George MacClellan's battles plans at Antietam (Just the opposite occured). He also states that Union Pacific built the causeway across the Great Salt Lake (It was the Southern Pacific). I could go on and on. In addition to the all the mistakes, Ambrose also likes to repeat himself. Some of the anecdotes appear three or four times. In addition he takes some great liberties such as often calling Theodore Judah "Ted". Never have I read anything in which Judah was called Ted and the only sources that Ambrose uses that include Judah's first name call him Theodore. As a railroad buff and a historian I was really looking forward to this book. It's too bad that the book does not reflect all the research that went into the project. This book is a mediorcre performance.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I wish I had read these reviews before asking Santa to put Ambrose's book in my stocking. The glaring errors contained therein spoiled my anticipated enjoyment. The Humboldt River arising in northeastern Utah?! McClellan's orders before Antietam known to Lee?! (Would that the latter had been the case for this Johnny Reb.) The readers are owed an apology by both author and publisher.
Rating:
Summary: Dee Brown's "Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow" MUCH better!!
Review: Dee Brown's "Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow" (1977) is notably better. Shorter, more entertaining and more informative details and anecdotes, more colorful, broader. (Dee Brown also wrote "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.") Sure there is a lot of interesting information here but it lacks drive and omits some of the big picture of the times. How could Ambrose completely omit the Kansas Pacific railroad which was building parallel tracks a couple of hundred miles away, and was in the competiton the first few years? Not a single word about the KP. And there are many other important persons and events of the same times and places (Mark Twain and and Custer come to mind) who illustrate the mileau of building the road that do not appear in the Ambrose book. One wonders what editors are for, and if any were paid for working on this book. In railroad history, whose writers range from entertaining pseudo-19th century flamboyance (Lucius Beebe) to detailed scholarship (Geo. Hilton), including many inspired amateurs, Ambrose's effort fails to distinguish itself. For the general reader Dee Brown's book is probably much better, more interesting, more enjoyable. I suppose technically speaking the Ambrose book is strictly about the men who built this one railroad, not about other railroads, not about Indian wars, not about the technology of the railroads and construction, and hence some criticism may be deflected. The general reader, expecting the drive of his World War II books, will be disappointed. If you love steam locomotives, you won't find much about them here.
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