The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness and the Fair that Changed America

published	February 11th 2003 by RH Audio
binding	Audio Cassette
isbn	0739303406 (isbn13: 9780739303405)
ebook
setting	United States
literary awards	Edgar Award, 2004 - Best Fact Crime
description	Mysteries, Murder and the Chicago's Worlds Fair. Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with suc...more [close] Mysteries, Murder and the Chicago's Worlds Fair. Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe [close]
date added	12-28-06 edit book

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | more...

Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness and the Fair that Changed America.

discuss this book

topics	replies	views	last activity
Group Discussion	1	42	06/19/2008 06:14PM
Devil in the White City	1	62	04/29/2008 08:54AM

new topic

groups with this book

view all groups »

friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

17 people voted for it on
Best Non-Fiction (non biography)

98 books | 97 voters

18 people voted for it on
Best Books of the Decade: 2000's

274 books | 651 voters

More...

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 22679)

James rated it:

(review of isbn 0553813536)

04/07/08

bookshelves: reviewed

Read in December, 2004

Heard the one about the architect and the serial killer? It's not a bad joke, but it is a great book. The architect was Daniel Burnham, the driving force behind the Chicago World's Fair of 1893; the killer was H.H. Holmes, a Svengali-type figure who lured young women to his hotel and did the most gruesome things, the least shocking of which was murder. The two men never met, but The Devil in the White City brings their stories together, and although it reads like a novel, everything is thoroughl...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

1 comments

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

05/04/08

bookshelves: trt-reviews

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

In 1893, Chicago was gearing up for its shining moment on the international stage. The city had been selected to host the World's Fair, beating out New York and a number of other American contenders. A prominent local architect, Daniel Burnham, had taken the reins to organize and construct the massive project. He assembled a dream team of architects, landscapers, engineers, and other professionals to help pull the fair together. Certainly Ch...more Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

In 1893, Chicago was gearing up for its shining moment on the international stage. The city had been selected to host the World's Fair, beating out New York and a number of other American contenders. A prominent local architect, Daniel Burnham, had taken the reins to organize and construct the massive project. He assembled a dream team of architects, landscapers, engineers, and other professionals to help pull the fair together. Certainly Chicago could outdo the Paris Fair, which had been a worldwide success years earlier.

Unfortunately for Burnham and his team, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Due to a lack of organization and bickering among the committees responsible for the fair, construction began far later than it should have. Partially completed buildings blew over and burned down. Union workers threatened strikes. One sideshow act showed up a year early, while another (which was believed to be made up of cannibals) killed the man sent to retrieve them and never showed up at all. And there was a monster on the loose. A man who used the chaos of Chicago at this time in history to conceal the murders of dozens of people - many of them young, single women. A man who constructed a building with stolen money, then used the building as a slaughterhouse to lure, kill, and dispose of his victims.

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY is a terrific book. It is nonfiction, but it reads like a novel. The real-life details of this story seem almost too bizarre to be true, yet this is one example of the old saying that "truth is stranger than fiction." The author, Erik Larson, even includes a lengthy section at the back where he documents his facts and explains his suppositions.

The book's chapters alternate between the World's Fair and the exploits of serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes. I found myself enjoying both stories, as they ran parallel throughout the book. The Herculean task of putting together the fair in record time was fascinating, and the sociopathic actions of Dr. Holmes were chilling. It made for a brilliant contrast - just when the frustrations of the Fair seemed overwhelming, the book switched to Dr. Holmes as he lured yet another young woman into his web. And just when Dr. Holmes' evil seemed too much to bear, the chapter would end and the reader would be back at the World's Fair dealing with political back stabbing, instead of Holmes' more literal variety.

