{"product_id":"hells-gorge-9780099484332","title":"Hells Gorge","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2014 is the 100-year-anniversary of the panama canal: one of the most extraordinary engineering feats in world history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHell''s Gorge\u003c\/i\u003e traces a heroic dream that spanned four centuries: to build a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.The human cost was immense: in appalling working conditions and amid epidemics of fever, tens of thousands perished fighting the jungle, swamps and mountains of Panama, a scale of attrition comparable to many great battles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMatthew Parker explores the fierce geo-political struggle behind the heroic vision of the canal, and the immense engineering and medical battles that were fought. But he also weaves in the stories of the ordinary men and women who worked on the canal, to evoke everyday life on the construction and depict the battle on the ground deep in ''Hell''s Gorge''. Using diaries, memoirs, contemporary newspapers and previously unseen private letters, he draws a vivid picture of the heart-breaking struggle on\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn epic tale of human folly and endeavour, beautifully told and researched -- John le Carré\u003cbr\u003eMatthew Parker has picked a fascinating subject and written a book worthy of it ... It is peopled with a host of characters, some heroic, others corrupt, almost all out of the ordinary. There isn't a dull page -- Allan Massie * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eParker's epic story, from the 18th century to the present day, is awesome * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eParker has written the Panama story for a new generation. He quotes extensively from letters and diaries of ordinary workers writing home to their families. And it is their heartfelt views on the conditions in which they lived and worked that really bring this book to life * The Economist *\u003cbr\u003eParker's great forte in \u003ci\u003ePanama Fever\u003c\/i\u003e is to bring this complex story to life through a succession of vivid characters * Sunday Telegraph *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornerstone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51017517597015,"sku":"9780099484332","price":15.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780099484332.jpg?v=1750773811","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/hells-gorge-9780099484332","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}