Rating: 
Summary: Fine Trip, Weak Payoff
Review: This is a wonderfully researched book and well-executed as solid, novelistic nonfiction. But I had a problem: Ambrose didn't know how to build to the climax of reaching the Pacific. In fact, I had to go back a few pages to confirm that the ultimate destination had been reached! This was a shame, and I blame the editor as much as the writer for not structuring an effective denouement to an otherwise admirable work.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible Journey
Review: We all learned of the expedition in school, and Lewis and Clark were always just a couple of guys that paddled west, met some indians, and found that there was no all water route. Bummer.But if you want the real skinny...and trust me on this, you do...this book is a must read. What an incredible journey led by Capts. Lewis and Clark. You really feel that you are right there for much of trip (although you wake up in a warm, dry bed instead of on cold, wet ground). You begin to realize how soft we've become. I'm springing for the journals next.
Rating: 
Summary: great book
Review: my first Lewis and Clark book, couldn't put it down. Just enough, not too short or too long. What a great adventure!
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring/Informative/Entertaining
Review: Some people commented that reading through this book was tough...try reading all 120 reviews like I just did! Interesting to me how there is such a variety of opinions on the same book. Sorta' like the variety of opinions on the JFK assassination...well, here's my two cents: Undaunted Courage is without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books. I've reread it three times because it's fascinating. Imagine doing what Lewis and Clark did. I get nervous driving to Los Angeles without a map! Put yourself in their place and Ambrose does a fine job of that. Insofar as the "dull, inaccurate" comments from other reviewers all I can say is perhaps you're not focusing hard enough on the story. This journey was anything but dull. Well done!
Rating: 
Summary: undaunted courage
Review: Most unpleasant book. The auther's critique of Lewis was disapointing. Constantly anilyzing his thoughtrs and deeds. How bad he treated the Indians, how he was a mail chovenous. Reading this book was very depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose is our greatest Historian today
Review: Was never much of a history buff until I read this book. Mr Ambrose was on C-SPAM BOOKNOTES and I sat listening as he shared with Brain Lamb what his book was about, and then I went and bought a copy as soon as the interview was over. This is one of those books that holds your interest. It is the rare find that makes for a great read aloud book. We have been recommending it because it gives a rare look into a deep friendship between two great giants in Amerivan history. Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame and Thomas Jefferson. What knocked the socks off me was how many species Lewis and Clark saw as they made their trek west. Being the first white man to ever lay eyes on both new species of plant and animal as well as massive land changes. Also of great interest, especially in this day and age when the issue of depression and suicide are in the news a lot, is the fact these men suffered from depression and that Lewis even gave serious thought to suicide as he and Clark struggled west, often short on money or even broke, sick and discouraged. This is a book that should be required reading for all high school-college students, voters and politicians. It is a humbling book written by a man I consider to be Americas greatest historian.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many editorials woven w/ facts
Review: I am having a hard time reading this book.. I become stressed. The author editorializes WAY too much. He also tends to analyze facts with a late 20th century perspective, rather than within the context of the time events occurred. Also, he should stay away from political analysis -- he is very weak in these areas (e.g.: Jefferson and Burr). May be a reflection of over-reliance on Merriweather/expedition-focused source documents. Or... Is it possible that the author is so enamoured with his subject that he lost a bit of the biographer/historian's [necessary] objectivity?
Rating:
Summary: Undaunted Courage
Review: Undaunted Courage is a fabulous account of the adventures of Lewis and Clark. Ambrose has the ability to make you feel part of the action. If you like adventure, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: What it takes.
Review: Ambrose presents extraordinary details about the preparation for the exploration. I've always tried to imagine how life would be like on that trip, and these details really help complete the pictures I have in my mind. Ambrose describes Lewis' intense training in the technical skills he would require. He talks about the aggravations the corps had with a drunken boatbuilder. He talks about the trade-offs that had to be made when deciding what items to bring and what to leave. The description of these preparations alone was worth the book. I also enjoyed the descriptions of daily life on the journey: food, medicine, punishment, pay, accounts of bravery, accounts of boredom, description of equipment, and so much more than I can go into. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I was captivated.
Rating:
Summary: Joining in for the ride
Review: Terrific description of the L&C expedition with just enugh political context. The book is as much a detailed biography of a remarkable journey, including its genesis, as it is a biography of Lewis the young leader. It is a dense read and requires many sittings. The reader often wonders, as L&C must have, what new adventure lays around each bend of a river or encounter with Indians. One also becomes acutely aware of the roles of pure luck and good leadership in any undertaking this grand. Many reviewers express a preference for a 10,000 foot view of the topic. The view put forward by Ambrose is largely water level. Those that were not satisfied with the water level view should have read the introduction and acknowledgments before embarking on the journey.
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