I rarely read nonfiction, but this book came highly recommended to me, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did, too. It offers a wonderful historical perspective on Chicago and the world near the close of the 19th century. For a Chicago-area native like me, its frequent mentions of famous local names, like Burnham and Adler and Marshall Field, that still grace street signs and the sides of buildings, were an added treat. Just a brief word of warning, though: it does contain some of the dreaded "adult themes." Some of Dr. Holmes' crimes are described - although not too graphically - and they might be upsetting for "younger or more sensitive" readers.

I strongly recommend THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY to anyone who enjoys an engrossing, well-written story, whether they normally read fiction or nonfiction. In particular, if readers have a book report in school, this book should be considered. It makes history come alive. ...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Joan added it (review of isbn 0609608444)

06/16/08

I feel as though I ought to write two (or three) reviews of this book, because it consists of two (or three) stories: the creation of the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the murders committed by H.H. Holmes, and (peripherally) the assassination of Mayor Carter Harrison.

Larson's narrative jumps back and forth between these stories, without ever connecting them, and so the book leaves one with a very disjointed feeling, a feeling that something was left out, something that would show a relationshi...more I feel as though I ought to write two (or three) reviews of this book, because it consists of two (or three) stories: the creation of the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the murders committed by H.H. Holmes, and (peripherally) the assassination of Mayor Carter Harrison.

Larson's narrative jumps back and forth between these stories, without ever connecting them, and so the book leaves one with a very disjointed feeling, a feeling that something was left out, something that would show a relationship among the events described (or at least one more significant than that they occurred in the same city at the same time).

The book is worth reading for the history of the Columbian Exposition. Such an enterprise naturally left a great deal of source material for Larson to draw on, and he wisely chose to focus on the involvement Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmstead, the planner and the landscape architect. Both were not only interesting, brilliant men in their fields, but were inveterate diarists and letter writers, very helpful to the historian! It's a great saga, as Chicago is awarded the Fair with less than two years until its planned opening. Even though one knows, of course, that the Fair went off magnificently, one is on tenterhooks reading of the rivalries, the missteps, the difficulties. Will it open? Will it be ready? Excellent stuff.

The story of H.H. Holmes, serial killer, who lured young women to his oddly-constructed building near the Fair and gruesomely killed them, on the other hand, is badly told and unconvincing. Why so? The source material, for one, is lacking. Though Holmes wrote a memoir, and Larson also consulted the trial record [of H's murder trial in Philadelphia; he was never charged with the murders in Chicago] and contemporary news accounts, the author seems to rely heavily on a couple of sensationalist books whose sources are not sufficiently accounted for. Naturally, one must take with a grain of salt the hindsight memories of those who, after Holmes' activities were known, "always thought there was something odd".

Larson also has an annoying habit, one which he shares with some other writers of non-fiction, of engaging in speculation and interpretation presented as fact. He describes thoughts and feelings of real people with no basis other than "it's likely". The difficulty is that the text is presented with no qualification, and it is only careful attention to the endnotes that reveals Larson's imagination is at work.
I'm not sure why he felt the need to weave in the thread about Harrison's assassination, other than the fact that it occurred a few days before the close of the Exposition and so affected the closing ceremonies. It was a curious event in Chicago history, the assassin was clearly a paranoid schizophrenic, but it doesn't contribute much to this history.

On balance, the book is good reading for the sections on the Exposition (and should be in any collection of Chicagoiana for that), and even the rest of it is somewhat redeemed by Larson's generally compelling narrative style....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Kristy rated it:

08/19/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anyone

Ohhhh, this book is creeeeeepy and all-true!!! Being from Chicago I was in an awful thrall the entire time. The only thing that was missing for me would have been some kind of map to show where exactly the Fair was located, and all the other buildings he talks about... I think the fair was probably located roughly on what the Museum Campus is now, but I still would like to see a map.

And the people! Burnham and Root and Atwood... and Carter Henry Harrison! It says his mansion was on Ashland,...more Ohhhh, this book is creeeeeepy and all-true!!! Being from Chicago I was in an awful thrall the entire time. The only thing that was missing for me would have been some kind of map to show where exactly the Fair was located, and all the other buildings he talks about... I think the fair was probably located roughly on what the Museum Campus is now, but I still would like to see a map.

