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9.35k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
9.35k reviews for:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
3.87 AVERAGE
I read this book for a bookclub I'm in. It was VERY good, well-written, and riveting. I enjoyed learning not only some history of Chicago, but especially of the Chicago Columbian World Fair of 1893. Of course, no one enjoys reading the parts about a serial killer who hurt many, but only a few were proven. It was also neat how it began with the Chicago Fire and ended with the Titanic sinking. I highly recommend this book!!!
Fascinating account of the Chicago World’s Fair with an unsettling serial killer narrative sprinkled in to add a little spice.
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
This was the first book by Larson I had read. I quickly bought a significat portion of his other writings. This book, as his other writings also demonstrate, are filled with historical facts presented in a way that is extremely readable (much like fiction) while being incredibly well researched. He pulls from historical sources including, but not limited to, newspaper articles, correspondence, journals and diaries, civic documents, and political documents. I was hooked the minute I began reading this book.
There are two very good books in here, one about the Chicago World's Fair and one about H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer. These two stories don' always go together as well as we'd like, but they're both still fascinating to read about.
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
When I was buying this book, the guy behind the counter asked me if I liked architecture, and I was very confused as to why he was asking me. I only knew about the true crime aspects about this book, but it really gave me an appreciation for the feat that was the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. It completely transported me to that time and had so many little tidbits of information of what was happening at that time. I had no idea about the origin of the Ferris Wheel or that it was an aftereffect of the Eiffel Tower being made. This book definitely surprised me by being better than I thought it was going to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death
informative
medium-paced