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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
tense
medium-paced
~~~~~
This was quite good...!
I already knew most of the story surrounding H.H. Holmes and his murder mansion, because obviously that's a fascinating piece of history that I inevitably read about on wikipedia... But all the stuff about the World's Fair and the architects involved in its construction was new to me. And somehow, those parts of the book weren't as boring as I would have expected.
So, yes, there was a serial killer who used the World's Fair as a hunting ground BUT there were also a lot of other interesting things going on in Chicago around that time.
I also loved how the author sort of "embellished" the killings... there's no way he could have known what the victims were thinking, but I liked that he tried to guess what was going through their minds. He also did it for Holmes a few times so that was also a welcome embellishment~
And it's crazy to think that Holmes would have kept getting away with his murders if he wasn't such a cheap ass. If he'd only paid his debts, he might not ever have been caught.
This was quite good...!
I already knew most of the story surrounding H.H. Holmes and his murder mansion, because obviously that's a fascinating piece of history that I inevitably read about on wikipedia... But all the stuff about the World's Fair and the architects involved in its construction was new to me. And somehow, those parts of the book weren't as boring as I would have expected.
So, yes, there was a serial killer who used the World's Fair as a hunting ground BUT there were also a lot of other interesting things going on in Chicago around that time.
I also loved how the author sort of "embellished" the killings... there's no way he could have known what the victims were thinking, but I liked that he tried to guess what was going through their minds. He also did it for Holmes a few times so that was also a welcome embellishment~
And it's crazy to think that Holmes would have kept getting away with his murders if he wasn't such a cheap ass. If he'd only paid his debts, he might not ever have been caught.
Well written. It's technically non-fiction but written as a novel so much more engaging. Couple of "fun facts" as well...like the fact that the ferris wheel was created for the Chicago World's Fair or that Chicago is not called the Windy city b/c of the wind...
informative
tense
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Abortion
Very interesting historical fiction about architecture, engineering, and the cultural impact of the worlds fair + serial killer
First read much like a murder mystery
First read much like a murder mystery
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
slow-paced
If you're not into architecture, skip this one. I expected a lot more of the murder mystery type stuff. Just skip to the last 60 pages or so.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
I felt like the book was kind of a slog to get through the first 75%. I can only read about how the soil in Chicago made it difficult to build large, tall, grand buildings. I liked the juxtaposition between following the architects of the world's faire and what was going on with that vs HH Holmes at the time. It wasn't until the last 25% that really engaged me, though. That's where more interesting facts and tidbits regarding the fair and the author began delving into Holmes' crimes. The beginning was just too stretched out and the actual interesting part of the story was crammed into the end.