And the people! Burnham and Root and Atwood... and Carter Henry Harrison! It says his mansion was on Ashland, I'm wondering exactly where. And Mudgett... I wonder where all of his buildings were... it sends chills up my spine just to think about it. I wonder if anyone has put together a tourist's map based on this book?

O.K., beyond my personal reasons for being fascinated, the writing is excellent, and really well documented. And the charming thing is that he documented everything in the back of the book in a really simple way, so if you were so inclined you would not have to be a big fancy scholar to follow his paper trail and see all of this stuff for yourself. Power to the people!

And the writing style is accessible and the voice is also very appropriate... he kind of veers between eulogist and undertaker. And the few times that he takes liberties and describes things that no one could ever really possibly have documented, he does so in a way that is careful and responsible. And I think for him not to have taken the liberties would have been a mistake... I think everyone who read the book would have thought there was something missing.

And what's ultimately really rewarding about this book is that the author outlines all the ways in which the influences of Fair of 1893 reverberated in American culture (and the world) for years afterward. Our aesthetic sensibility as a nation was permanently changed. And our technological sensibility. And to think that all of this was planned so fast, it was like a supernova in the middle of this underdeveloped backwater (oh, I said it. I live here now, and sometimes I still think of Chicago that way.). And that with all that progress comes this darkness, too, there's this underside to everything.

And with that lovely thought, I'm going to try and find the Wooded Island. Ciao!...less

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

3 comments

SCIENCEFICTION SQRL rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

07/03/08

bookshelves: 100-books-2008, allfred, ees-book-chat, non-fiction

Read in July, 2008

recommended to SCIENCEFICTION SQRL by: Evil Editor
recommends it for: fans of architects

Here's how I imagine it went.

Larson: I wanna write a book about the architects who designed the World's Fair in Chicago. Also, pork.

Publisher: Nobody wants to read about architects. They're boring.

Larson: But the World's Fair--

Publisher: Boring.

Larson: The mayor gets murdered.

Publisher: When?

Larson: At the end.

Publisher: (yawns) Too late.

Larson: If I could find some juicy murders to spice it up...?

Publisher: We'd take a look.

This isn't so much a boo...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

8 comments

Polly rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

07/18/08

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Polly by: book club

I have to give major props to my book club. We’ve pretty much run the gamut on genres. Last time we had a heart-wrenching piece of fiction that was based on historical events. This time we had The Devil in the White City, a historical account of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that read like fiction (for the most part).

I was super psyched to read this for lots of reasons. First, I needed a book that would allow me to disengage, emotionally. The last one ripped my heart out. Second, ...more I have to give major props to my book club. We’ve pretty much run the gamut on genres. Last time we had a heart-wrenching piece of fiction that was based on historical events. This time we had The Devil in the White City, a historical account of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that read like fiction (for the most part).

I was super psyched to read this for lots of reasons. First, I needed a book that would allow me to disengage, emotionally. The last one ripped my heart out. Second, it seems like in high school my history teachers never could make it past the Civil War. We’d set out with a syllabus that said we get to reconstruction and the industrial revolution, but somehow we always ran out of time. And this book promised to help me learn more about this country’s almost-modern history.

At first I was a little disappointed by this book. It was billed as something that read more like a murder-mystery than a historical account. And while it did read a lot better than a textbook would, it certainly did not feel like a newfangled Sherlock Holmes.

The constant bickering of the architects bogged me down in the beginning, too. Later, once you get knee deep into the fair, you start to realize why Larson needed to include this part but it was a bit tough to get through initially. To Larson’s credit, I think he may have realized how monotonous the architect’s arguments would be for his readers. Throughout each chapter there are section breaks, sometimes more than one per page, that allows you to say, “okay, enough for today,” and not feel like you’ve stopped at point that disrupts the narrative.

