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9.33k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
9.33k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
The last 100 pages of this book are the best...however, it might be hard for some to make it through all the names of individuals involved with the World Fair. I learned that the World Fair is the reason why Columbus Day is a holiday. If you are interested in the beginnings of much of the architecture in Chicago, I would strongly recommend it. A very detailed description of the World Fair and the mind of a serial killer.
informative
medium-paced
I found this book fascinating. I really appreciated the author's style of writing. It was great to learn so much about this event in the history of the United States.
A fascinating, evocative tale. I'd highly recommend it.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
First and foremost let me say I do not read non fiction books like at all and also that I live in Chicago so I am very biased when giving this 4 stars.
This book was really interesting. It flipped between a chapter about the building of the worlds fair and then a chapter about the serial killer, H. H. Holmes. The book kind of read like a historical fiction which I liked. I had no idea the U.S. / Chicago had its very own Jack the Ripper styled serial killer ?? It was horrifyingly impressive—like he fully built a whole building complex designed for his murders and no one batted an eye. Also the amount of murders he committed was crazy. It was also interesting seeing the sheer impact this fair had on architecture and urban city development in the U.S. that we still see today.
What I enjoyed most about this book was that there were constantly little fun facts about historical figures interwoven while reading. For examples: Elias Disney, one of the fair’s overseers, had a young son who was inspired by his dad’s work (the son being Walt Disney who later designed Disney after his dad’s ideas—basically proving that Walt Disney was in fact a nepo baby). Also there was a man who unveiled the first metal plates that were used to print braille books and he met his future wife, Helen Keller, at the fair during a showing of his new machine. Or that the city of Oz was based on the “white city” aka the fair grounds. Oh! and the beer that one best beer in the world that year went on to be renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon because of its success at the fair.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot considering it was a non-fiction. Some of the fair construction content was bland and unneeded but it was nicely offset by the murdering and serial killer content. Would recommend to anyone that lives in Chicago or just wants a quick/interesting/informative read.
This book was really interesting. It flipped between a chapter about the building of the worlds fair and then a chapter about the serial killer, H. H. Holmes. The book kind of read like a historical fiction which I liked. I had no idea the U.S. / Chicago had its very own Jack the Ripper styled serial killer ?? It was horrifyingly impressive—like he fully built a whole building complex designed for his murders and no one batted an eye. Also the amount of murders he committed was crazy. It was also interesting seeing the sheer impact this fair had on architecture and urban city development in the U.S. that we still see today.
What I enjoyed most about this book was that there were constantly little fun facts about historical figures interwoven while reading. For examples: Elias Disney, one of the fair’s overseers, had a young son who was inspired by his dad’s work (the son being Walt Disney who later designed Disney after his dad’s ideas—basically proving that Walt Disney was in fact a nepo baby). Also there was a man who unveiled the first metal plates that were used to print braille books and he met his future wife, Helen Keller, at the fair during a showing of his new machine. Or that the city of Oz was based on the “white city” aka the fair grounds. Oh! and the beer that one best beer in the world that year went on to be renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon because of its success at the fair.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot considering it was a non-fiction. Some of the fair construction content was bland and unneeded but it was nicely offset by the murdering and serial killer content. Would recommend to anyone that lives in Chicago or just wants a quick/interesting/informative read.
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
While it took me a bit of time to get through this book, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting once I got hooked into it. I first picked it up because of the intrigue of H. H. Holmes, a serial killer I had very little prior knowledge on (besides the play-throughs I’d watched of The Devil Within video game on YouTube if you count that).
However, if you’re looking to start this book for an action-packed mystery telling the tale of a unique serial killer- this book probably isn’t for you. I’d say this story was 65% about the Chicago Worlds Fair and 45% (or even less) on H. H. Holmes specifically.
Erik Larson is a very talented writer and I think he’s very good at writing historical non-fiction, but if you mostly read fiction, I wouldn’t have high hopes for it reading like a fiction or even historical fiction book.
I enjoyed the book a lot, but I rate it lower because at times during the telling of building the Worlds Fair it would slow down at parts and I’d find myself becoming a bit bored and wanting to walk away. Other times I couldn’t put it down. Different perspectives on different parts of the book, I guess.
Overall, not a bad read at all, and one I’ll most likely reread at a future date.
However, if you’re looking to start this book for an action-packed mystery telling the tale of a unique serial killer- this book probably isn’t for you. I’d say this story was 65% about the Chicago Worlds Fair and 45% (or even less) on H. H. Holmes specifically.
Erik Larson is a very talented writer and I think he’s very good at writing historical non-fiction, but if you mostly read fiction, I wouldn’t have high hopes for it reading like a fiction or even historical fiction book.
I enjoyed the book a lot, but I rate it lower because at times during the telling of building the Worlds Fair it would slow down at parts and I’d find myself becoming a bit bored and wanting to walk away. Other times I couldn’t put it down. Different perspectives on different parts of the book, I guess.
Overall, not a bad read at all, and one I’ll most likely reread at a future date.
wish there was more on H.H. Holmes, but still found the other stuff pretty interesting
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced