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9.31k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
9.31k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
I liked this book just fine, so I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. The writing is good. My problem is that the title doesn't quite fit. "The Devil in the White City" makes me think it's mostly about the "devil." Instead, it's 70% about the "white city" of the Chicago fair in 1893, focusing mostly on architects and the context of the fair. Only about 30% is about the "devil" H. H. Holmes. The author seems hamstrung by the lack of concrete details about the murders because Holmes went to great lengths to destroy the evidence. As a result, the book is instead filled out with details about the exposition, which are a snooze fest imo, unless you're into narratives of triumphant and unexamined capitalist excess.
Right book, wrong time! Great story but I just could not get into it!
I was recommended this book strongly, but my feelings are mixed. The devil is in the details, and the author spares few. I appreciate the breadth of the research, but the constantly rotating mix of characters made it difficult for me to feel attached. That said, it does well capture the bustle and clamor that is so deeply rooted in the story itself.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Entertaining book, but takes way too many liberties. Its a red flag when the author emphasizes in the prologue that quotes specifically are real.
Pretty disturbing read with lighthearted talk about the Chicago World Fair.
Pretty disturbing read with lighthearted talk about the Chicago World Fair.
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
slow-paced
The part about the Chicago World's Fair and how it came about was the best thing about this one. I would have given it 5 but I had read so much about H. H. Holmes that I was bored a little by that although the way author Larson interweaves the stories is admirable. I would recommend this to anyone especially if they don't know anything about the evil Holmes. The almost insurmountable pressure and the grand scale of building and bringing the fair about should be known. Some men, many men and women to be honest went far and it's almost a miracle that it ever happened at all. Just beating out New York as hosting the fair is interesting in itself. If half stars were allowed, I would give it 4 1/2. Heartily recommended.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
A great history of Chicago, the World’s Fair, murder, and architecture.
This book provided a thorough look at how the Chicago World Fair came about and how much work it entailed. I think that there were many details and facts that were truly unnecessary and seemed to big the story down some. I found myself skipping through things like, titles, committee names, dinner menus, etc. they really did not add anything interesting to the book. I wish there would have been a little more about the serial killer mixed in and less useless details. I guess, being a non-fiction book, the details were added more for accuracy rather than entertainment. ??