But then you get to the good stuff…and I may be the most morbid person alive…but the parts that really drew me in were the sections about Holmes, the murder. So often I’ve heard people say, “Criminals are really dumb! They don’t even plan stuff out so that they have a chance to get away! If it were me, I’d…” This is the one guy throughout history that carefully planned out his crimes in such a way that would almost eliminate the possibility of getting caught. It was intense and intriguing to see how his mind worked. Towards the end the cruelty of his actions got a bit much to bear, but thankfully most of the 390 pages were not filled with gruesome details.

And I did enjoy learning about some of the quirkier aspects of late 19th century American history. I won’t spoil some of the “surprises,” but it’s kind of cool to know how we ended up with some of the products/mechanisms that we take for granted today.

If you’re into American history or just looking for something a little different from the average fiction book, definitely pick this one up.

...less

Like this review? yes

3 comments

Charity rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

04/13/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: historians, mechanical minded people, people interested in crime and human interest dramas

I want to give it 4.5 stars and I considered bumping it up to five, but there were a few problems with it: it didn't take off for a little bit at the start, there were times when the chronological order of the narrative was "violated," etc. Overall, though, I thought the book was amazing. I found myself frequently searching the internet for images of the fair, and telling people about how wonderful the book was and how interesting the time period it covered; new products and dramatical...more I want to give it 4.5 stars and I considered bumping it up to five, but there were a few problems with it: it didn't take off for a little bit at the start, there were times when the chronological order of the narrative was "violated," etc. Overall, though, I thought the book was amazing. I found myself frequently searching the internet for images of the fair, and telling people about how wonderful the book was and how interesting the time period it covered; new products and dramatically influential inventions combined with serious social and economic problems created this weird optimistic-pessimistic feeling of the read.

While reading, I found myself saddened by the apparent obsolescence of World's Fairs. Now that technological advances have the world super tiny, there's no point in holding a World's Fair to bring us all together. So on one hand I mourn that lack of such a "magical kingdom" possibility. Of course, the allusion to Disney was intentional, not only because his father was one of the builders of this Fair, but also because we can see the increasing commercialism brought about by such gatherings, and it makes it clear that aside from being some sort of idealistic utopia, meant solely to please the masses, 1) things were really really bad which is why the masses needed to be thusly placated, and 2) there was tons of financial/commercial pressure on the organizers to MAKE MONEY. Surely if the World's Fair were to happen in these times, it would be just one big huge advertisement, as it kind of tried to be then. It's fascinating to read about how the organizers tried to advertise and gauge public opinion about the fair in order to attract more visitors, since the advertising methods were so incredibly different.

Oh, and there was also the serial killer. Technological and practical advances in law enforcement surely wouldn't have allowed him to do as much damage as he did if he lived today. It's amazing to read about how and what this guy seems to have gotten away with.

People say this book reads like fiction, and it does in that it's very entertaining and an amazingly gripping story. The author is an amazing storyteller. At the same time, it is quite clear that he is presenting factual evidence, largely from primary sources. This awareness kept me amazed throughout and was the main reason that a few nights ago I fell asleep ON the book. I just couldn't put it down. ...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Keri rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

04/26/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Keri by: NYC Book Club
recommends it for: History and non-history buffs alike.

My rating system is based on a complicated scoring method that takes the number of times I put a book down and divides them by the hours/minutes passed before picking it up again. Okay, so maybe it’s not that involved, but I do take how quickly I read and the number of times I choose to read over watching TV into account. With that said, I read The Devil in the White City in a month. I consider this commendable. It did, however, take a good deal of discipline and a few long stretches of read t...more My rating system is based on a complicated scoring method that takes the number of times I put a book down and divides them by the hours/minutes passed before picking it up again. Okay, so maybe it’s not that involved, but I do take how quickly I read and the number of times I choose to read over watching TV into account. With that said, I read The Devil in the White City in a month. I consider this commendable. It did, however, take a good deal of discipline and a few long stretches of read time on Saturday mornings.

