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mariakureads's review against another edition
3.5
It's been on my TBR since who knows when and after a few starts and stops, I'm done.
Larson wrote a very detailed, and I do mean very, account of the Chicago's World Fair, the atmosphere and history of the time, as well as the serial killer hiding amongst, the glitz, dirt, toils, glamour that the Fair brought to the city at the time.
The book involves a large set of people, all oddly enough interlocked in different ways and avenues and Larson explored and provided so many facts through his meticulous research that at different points were not only quotes provided, but newspaper clippings, menus, images, and witness accounts which some were interesting and others felt staid and dry and I lost interest at different parts of the book.
At times so factual that when the alternative chapters of the serial killer, H.H. Holmes, were introduced, it would sometimes grab my attention for a few pages but it felt odd as I was thrown off a few times by the pacing especially the further I read on to find that while the World's Fair and Holmes were in the same city, there was nothing concrete to tie them together since Holmes was adamant that he didn't do anything or was guilty of such killings—that the disappearances were a happenstance, surely, by his account.
Larson is a great researcher, this I'm sure of, and gave me so much new information specific to the fair and all the people, some later becoming famous in their own right, that all in all, while I had a few disconnects, the book is a solid read.
Moderate: Murder, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Child death
andrewkerndc's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Minor: Suicide
kodi_rae's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Animal death, Child death, Medical content, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Racism
star_burstt's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Death
j_the_human's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Child death
a_meanderer's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Blood, and Child death
megtall's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Murder
misssleepy's review against another edition
3.75
Overall, I found the audio of this book very relaxing, even though the subject matter was often times pretty dark.
Most of the book focuses on the white city. The devil is more of a thread woven through the story of the world’s fair in Chicago. Sometimes the books would get very detailed and it would get just a bit boring. The last 25% of the book quickened in paste and really got to the meat of this story.
Larson did an incredible job of researching the story and creating this cohesive narrative. I certainly appreciated this about the book. However it can at the same time be true that some of the details might not have been necessary to flush out the story.
Overall I would recommend this to anybody interested in US history and the macabre. It’s a good reminder that true crime has always been a part of history and so has the public fascination that goes with it.
Moderate: Death and Murder
pupsandpancakes's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence
sandysawmill's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Murder, Blood, and Mental illness