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A review by quasinaut
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that changed America by Erik Larson
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.25
Wow, it's mind-boggling how much research went into recreating a historical narrative like this. Piece by piece, year by year, building by building, we see how the Chicago World's Fair came together and H. H. Holmes racked up debts and misdeeds.
The pacing was slow, sometimes slower than I'd like, but the level of detail showed how many pieces and people had to come together to lead to the resulting events. On the one hand, I can really appreciate how much of an accomplishment the World's Fair was, considering just how many mishaps it encountered along the way. And on the other, I can be truly horrified by how much Holmes got away with before being caught.
Plus, it was just cool to learn about the innovations and societal influences that came from the fair.
The pacing was slow, sometimes slower than I'd like, but the level of detail showed how many pieces and people had to come together to lead to the resulting events. On the one hand, I can really appreciate how much of an accomplishment the World's Fair was, considering just how many mishaps it encountered along the way. And on the other, I can be truly horrified by how much Holmes got away with before being caught.
Plus, it was just cool to learn about the innovations and societal influences that came from the fair.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death