This wasn't what I expected .  What I wanted: lots and lots of details/trivia regarding the construction of the Panama Canal (I am a civil engineer, after all).  What I got: a novel almost exclusively focused on the lives of the people part of, and impacted by, the construction of the canal.

There were SO many characters, with lots of side stories and character tangents.  Once I accepted this book was more about the people and less about the canal, I became invested in many of the characters.  However, I'd have rather had less overall characters, and more time spent with the handful of main characters instead.

I suppose it's not fair to expect so much from a historical novel - if I really want to learn about the Panama Canal I should go find a book exclusively about the Panama Canal.  I will say this book has encouraged me to find such a book.  This is what good historical fiction novels do; they push you to independently learn more about the historical events they're based on.