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georgereads982's review against another edition
The level of detail about the architects and the fair made this book so boring. It's probably a great read for people interested in architecture but not for me unfortunately.
sofi0518's review against another edition
2.0
This was like reading two parallel (boring) books. Still not sure what the murder had to do with the fair, really. I had a really hard time getting through this.
bethmara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
snohearn's review against another edition
4.0
Larson's switch from Holme's sinister life to Burningham's desperate hope to build the World Fair realistically immerses you in the Gilded Age, with all its flaws and beauties. Stomach-churning and tragic descriptions of Home's victims are settled nicely between the connections between people made in the construction and during the World Fair. I have laughed and I have gotten teary-eyed over images of architecture, something I didn't think I would care about at all. This may not be a strictly unbiased historical retelling, with Larson occasionally inputting his own opinions that I'm not sure were necessary, but I feel like that added to the wonder of the book. It reads like fiction, which makes it all the more impactful each time you are reminded that yes, this did happen.