Rating: 
Summary: Thumbs up... First rate...
Review: I watched the PBS special on Lewis and Clark about a year ago and was very much interested in the topic and the interviews with Mr. Ambrose. Reading the book was 10Xs more facinating than the documentary.
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Summary: The best general reader American history in ten years
Review: If you want to get re-enegized over our history and the role of the individual in it, Ambrose's book is the perfect medium. The two or three lines of "facts" about the Lewis and Clark Expedition which you learned in 7th grade multiply and become humanized on every page. Ambrose is a writer for the general reader and he is fast becoming the best at doing it in this country. From the political biographies to a series of books which rightfully honor the American soldiers' efforts on World War II, the historian not only convinces us that he cares but makes us care, too. The story of Merriweather Lewis has been marginalized in our general histories for too long. Read "Undaunted Courage" and find out why a person of special talent and vision (whether Lewis or his mentor, Jefferson) can change not only a time, but a place and a history.
Rating: 
Summary: It was on my reading list so I had no choice...
Review: I am a junior in high school and we were required to read this for our summer reading. The first five or six chapters were such a listing of facts that I seriously struggled to get through it. At that point, I barely even wanted to continue. Every moment of Meriwether's existence was pointed out to me, much more than I needed or wanted to know. It didn't have any flow to it, but it did get better once they got on their way. That part of the book was much better and more enjoyable, making history, which I find to be boring, almost fascinating and seemed easier to understand than something in a textbook. But other than the fact I had to read this book, I don't understand who would read this for fun.
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Summary: A detailed account that puts you there!
Review: You can feel the cold, the wet , the hot, the bugs... You can smell the meat and hear the fat as it hits the fire. One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. I've used this book to convice others to give history a chance but to no avail. I found this to be much more exciting and productive than any Clancy novel. My only complaint is that once I had finished I had a depressing realization of how lazy I am. Ambrose is a genius. On to Citizen Soldier.
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Summary: Captivating, interesting done w/historic accuracies
Review: Interesting book. Gives real insight into the trials, hardships and extremities of weather and strife for survival that the expedition experienced.
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Summary: An incredible adventure
Review: For the first hundred or so pages, I grew a bit impatient, getting more minutia about Lewis' early life than I wanted. But it was a small price to pay. The journey up the Missouri, over the mountains to the Pacific, and then back, is an incredible adventure, vividly told. The writing is crisp and descriptive -- You can feel Lewis' awe as he stands at the continental divide, his depression during the dreary Oregon winter, and the excitement and fear of each new encounter with Indian communities. A most memorable read.
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Summary: A compelling story, but the book gets a bit dry in places.
Review: I enjoyed the book, but had to work to finish it. I suppose the work getting throught the book is a metaphor for the incredible journey that is reorded therein. I found the book most readable and enjoyable when it placed the exploration in the context of its day and the broader history of the country. The day to day adventures and tribulations of the corps at times became a bit tedious. Nevertheless, for anyone intersted in the early history of the Republic, this is an important and worthwhile read.
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Summary: Must Read for Understanding US History
Review: I agree with many of the prior reviews posted here. This book is an educational experience that should be required reading in every high school or college US History class. Is some ways this book could be considered a biography of M. Lewis, but in reality it is a description of the United States as a country and as a people (good and bad) in the late 1790s to early 1800s.If a fiction writer came up with the same story, I do not think anyone would find it believable enough to read. Fun reading? Not always. Slow reading? At times. Am I glad I read it? YES!
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Summary: Amazing what they don't teach you in First Year History
Review: I found this book to be well-researched, rich in detail, yet highly readable. It looks at Meriweather Lewis (primarily) with a far more objective eye than that of the basic American History texts when I was in school. Mr. Lewis is shown as a man of courage and vision, yet flawed in many aspects of his personal and professional behavior. The book also provides insight into how a man of the late 18th-early 19th century handles phenomenal success at an early age, falls into the cult of celebrity, a full blown depressive with ultimately tragic consequences. The latter does not diminish his achievements in the least. Yet it does provide evidence (vis-a-vis current events) that, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The book is informative and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: History more fascinating than fiction.
Review: I was pleasantly surprised at just how easily readable and fascinating each chapter of this book was. This book gives vivid and detailed descriptions of the events and sights Lewis and Clark encountered on thier voyage to and from the Pacific. History has never been as enjoyable as it is in this book! If there is a spark of interest in Early United states history this book will fan it into a flame of burning desire to know more.
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