Rating: 
Summary: engaging
Review: I had just finished A Pilgram's Progress when i picked this book up and so i may be slightly biased after moving from one of the most exciting (sarcasm is flooding this review) books to an history of the railroad.
I never had a fascination for the railroad by this book may have sparked something. I read Ambrose's books because they are fun to read, for the most part. And because he has written a lot. There are a few week parts, which is my reasoning for the less than perfect score, and it seems like all he did was summarize the collective published works on the railroads, which is good for pop-history and which is exactly what this book is.It is quick and fun and makes you want to do some true reading on the railroads and so i would recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A railroad
Review: This book was mediocre; maybe I expected more from this author based on previous works. Yes, the railroad was phenomenal, yes it was an engineering masterpiece with lively characters; but at times, it seems like these points are repeated over and over as statements .. not expanded upon. There are passages of description that are repeated in the text - as if the reader needed to be reminded. Obviously, Ambrose was totally enthralled with the concept of the transcontinental railroad - but sometimes - even in the case of miracles and wonders - less is more.
Rating:
Summary: A different Perspective
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author presented the history of the railroad. It was very different from the typical dry recounting of events. He managed to both villanize and glorify the men who built the railroads and yet that is what they were.
Both villins and heroes. Alltogether an excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Ambrose derails his plans for a good book
Review: Having read much of Mr. Ambrose's considerable body of work, it is clear that deadlines and publishers are driving his activities today. "Assistants" are probably not making things better. He certainly is talented and capable ("Undaunted Courage" is my favorite), but this book is a complete failure. It's very popular due to the name on the cover, which says quite a bit about how books are sold. As noted in other reviews, the "facts" and the writing are uneven and, in some cases, just plain wrong. It appears that several people are coming at the topic from different places. The frustrating experience reminded me of reading the careless Washington and Jefferson biographies written by Willard Stern Randall. The bottom line for anyone looking at this topic: do not buy this book. Instead, order "Empire Express". It is a serious, well-organized and extremely well-written history worthy of the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good All In All
Review: I recently discovered the brilliant writings of David Mccullough. Of course, I do understand that this is not one of his books. Here's my point, starting with "A Path Between the Seas" and most recently " Mornings on Horseback" I have become an avid fan of his writing. My enthusiasm for his writing style was raised after reading "Nothing Like it in the World". While the subject of Ambrose's book was awe-inspiring, I found his writing style to be somewhat disjointed and, at times, redundant. There were many moments in the book that I will remember for a long time, but, for many of these moments, it was because of the subject matter, rather than the telling. I very much appreciate an author's ability to tell a tale with fluidity and style. It was clear he did an abundant amount of research and dug up great bits of detail on this matter, but because the book lacked a central character throughout its telling, I never felt completely absorbed into the book. For the most part the story of the building of the trans-continental rail rolled along at a fair clip. It's just that with Mccullough's books I find myself ennthralled with the people whose ideas and muscle and industry changed the course of history and his writing has an almost poetic rhythym to it. Whereas in "Nothing Like it" I never felt that same aesthetic pacing that you get from a really good book. I am going to read Ambrose's Lewis and Clark book for I feel the focus of the book will remain evident throughout the book and I will see a very human side to the story. Having said all that, I would definitely recommend "Nothing Like it in the World" to readers of this genre. For the book tells an amazing tale of an amazing feat. I would also encourage anyone reading this who has not read Mccullough to search him out and read him.
Rating: 
Summary: A struggle to finish; frustrating!
Review: This book is a seeming hodge-podge of information, a narrative so sluggish I had a hard time getting through it, despite my interest in the topic. Then to top it off, I ran into a paragraph on page 332 which begins "By February 29..." We're talking about the year 1869 here, which was not a leap year as far as I can tell. But that's not my complaint. The content of the paragraph refers to the "Humboldt Wells", which he also refers to as "the Wells" elsewhere in the narrative. Hmm... "..40 miles east of..." and "...almost into Utah...". Wait a minute! Checking back once again to his Nevada map I note that the place labeled "Wells" is nowhere near the Utah border. In fact, I find after checking a modern map that there is a town called Wells relatively near the Utah border while rhe locale labelled "Wells" on Ambrose's map is approximately near a town called "Humboldt"! Was Ambrose as confused about this as he led me to be? Humboldt Wells is mentioned many times before this, and as paged back and forth through the book during the duration of my reading, trying to tie the narrative to the maps, no wonder I was not enlightened. The maps also label locales never mentioned in the narrative and do not show a number of locales that are. For the information I gained, two stars, but I wish I had found a better book to read about this particular subject.
Rating: 
Summary: A good historical account of the Transcontinental railroad
Review: This Book is simply amazing. Once I picked it up I could not put it down. I read the whole thing in three days but would have finished it sooner if not for work and college classes. As a history minor in college I have read some really boring stuff, but as usual Ambrose pulls you in from page one. Some of the more important facts are repeated often so they really hit home. All in all this is one of the best books I have read about the Transcontinental railroad and I would recommend it to anyone with a passion for history. It details everything from the money men to the hard working Irish, Mormans, and Chinese and the horrid conditions they worked in. It is a great book to use as source material for reports for those of you in high school or collage and in fact is just great for reading period.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story Poorly Told
Review: The book reads like a blast from a shotgun. Stuff everywhere, but disjointed with no clear theme or analysis. Many fragments of material were extensively repeated, contributing only to the word count. The maps usually did not locate sites described. The photos included fail to include any of the significant photographical endeavors described in the text.
Rating:
Summary: Not a review, just a quick note-
Review: Having read 6 different books on the building of the transcontinental railroad, and also a few other sources on the same topic, this volume would be my easy choice for a factual yet entertaining popular presentation; and as a bonus it is NOT politically correct either (for instance on the subject of the Native Americans vs. the railroad).
Rating:
Summary: A Middle school Report
Review: In my opinion "Nothing like it in the world" is a good historical book. With vivid statements it places picutures of working on the railroad superbly in your imagination. Though its not up to stephen ambroses usual par itfor his books, it is still a good read. But true railroad buffs will definetly want to read something else. This book tells the story of when the transcointenental rail road was only a dream to when it was finished and all in between.From Judah to Lincoln and the Big 4 and Credit Moblier this book covers their stories.With good accounts of the leguislature and promoters. It allows you to get inside the mind of the workers on issues from wages to racial predjudice. This book can be enjoyed on many different levels and is a fun read for any Ambrose fan. To enjoy this book you should probably be a history enthuisiast like myself. For a monumentus occasion in american history, could definetly do better but that is my opinion. All in all this book is a worthwhile read, but to be honest, that's the most anyone could say. If you read this book you will have o make your own opinion. But to new readers to ambrose i implore you not to judge his work by this.
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