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It was Isaac Cline, the chief weatherman in Texas, who fervently denied the belief that a major hurricane could ever hit Galveston. He denied it as a storm formed in the Atlantic. He denied it as the storm moved through Cuba. He denied it as ships in the Gulf fought their way through the storm. He denied it hours before the storm began to make its presence known in Galveston, and he even denied it as the storm blew down his house, took the lives of his wife and unborn child, destroyed most of th
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Usually, this is an author that I cannot put down. But I had no problem putting down this title. It felt disjointed, it felt forced. It felt like there was not enough raw info so he had to stretch out what he had to be book length. And all of this could certainly be my attitude and not the book’s fault. But again, this is the first time one of his books did not reach out and grab me. Three stars - benefit of the doubt. Probably should be two.

I did not enjoy this book as much as Erik Larson's Dead Wake about the Lusitania. I wasn't as interested in the weather forecasting information and the background of Isaac Cline, the weather station chief in Galveston. However, I found the description of the storm itself and its effect on the people caught in it's deadly path to be riveting. I was able to understand, for the first time, what it could be like to be in a devastating hurricane. What a tragedy this was, so many lives lost. I can't s
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I really enjoyed this Larson book, which was no surprise, as I have enjoyed every book of his I've read so far. This one is about an incredibly deadly hurricane that hit Galveston, TX in 1900. As usual, Larson does a great job of filling in lots of historical details and you go through the book mostly from the perspective of a meteorologist named Isaac Cline. Very interesting to learn how the science of meteorology developed in those early days--and about other massive storms and their effects.
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Borrowed both the audio and print versions. Used whichever was appropriate for the moments in which I could cover the material. Well documented, but I think he took some liberties with some of the information. I don’t like that, BUT I appreciate that he at least noted it in the back when he took those liberties.
I have been to Galveston many times. I have seen the movie that was made to show in a museum type setting in Galveston (and saw it there in about 2002). This has always been a storm that ...more
I have been to Galveston many times. I have seen the movie that was made to show in a museum type setting in Galveston (and saw it there in about 2002). This has always been a storm that ...more

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