Rating: 
Summary: Boring, Biased, and Beatific
Review: After reading this I could not help but think that this was absolutely pointless. The opinions and conclusions of the author are based on the jounals and such of one person. Each point is made with one person's journal entry, or opinion. The only reliable and reasonable source that she had was the New York papers, which were sent in by thousands of people. Besides, the book doesn't make any conclusion that any thinking person wouldn't have come up with in the first place. The book basically says that people were motivated by money to do this. Well Duh!
Rating: 
Summary: The Artificial River
Review: As someone who is interested in all things nautical in regard to the developement of the United States, I found the history and desription of the Erie Canal's creation to be fascinating. There is much to be learned from the military, economic and transportation uses of America's lakes and waterways. I enjoy researching areas that I intend to vacation in. The Erie canal provides a wonderful inland waterway on which to canoe, motor-boat or hike along. Knowing the history and influence of such historic waterways allows for a better experience while exploring them.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous new social history
Review: I had to write in after reading Mr. "Sonysummer's" unfair and ridiculous review of this wonderful book. Perhaps he simply doesn't know a thing about social history (it's a little different from the Harry Potter books he usually reviews), but this is at its finest. Carol Sheriff has given us a well-researched, well-written, insightful account of this critical period of American history. A must-read!
Rating:
Summary: Repetition personified
Review: Sheriff spends too much time repeating interesting
facts. She seems obsessed with explaining "God and nature"
Fortunately the book is a fast read,so I did'nt waste too much time.
Rating:
Summary: Repetition personified
Review: Sheriff spends too much time repeating interesting
facts. She seems obsessed with explaining "God and nature"
Fortunately the book is a fast read,so I did'nt waste too much time.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, graceful writing
Review: The Artificial River is one of those history books that is not only illuminating, but fun to read. Sheriff writes with an easy grace that takes you along her narrative path, intelligently putting together the pieces that tell the compelling history of the individuals who built, used, and lived near the Erie Canal. But the book raises larger issues to contemplate: the effect of technology on social interaction, and the contradiction that when distances between points are foreshortened, the alienation of individuals locally can increase. In light of the Internet, this is still a pertinent history lesson.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, graceful writing
Review: The Artificial River is one of those history books that is not only illuminating, but fun to read. Sheriff writes with an easy grace that takes you along her narrative path, intelligently putting together the pieces that tell the compelling history of the individuals who built, used, and lived near the Erie Canal. But the book raises larger issues to contemplate: the effect of technology on social interaction, and the contradiction that when distances between points are foreshortened, the alienation of individuals locally can increase. In light of the Internet, this is still a pertinent history lesson.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent shock
Review: The Artificial River was a shock for me. I'll admit, I had to read this book for a 19th century American history class and I wasn't too happy. I felt something about the Civil War would be more interesting. And how interesting could an artifical river be anyways? Fortunatley, I didn't discard the book, but read it and I was completely shocked. Carol Sheriff has completed an amazing feat. This book about the Erie Canal pulled me into its world giving a tremendous feel of the 19th century world. Sheriff provides a look from all classes of society adjusting to the shifts of progress. This book at its core is just that, a society adjusting to rapid progress - progress that brings its perks and pitfalls.
Rating:
Summary: The Artificial River
Review: The book is written as a gossip column. She spends too much space expressing her views on society status and her views are redundant. Very little about the book is of use or interest.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read
Review: This book describes the complicated and fascinating social history of the canal that shrunk time and distance and transformed western New York, brought great wealth to many and opened up the west. But this progress came at a price and the book explores some of the paradoxes of progress.
The progress and transformation that the Erie Canal brought also brought a new set of challenges for residents and legislators. The canal split many farms causing great problems to many farmers who wanted bridges to get to their farms, the low bridges were a hazard to canal passengers and traffic. Water diverted for the canal and locks created water shortages though the region. Leaks in the canal caused flooding on some farms and created mosquito infested ponds, which were fertile grounds for malaria epidemics. Cultural issues came to the forefront. Ditch diggers who lived in shantytowns, who drank and cusses, who tore down fences caused consternation among the inhabitants who feared that the county was creating a permanent underclass. When the digging was done and the diggers gone they were replaces with another underclass, the boat drivers, who drank, cussed, robbed and hored making the areas adjoining the canal crime-ridden. This book takes you to the time when the canal was being built and is a joy to read.
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