Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Devil in the White City (Abridged): Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

85 reviews

erickert's review against another edition

informative mysterious slow-paced

3.0

I liked this book! A lot! But I probably skipped about half of it because I just could not get myself to care that much about Chicago Architecture or the history of the World Fair. Don't feel guilty about skipping large portions of the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Child death

mgoodwin's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Child death

jcburcham's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

3.0

Audio. This is really two books in one (the stories overlap in time and location) and the reader should consider this warning/review before deciding to plunge in. I write this because I wish someone had warned me, but none of the reviews I read hinted at a concern.

This book came highly recommended, and I knew one of the main plot lines followed the history of Herman Webster Mudgett (alias H. H. Holmes and many, many others), a serial killer whose true victim count will never be known. The other plot line is the creation of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

The author, Erik Larson, is a master of investigative research and his books are written in a compelling, almost novel-like fashion. So even though there is a small amount of speculation infused in his descriptions of how Holmes killed a few of his victims, the much more horrific aspect for me was learning that this man, who appeared so charming and likable, conducted his business under the guise of a hotel, complete with at least one airtight, vault-like bedroom that could be infused with deadly gas, and what was essentially a crematorium furnace. How he was able to run this operation for <i>years</i>, with various guests or employees just "disappearing" and no investigation by the police, haunts me. 

But what really made me sick to my stomach was Larson's descriptions of victims (almost exclusively young women and children) before their unexpected and absolutely terrifying final moments. For the most part, the reader is spared graphic detail, and the author certainly handles the subject with genuine respect and no sensationalism, but the implication of what happened--what is left unsaid--is just as horrifying. There are descriptive images in this book that I will never be able to erase from my memory. 

Reading about the 1893 World's Fair held in Chicago offered a welcome relief from the horror depicted in the story about Holmes. Although heavy with facts and details, one can feel the excitement building and the reader wonders if everything will come together! I really enjoy this sort of historical storytelling, and it's why I'm such a fan of Erik Larson. I learned so much!

Rating this book is not easy...the pain and sadness I feel for Holmes's victims is genuine, and learning of his story has cost me much sleep. I understand why some like this book and others do not, and I think one should consider carefully before diving into this piece of history, despite being well written and accurately portrayed by the talented Erik Larson.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Murder, and Torture

ascalun's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Abortion, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

emmacjmeyer's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Violence

lyssierose09's review

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Torture

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

lexispike's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

3.0

This book reads like a long essay, very informative and factual. It also gets almost too descriptive with the architectural side of the book, which was personally too much for me. Overall, an interesting read but a little out of my taste. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, and Gaslighting

cupofbooksreviews's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

I have given The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson two out of five stars ⭐️⭐️

A dark and devious book filled with architecture and killings. A mixture of two I never thought I would read in the same book.

This book started off quite strong for me; learning about an architect called Daniel H. Burnham and a serial killer called H.H. Holmes. I find non-fiction books fascinating especially when based around true crime events, although that meant that there were a lot of brutal attacks that happened to a lot of people.

I found this book started to repeat itself quite a lot, especially during the chapters that surround Daniel Burnham and the architecture of the Chicago World Fair. I appreciated that the information was important and relevant however, due to the repeated information I started to become quite bored of Daniel Burnham’s story. 

As I became less intrigued by this book, I ended up reading this book for a fair few weeks which dragged out the experience. I had hoped there was more information regarding H.H. Holmes rather than Daniel Burnham.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

ashley_elizabeth's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

3.75

I greatly enjoyed learning about this time period and, more specifically, these two unique experiences in US History. I came in knowing very little about the Chicago 1893 World's Fair, so this was incredibly informative and I felt compelled to look up photos to see more of what  is being described in the book. The story of Holmes, while terrible, was also incredibly fascinating. Would have loved a little less exposition and a slightly brisker pace.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Child death

aargot1's review against another edition

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Murder, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury