Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean

Reading "Last Train to Paradise" was a delight. Well researched and well written, I found the book to be both informative and a pleasure to read. My wife also read it and agrees with this assessment.

Henry Flagler's Florida undertakings are reasonably well known, but they are all the more amazing when one considers that they were the product of second career. The reader will be surprised to learn of the man's first and also highly productive first career.

Again in preparation for a cruise I picked this title up to learn more about where I am headed.I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, easy to read and finished it in a day. The other reviews provide plenty of detail about this title but have no reservation if you want an interesting insight into an important facet in the development of Key West.

The Last Train to Paradise was interesting to read as a documentary. I would have enjoyed more personal information from the people involved as the opening does with Hemingway. Our book club selected this book as our read after visiting the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida. The discussion was interesting.

Henry Flagler was a dreamer. He brought the railroad to Southern Florida and would have been successful if he had stopped there rather than taking it all across the keys. In spite of the fact he was advised against this he insisted. I liked the description of the area and what had to be done to make this feasible as well as what happened when the hurricane wiped it out. As I am not an engineer the details of building it were lost on me.

If you have ever visited , lived or intend to drive along.. Henry M Flaglers accomplishment is amazing to say the least. Having visited The Keys, Marathon in particular, the vision of that steel structure along the road has new meaning and clarity. This book gives insight, historical, geographical and a glimpse only a visionary as Mr Flagler could have foreseen. Sadly nature cannot be predicted. However, with the new venture with Cuba, who knows... Mr. Flagler we may see your tracks bring a new generation down to Key West once again.

We traveled the length of Florida and toured the Ponce De Leon hotel in St Augustine built by Henry Flagler and stayed in the Keys and saw the old rail tracks. Book is a tribute to the man who developed Florida. Easy to read and very interesting.

A good historical account of Henry Flagler, his wealth and his vision that changed the State of Florida . The railroad he pushed down the east coast and to Key West changed the State and expanded the population and the growth of Miami and the other east coast cities he developed
A good read

Although I generally don't need illustrations to make a read more enjoyable, I have to say that if you read this book and don't have a map of the Keys handy, you might become lost. The author tells a very compelling story of the FEC construction to Key West, but I found myself pulling up an online map frequently and at other times wishing the engineering concepts were illustrated as well.

A well told tale of a much overlooked event. Never did find out what happened to hemingways boat. Shows the importance of careful chronology which is not all that great in this a tale most never heard of.

Fascinating coverage of how Florida developed into a state. Written in such an interesting fashion, that I wanted to keep reading. Living in a hurricane threatened area, the descriptions of the hurricanes could not have been more real or frightening. What could have been a boring, engineering story, was anything but a great read and one I would highly recommend!

Driving home from work the other day, my radio was tuned to National Public Radio, and I heard someone reading from a section of book describing the 1935 hurricane. Reaching my driveway, I sat in my car listening the harried tale of the greatest storm to hit American shores.
Curiousity peaked, I ordered the book to find out more. Let me say, the two chapters about the hurricane, alone, are worth the price of the book. Well writen and captivating. It's one of those books that's hard to put down. Les said in an interview, "To me, the question of whether a story is true or fictional has never been as important as the question of whether or not it's a good one." TLTTP is a "good one."

Last Train to Paradise is an extremely informative yet captivating read about the life of Henry Flagler and his greatest feat (or folly), the Overseas Railroad. Having lived in the Keys and believed I had a good foundation of the motivations for and makings of the Overseas Railroad. After reading the book, I was surely misinformed. From Flagler's modest beginnings to his being the "father of south Florida", the book helped fill in a lot of holes in my knowledge.

Standiford also fills in some of the supporting cast in Flagler's life which sparked my further interest in the history of South Florida.

If there is anything wrong with this book, it might be that the book is leaving out some of the bad side of Flagler's story. The book is mostly positive, compared to the other books pertaining to south Florida's history, so you'll have to add your own grains of salt.

Having said that, I would definitely recommend this to a friend as an interesting and easy to read non-fiction book that details one of the most interesting facets of the Florida Keys.

Descriptive and evocative. It amazes me that Henry Flagler's name is so little known in American history - outside of Florida. This winter as I drive down Route 1 to Marathon I will be looking for more of the engineering reminders of this great visionary. Well worth the read as a reminder of a time when vision and action coexisted.

Flagler played a most important part in Florida's history. In this book, one learns about the building of the railroad, it's fate, and the many other Flagler enterprises that helped open the state to the modern era.

Flagler's grandious railroad across the Florida Keys was in itself bold and way ahead of its time, but the tale of the contest with the immense forces of the hurricanes that destroyed it is of epic dimension (you can still see the ruins of the old bridges from the highway). A great story, very well told: impossible to put down, a real page turner.

If you are interested in reading about the genius of industrialist Henry Flagler, hurricanes, or the Florida Keys, this book is a must read telling the stories of building Flagler's overseas railroad and the devastating Labor Day hurricane of 1935 that ended it.

Bought the book for discussion in a history reading club. It is fast moving easy reading, with humor, information, excitement, and even suspense. Having grown up in Florida, the book makes names I have heard all my life, Flagler and Plant, come to life. Now I know why so many places are named for them.
I recommend last train to Paradise to anyone who has an interest in travel, Florida, meteorology, railroads, or business history. It covers an age in Florida, and the rest of the United States that we will not see again.

A must read especially if you are planning a visit to the Florida keys. Fascinating story enhanced by the historical context of other concurrent US events and development. Well written and fast paced.

This is an excellent rendition of the life and times of Henry Flagler. As a Florida native, it should be required reading for all interested in the history of the development of the state and the incredible hardships endured by the workers who built the railroads and the determination of management to see the railroad to Key West through until Nature decided its fate.

A riveting account of a little-known railroad and an interesting business tycoon. His desire to build a railroad to Key West surmounted numerous obstacles and almost overcame nature itself. Highly recommended!