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gladduck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
My general impression is that this book was very entertaining, especially for someone who doesn’t generally enjoy non fiction. The author did amazing at pacing and telling interesting stories, connecting the story to figures and facts that readers know like Disney for example. I loved it, especially as a mystery lover, and annoyed reading about the worlds fair which was very inspiring yet dark
owenjetton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
erindolson's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like it was a good book but just not the book for me. Remove all the chapters that are not about the murders and it's a 4/5.
lillianbentley's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like there was a lot of focus on things that I didn’t feel like were very important to the story. Liked the parts that were focused on Holmes. It was interesting to learn about history that happened so close to me, just not the book for me.
lindsey_mankey's review
2.0
I will say that the second half is more interesting than the first, especially part 4 which is entirely focused on the murders. However, I have not forgiven this book for the architecture in the first half and therefore it gets 2 stars.
mariakureads's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.5
I am so happy to say I finally finished this one!
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Child death