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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
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
slow-paced
Wow. The sheer amount of archival research that must have gone into the writing of this book is stunning and difficult to comprehend. It's a popular history book that reads like a crime novel. Very well executed for what it is.
Larson has a strange writing style, but he captures my favorite time period in American history beautifully. Ah, to be alive and able to attend the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Also, I learned stuff. So that was good. :)
Larson has a strange writing style, but he captures my favorite time period in American history beautifully. Ah, to be alive and able to attend the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Also, I learned stuff. So that was good. :)
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
After reading a previous book by Larson, Thunderstruck, I knew generally what to expect from this one, which is written with similar structure and end goals. However, I was surprised to find that this story of a serial killer was treated with less tension and eeriness than the story of one man who may or may not have killed his wife. I learned a lot about the World's Fair, and marveled at all of the unintended interconnections of lives and events (the elegant drawing together of those connections being one of Larson's strong points in all of his books), but was a little disappointed in the conclusion of Holmes's story. After the drawn out descriptions of the fair and Holmes' life, I expected a bit more detail about Holmes' conviction and trial. Certainly an interesting read, but I'd hoped for just a little more.
I'm not a fan of reading non-fiction but this was enjoyable because it felt more like fiction. It was like reading two different books at the same time, which I do often so I didn't really mind. I just really wished the two paralleled stories connected better. Other than that, it was a good read. I learned a lot of history I should have already known which was a bonus. It got me interested in learning more about both subjects, The Exposition and H. H. Holmes.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
This book is an interesting look at a part of our history that I didn't really know all that much about. My main gripe about the book is that the title and description are very misleading. This is not a book about a serial killer- this is a book about the World's Fair in Chicago with small bits about a serial killer thrown in. It was still a really engrossing read, but it felt like Larson and his publishers threw in the information about Holmes as a way to get people to pick up the book- it worked, but I can't help but feel a little deceived!