Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
While reading about the construction of the World's Fair, I was reminded of The Fountainhead, and that simply killed it. The sections featuring David Burnham swiftly descend into the tedium of business. HH Holmes, however, remains somewhat entertaining, but his exploits weren't enough to really save this book. I would not recommend it to anyone, unless I hated them.
***Only read again because of book club***
I really liked the parts about the world's fair and the killer but the other parts fell flat to me. The story as a whole did not flow, I would have preferred the killer part over the other.
I really liked the parts about the world's fair and the killer but the other parts fell flat to me. The story as a whole did not flow, I would have preferred the killer part over the other.
slow-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced
This book was not for me. I feel like Erik wanted to write a book about the making of the Chicago World’s Fair but his editor was like “No, that’s too boring, no one will read that.” So then he just sprinkled in some stuff about a serial killer who was around at the same time.
I did learn some interesting things about the fair though, and about the invention of the Ferris Wheel. It was interesting to read about two very different kinds of ambition (serial murder and architectural greatness), but if I had to read the height of one more building I was about to lose it. I do respect the amount of research that went into this book, though.
I did learn some interesting things about the fair though, and about the invention of the Ferris Wheel. It was interesting to read about two very different kinds of ambition (serial murder and architectural greatness), but if I had to read the height of one more building I was about to lose it. I do respect the amount of research that went into this book, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Okay... seems like the same story could have been told in fewer pages which likely would have made it a better read.
"Honest" by the well-known standards of Larson, who takes one (or two) true stories, studies the sources well, and without dramatizing, provides almost history (but not exactly). You do not call it a novel, you do not call it a history book, but it is enjoyable to read. In this book, we "learn" about the famous Chicago exhibition and a serial killer.
I learned a lot about the Chicago Fair. Probably more than I wanted to about the intricacies of the architects and the buildings but interesting nonetheless. It’s about a serial killer without really being about the serial killer or his crimes at all, which I simultaneously appreciated and regretted. Overall it was a worthwhile read but I wouldn’t add it to my list of favorites or necessarily recommend it to others.
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Abortion, Colonisation
This book is split almost evenly between the story of the creation of the Fair (Burnham) and the murders by Holmes. Both stories were compelling, and while I had more of a morbid fascination with Holmes than any major interest in the Fair the bouncing back and forth kept the story moving well and did provide a lot of insight into late 1800s/early 1900s Chicago life.