Reviews tagging 'Child death'

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

80 reviews

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.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Child death

andrewkerndc's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Child death

Minor: Suicide

kodi_rae's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

I often find nonfiction books harder to read. Even with ones with topics that really interest me, I find my mind wandering. So I was pleasantly surprised at how much this book sucked me in, however I would have personally liked more pictures interspersed as well to get a better sense of people and place. It does seem like the author might have taken some liberties with pieces of the story, so keep that in mind when reading. And the lack of any sort of modern-day critique of Christopher Columbus, Wild Bill Cody’s show, and the myriad use of Native Americans and other people of color left much to be desired. Despite these grievances, I still found it to be interesting and wanting to learn more. 

---

Content Warnings

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

j_the_human's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Child death

a_meanderer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Blood, and Child death

siu_rose's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

5.0

I thought this was extremely well written and vivid.  The author wove together strands of different stories quite well.  The scale encompasses details and the big picture.  I definitely plan to read more of his books. 

The creepy factor of the serial killer meant that I read this slowly because sometimes I just didn’t want to read it. But it was a good read overall.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, and Child death

amriherd's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.75

Not my favorite Larson, but for my add brain it was great. Murder chapter, fair chapter, murder chapter, fair chapter.  Never left you in one place long enough to get bored. Enjoyed the fair aspects the most, but didn't love the way the Holmes chapters were organized and presented. Great narrator on the audio though.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Child death, and Violence

mmp1002's review against another edition

dark informative tense slow-paced

3.5

Larson does an excellent job in making the reader feel as the architects and engineers do. Perhaps too good of a job, as the first two-thirds dragged. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Child death

marie33's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious fast-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, and Death

elg1105's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Death, Blood, Violence, and Child death