All in all I would recommend this book to history and non-history buffs alike. If you’ve ever utilized the Dewey decimal system, enjoyed a bowl of shredded wheat or wondered how Pabst won it’s blue ribbon you may find The Devil in the White City interesting, informative and a true asset when quizzing friends with useless yet interesting and informative facts. Personally I never truly grasped the concept of a world’s fair. I live in the New York/New Jersey area and have passed relics of the 1964 New York World’s Fair on the Long Island Expressway (or LIE for you natives) numerous times without much thought. The Devil in the White City brought me back to a time before the Internet when people came together to learn about what was going on in the world. It made me wish that we weren’t so virtually connected and that we came out from behind our computers, newspapers and magazines more often to connect with the world outside our own. In addition to providing a cool historical overview of the Chicago World’s Fair, The Devil in the White City also chronicles, in alternating chapters, the life of Dr. H.H. Holmes, the first American serial killer who used the fair as a lure for his young female victims.

My only issue with the book and likely the reason it wasn’t a breeze getting through was the lack of character development, which I understand is a result of the book’s historical classification. It would likely have been found in the fiction section should Larson have decided to tell me how Daniel Burnham felt the morning of the grand opening or why Dr. H.H. Holmes felt no guilt at the countless number of women he murdered. Personally, I would have been okay if Larson had decided to take a few more creative liberties, but then again I admire the research and dedication that went into making The Devil in the White City a truly historical account.
...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Jude rated it:

08/28/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: pretty much everyone.

My daily life is filled with non-fiction: facts that are collected to give information quickly and easily to a reader. When I read for enjoyment, I usually gravitate toward fiction.

I didn't realize this book was non-fiction when I bought it. I bought it because it came recommended from Katie, who has good book taste and hasn't steered me down the wrong path yet. When I read the back cover before beginning, I thought: what the hell did I get myself into?

Surprisingly, I found myself immed...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comments

Carrie rated it:

08/11/08

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Carrie by: Jessie
recommends it for: people interested in 1890's America

For giving me a real understanding of the 1890s, I appreciated this book. Before reading this, I could only guess at who was alive then and what inventions were being introduced to the world, let alone how ordinary people lived. Now I can picture Chicago streets full of steaming horse manure and newsboys hawking one of the 35 daily papers, everyone looking young because diseases were killing people off left and right (if you weren't hit by a train first), smoke everywhere and people drinking Hir...more For giving me a real understanding of the 1890s, I appreciated this book. Before reading this, I could only guess at who was alive then and what inventions were being introduced to the world, let alone how ordinary people lived. Now I can picture Chicago streets full of steaming horse manure and newsboys hawking one of the 35 daily papers, everyone looking young because diseases were killing people off left and right (if you weren't hit by a train first), smoke everywhere and people drinking Hires root beer, riding the first Ferris wheel, singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at the drop of a hat and leaving their trash on the ground (so at least one thing hasn't changed).

I was fascinated by the details of the planning and exposition of the Chicago World's Fair and the story of serial killer H.H. Holmes. However, the two topics were only connected by being in the same city at the same time. I was disappointed by the fact that the two never really came together in any significant way. Holmes attended the fair and had a hotel with "World's Fair" in the title. But that's about as far as it goes.

I think that in compiling fact after fact about the goings-on of the time, the author lost a sense of drama. It is dramatic to note some seemingly innocent detail at odds with the story at hand, like the pretty flowers on the porch of the house where police found two murdered children. But Larson employs this tactic so frequently the details lose effect and become laundry lists. I call into question the need to name the names of every tangential character, explain who attended which meetings, spell out several banquet menus, etc. A lot of the book read like a footnote.

