CONQUERING GOTHAM A Guilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Gotham, of course, means New York City, and the Pennsylvania Railroad conquered much to bring its trains to Manhattan Island. Aside from maneuvering the politics and designing a monumental station, there was the engineering nightmare of crossing the mile-wide Hudson River with four subterranean tunnels. David Drummond's voice deserves five stars for tempo, understandability, and tone. He avoids the pitfalls of excessive theatrics or droning by choosing subtle accents for quotations without making them distracting. These voices always fit the author's clues about who is speaking, and they create a learning experience far better than the printed word. The author's skill and a narrator perfect for nonfiction will delight lovers of true stories from the past. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]