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victoriafrost1991's review against another edition
4.0
What to write as a review? The pros is that I enjoyed learning about the birth of forensic psychology and the development of detective work at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Plus, looking at landmarks and actual historical figures in the arts, finance policing and more were great. The different attitudes between classes, Americans born in the states versus immigrants was cool to look at. Yet, the novel was slow.
mrsdryoder's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book & am so excited that there's a sequel out now. Will be reading it shortly.
kenarrie's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Overall the story was interesting. I think there are parts that were more wordy than they needed to be. I stuck with it with hopes the ending would be the pay off. But it felt anti-climatic. I did learn a lot and thought it was an interesting plot, forensic psychology before there was forensic psychology!
anyajulchen's review against another edition
5.0
No me tardé leyendo la novela porque fuera mala, me tardé porque tenía demasiado en la vida para disfrutar con propiedad la historia y los personajes.
Lo mejor de la novela es que se toma su tiempo. Tiempo para presentar a los personajes, para crear confusión, tiempo para explicar el cambio político y global del contexto, al tiempo que también va dirigiéndose poco a poco al clímax. Las últimas 150 páginas son increíbles y el final te deja con una sensación de querer más.
Ah, ¿y el diseño del crimen? Brillante. Te deja suficientes pistas para resolverlo por tu cuenta, pero también da espacio lógico para que los giros tengan sentido. Una excelente novela del género.
Lo mejor de la novela es que se toma su tiempo. Tiempo para presentar a los personajes, para crear confusión, tiempo para explicar el cambio político y global del contexto, al tiempo que también va dirigiéndose poco a poco al clímax. Las últimas 150 páginas son increíbles y el final te deja con una sensación de querer más.
Ah, ¿y el diseño del crimen? Brillante. Te deja suficientes pistas para resolverlo por tu cuenta, pero también da espacio lógico para que los giros tengan sentido. Una excelente novela del género.
grassyplato's review against another edition
5.0
If you enjoyed watching HBO's The Gilded Age, delving into The Alienist will resonate with you. The show's focus on affluent families such as the Vanderbilts, Morgans, and Asters, and the historical rivalry between The Academy and The Metropolitan for opera box supremacy, serves to emphasize the distinct contrast presented in The Alienist, which also explores the same era. This contrast illustrates the extravagance and madness of the wealthy, echoing perfectly a Chinese poem: "Crimson gates reek with meat and ale, while on the streets are bones of the frozen dead. (朱門酒肉臭，路有凍死骨)"
In The Gilded Age, as robber barons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, and Charles Michael Schwab hosted lavish social gatherings in their magnificent mansions on Upper 5th Ave in Manhattan, some poor underage boys from impoverished immigrant neighborhoods in the Lower East Side were forced into male prostitution to survive, leading to horrifying incidents and gruesome violence.
While The Alienist pays close attention to the immense wealth gap, rampant political corruption, and societal apathy characteristic of The Gilded Age, the ending might feel sudden and lacking in hints and red herrings, but overall, it's a great read. Highly recommended, for sure!
In The Gilded Age, as robber barons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, and Charles Michael Schwab hosted lavish social gatherings in their magnificent mansions on Upper 5th Ave in Manhattan, some poor underage boys from impoverished immigrant neighborhoods in the Lower East Side were forced into male prostitution to survive, leading to horrifying incidents and gruesome violence.
While The Alienist pays close attention to the immense wealth gap, rampant political corruption, and societal apathy characteristic of The Gilded Age, the ending might feel sudden and lacking in hints and red herrings, but overall, it's a great read. Highly recommended, for sure!
mollyvh's review against another edition
3.0
Meh... I wanted to like this more than I did. I had a hard time getting into it, it was too long, but the mystery was interesting.
desireeslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
One of my all-time favorites. The atmospheric nature of this novel is unmatched. The reader is instantly transported into the underworld of New York City in 1986. Because it is a historical fiction written by a nonfiction author, sometimes it felt as though you were immersed in a vivid retelling of an actual historical event and learning about the early stages of criminal profiling. This was especially so because Carr sprinkled in actual historic figures as characters (Teddy Roosevelt, H.H. Holmes, & Jesse Pomeroy). Every chapter of this novel was written with such meticulous precision leaving you with a cliff-hanger. And although the story is narrated by arguably the most boring character, John Moore, one can argue that it is almost necessary to highlight the true main character, Laszlo Kreizler (hence the name of the series). Again, the setting is just remarkable and, in a way, becomes a character in itself. The book's aesthetic is heavily reminiscent of The Shadow of The Wind (which is probably why I was drooling over it). It also has a similar vibe as Criminal Minds or Mindhunter but re-imagined in old-timey NYC. Carr does such a beautiful job of delving into criminology and abnormal psychology in a manner that was even frowned upon by society in the period of its setting. The novel definitely does justice to highlight the humanity in the killer. I loved how Carr touched upon some hard-hitting realities of the time as well, such as lack of equality, racism, ignorance of real social issues, and a complete and deliberate disregard of anything other than what was deemed "ordinary".
If you are searching for an intelligent, high-spirited, in-depth look at the mind of a sadistic serial killer and a stroll through the streets of New York City during the late 19th century, then this is for you. Could not recommend a book more.
If you are searching for an intelligent, high-spirited, in-depth look at the mind of a sadistic serial killer and a stroll through the streets of New York City during the late 19th century, then this is for you. Could not recommend a book more.
"...belief that the answers one gives to life's crucial questions are never truly spontaneous; they are the embodiment of years of contextual experience, of the building of patterns in each of our lives that eventually grow to dominate our behavior."
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
A psychological thriller with many references to factual events and people. We were disappointed in his treatment of the female character, though.
jall_rym's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75