Speaking of footnotes, though... I read the notes at the end. The most interesting one was from a medical text suggesting that psychopaths are irresistible to women. Unfortunately I have had the pleasure of meeting a psychopath first-hand. It's true that guys like this can flirt their way out of anything. Ladies, we need to stop falling for that kind of guy, mkay? If you find out someone has lied to you (especially about things like his name) do yourself a favor and run like hell!...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Joshua rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

07/21/08

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone looking for something they won't soon forget

Astounding. That's basically the one thing that's running through my head right now-- that and "damn that was f'n good."

This is the story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This is the story of how a nation stood together for a brief moment in time, united with a singular goal: to bring honor and beauty to America-- and like a snap shot frozen in time, the country and the world held their collective breath and cried out at the majesty that was created. This is the story of how one...more Astounding. That's basically the one thing that's running through my head right now-- that and "damn that was f'n good."

This is the story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This is the story of how a nation stood together for a brief moment in time, united with a singular goal: to bring honor and beauty to America-- and like a snap shot frozen in time, the country and the world held their collective breath and cried out at the majesty that was created. This is the story of how one fair changed the world forever, bringing with it the birth of the Ferris Wheel, Cracker Jacks, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, the portable camera, minimum wage and time and a half, the Columbus 3-day holiday (thank you!!)-- all the while changing the face of American architecture forever. See those random foundation columns at your banks, schools, government offices, etc, that look like Roman pillars? Well that's all thanks to the 1893 World's fair. What's next? Did the fair introduce the type of electricity we still use everyday the world over? Oh, that's right, it did!!

Still, this is not just about the beauty of the fair but also the horrors of turn of the century Chicago-- where a "man" stalked the women of Chicago, committing horrors that would make even Jack the Ripper blush.

The Devil in the White City takes turns, alternating chapter to chapter, telling both the stories of the fair and the stalking of the murderer.

The fair was brought to life by Daniel Burnham, a brilliant architect who wanted to show the world that he did indeed matter. And in the backdrop is a physician named H.H. Holmes, who like Burnham only wanted to matter, and in doing so nearly brought the city of Chicago to its knees. Larson weaves a fascinating account of events that shook the city and the world so seamlessly that you'll often wonder if you're reading a thrilling fictitious story.

So brilliantly told, The Devil in the White City is a wonderful ride, one which for a moment in time you're allowed to join, riding along with a country standing together as they create a new world and somehow against all odds, out-Eiffel Eiffel....less

Like this review? yes

1 comments

Matthew rated it:

10/24/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: people looking for a damn good non-fiction book

exceedingly pleased. i must have talked about this book with at least twelve different people about different things i either learned, wanted to know more about, was impressed with, or just wanted to rerelease unto the world. i ended up talking to a stranger on the platform of the N/W about the where the ferris wheel came from. i feel bad for all the people i wondered about on the 7 train three years ago when everyone was reading it. the story, a double narrative following the trials and man...more exceedingly pleased. i must have talked about this book with at least twelve different people about different things i either learned, wanted to know more about, was impressed with, or just wanted to rerelease unto the world. i ended up talking to a stranger on the platform of the N/W about the where the ferris wheel came from. i feel bad for all the people i wondered about on the 7 train three years ago when everyone was reading it. the story, a double narrative following the trials and many tribulations of the architects attempting to errect the most magnanamous world's fair ever to be constructed was equalled by the fascinating story of H. H. Holmes, perhaps the States most dubious, if unknown, serial killer. larson, the teller of tales, made the narrative of the two stories fit together perfectly, at one time absorbing each other, at another letting one steal the stage over the other. his exhaustive research let out a stream of information that just always seemed interesting or at the very least, worthwhile. the sky-scraper, the windy city, juicy fruit, shredded wheat, the little tune we associate with a snake popping out of a womven basket - all explained. rarely will i say i had a lot of fun reading a boo, but this one got me there. i distinctly recall being marginally upset when i realized how little left of the book i had.

