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Reviews tagging 'Death'
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Scott Brick, Erik Larson
69 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.
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
star_burstt's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Death
margolovie89's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death, and Medical content
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
misssleepy's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This book has been on my TBR for a loooooong time. This is the first Erik Larson book that I have read. I would like to eventually also read The Splendid and the Vile.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
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
bring_me_a_book's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Death, Child death, Deadnaming, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, and Torture
pagesfromhome's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
2.75
This was my first dive into Erik Larson's writing, and while I loved his style (lots of details that really put you in a moment), I think this fell a little bit flat for me. It felt like he just wanted to write a book about the World's Fair, but decided to throw in the story of H.H. Holmes to make it a bit more interesting. From what the book tells, there's essentially no connection between Holmes and the Fair, so pushing them into a book together doesn't make sense.
That said, I loved the sections about the fair and genuinely wish that had been the entirety of the book rather than being pulled between the two different stories. Even though there are times when Larson dives into characters with no real conclusion on them until the last part of the book, he does such a vivid job of building them that you kind of forgive it. All in all, not a waste of a read, but I doubt I'll be reading it again or thinking too much about it.
That said, I loved the sections about the fair and genuinely wish that had been the entirety of the book rather than being pulled between the two different stories. Even though there are times when Larson dives into characters with no real conclusion on them until the last part of the book, he does such a vivid job of building them that you kind of forgive it. All in all, not a waste of a read, but I doubt I'll be reading it again or thinking too much about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
dobermaier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Kidnapping