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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
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I have no doubts that Erik Larson is a talented writer. His writing flows well, and a 500 page novel that moves quickly while spending about 2/3 of its time about the Chicago World's Columbian Expedition and its organization progress speaks to the fluidity and readability of his prose.
This may not be his fault--perhaps more ascribed to marketing--but I went in assuming that this book would be more about Holmes. Holmes occupies a portion of this novel, but the novel is about him as much as it is about the World's Fair. The read is undoubtedly interesting, but I can't help but voice some measure of disappointment.
There are parallels to the stories, of course. The chaos of the World Fair--before, during, and after--allowed one of America's early prolific serial killers to operate virtually undetected for some time. Holmes' psychopathic genius parallels the brilliance of the men organizing the World's Fair, albeit to drastically different results.
This may not be his fault--perhaps more ascribed to marketing--but I went in assuming that this book would be more about Holmes. Holmes occupies a portion of this novel, but the novel is about him as much as it is about the World's Fair. The read is undoubtedly interesting, but I can't help but voice some measure of disappointment.
There are parallels to the stories, of course. The chaos of the World Fair--before, during, and after--allowed one of America's early prolific serial killers to operate virtually undetected for some time. Holmes' psychopathic genius parallels the brilliance of the men organizing the World's Fair, albeit to drastically different results.
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
I loved the book, but the author used so many extra words.
Like Erik Larson's other book that I've read (Thunderstruck), this book is a combination of two storylines that kinda-but-not-really intertwine, but happen around the same time and/or place in history. This one's perhaps a more interesting tale, but not as well told as Thunderstruck. "The White City" is the World's Fair in Chicago in 1983, and "The Devil" is a charming, conniving young man by the name of H. H. Holmes who resides in the Chicago during the same time period.
I'll keep it short and say that if you're interested in (a) true crime and/or (b) the story of the 1893 World's Fair, give this a read. If you're just looking for an interesting book or "something to read," this book is okay but not amazing.
I'll keep it short and say that if you're interested in (a) true crime and/or (b) the story of the 1893 World's Fair, give this a read. If you're just looking for an interesting book or "something to read," this book is okay but not amazing.
Larson's book was a web of fascinating stories indeed detailing murder, magic, and madness. You can't come away from the book without being in awe of the world, specifically Chicago, in the 1890s; the history is rich and interesting. However, despite this, you can come away from the book any time you'd like without feeling like you're missing much. The immaculate historicity of the book limits its ability to be "gripping" or "impossible to put down". Very informative, very entertaining, but still a read-only-once book.
Interesting mix of history through what feels like a fiction lens. I think his writing style/prose got a little repetitive for me when I sat down & read for a long time (lack of dialogue to mix things up I think is where that came from but understandable why he didn’t make up stuff to that regard etc).
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A really interesting book about turn of the century architecture which I was surprised was so interesting! RIP world fair. Also, the “devil” was a POS.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced