Customer Reviews

Highway A1A: Florida at the Edge (Florida History and Culture)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hiller goes county-by-county, describing the development of Florida's east coast from the days of Henry Flagler to the present. Politicians, business people, developers, conservationists, and community activists have had varying effects on each community. Although I wouldn't call it an easy read, those with a real interest in the future of Florida would do well to read this title. I'm lopping off a star because of the addition of hotel and restaurant listings in the back of the book, which doesn't seem to really go along with the intent of the main body of text. It's as if the publisher wants tourists to think this is a tour guide and this is an attempt to make one book serve two very different purposes.

Don't think that Highway A1A, Florida at the Edge is a travel book. It is more of a rank against the economic development of Florida. The author seems to feel that development has been badly handled in every county along the highway. I didn't much like the author's sense of direction either. He starts the book in Northeast Florida and moves South along the coast. But, when he writes about Brevard County, for example, he starts in the South and moves North. Although there is a section about each A1A county that details some of the places to visit, eat or stay, it leans heavily toward the mom and pop, bed and breakfast crowd.