i give this one a strong 4, with thoughts on boosting it to the realm of 5. it honestly would probably get there if not for a few things that do not hinder me from recommending it from anyone, but were worth mentioning. number one, i wanted a little more of the H.H. Holmes. I'm sure he was short-changed for reasons of lack of information and certainty more then lack of want. two, the slow start almost made me put it down. luckily i was encouraged to make it to page 40, where all of the sudden i was unable to recall why i had almost abandoned the text. overall, though, do not let these minor disturbances scare you off. erik larson has written an excellent book seserving the accolades already bestowed upon it. read and enjoy....less

Like this review? yes

1 comments

Jason rated it:

07/10/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Jason by: Lisa
recommends it for: Everyone, even aliens from outer space and other dimensions

Eric Larson weaves such an incredible telling of the events surrounding the construction of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago that I often had to check and make sure this was truly a work of nonfiction and not a fictional historical thriller.
The book creates excellent tension and a razor's edge balance juxtaposing the arduous planning and execution of the World's Fair by Daniel H. Burnham with the simultaneous and equally arduous planning and execution of serial killer H.H. Holmes's relentless ...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comments

Chennijen rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

07/28/08

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Chennijen by: mini c
recommends it for: people interested in the Chicago World's Fair

First of all: I think my expectations for this book were far too high. While it was a great informational work (really well-researched, with almost excruciating detail), I found that, as a story, the book fell short.
I anticipated a riveting tale of excitement and exhilaration, as well as some sort of gradual tying-together of the two main characters' stories. I thought perhaps the architect would fall victim to scandal when innumerable corpses were discovered (probably by a young student from ...more First of all: I think my expectations for this book were far too high. While it was a great informational work (really well-researched, with almost excruciating detail), I found that, as a story, the book fell short.
I anticipated a riveting tale of excitement and exhilaration, as well as some sort of gradual tying-together of the two main characters' stories. I thought perhaps the architect would fall victim to scandal when innumerable corpses were discovered (probably by a young student from Boston) hidden behind the wainscotting in one of his finest buildings. Or maybe he would run into the murderer himself, and barely escape being gruesomely slaughtered. And then they would discover that the murderer was one of his childhood friends, or at the very least one of the fair's many builders.
INSTEAD, however, we see two stories set alongside each other with very little connection other than the immense scale of the World Fair; I found myself bored every so often by the endless details regarding such-and-such committee and such-and-such budget. Of course the actual building of the fair took precedence over the young attractive serial killer's story. Frequently the author would name-drop to show the expansive nature of the World Fair, which was interesting in a sort of bric-a-brac trivia-gathering way but ended up tempting me by offering promising tangents and then disappointing me by not following through with them.
I also found the portentous statements at the end of each serial-killer chapter particularly annoying. If you want to throw out these ominous remarks about his victims, you'll have to find some way to justify it to me later! I kept waiting for the inevitable violent climax...only to be served with a somewhat passive description of evidence presented to the court.
Overall: I felt it fell short of what it promised as a story. As a description of the processes/tribulations through which Chicago built an amazing exhibition and experience, however, it was very worthwhile....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

RA rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

06/09/08

Read in June, 2008

Would recommend: Probably

I read The Devil in the White City in less than a week, and for a book of almost 400 pages, that's saying something. The story was very compelling, and I found the descriptions of late 19th-century Chicago fascinating. I feel the need to look up more about the Chicago World's Fair, as well as visit the city itself. The two main characters (I hesitate to use that term since they were real people) held up their own story lines very well, and it was, as they s...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

Vesela rated it:

11/05/07

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: those who like docudrama, murder mysteries, and archietectural history

Larsen is a gifted documentary-style storyteller, adept at infusing history with humanity. Read this book and walk the streets of Chicago during the early 1890s. Larsen puts you in the scene, rousing all of the senses with fantastic descriptions of sounds, scents, and textures.

I was amazed to learn about the magnitude of the challenge of building the 1893 World's Fair--the trial of attracting and gaining support from key archietects; the power plays and political games between the variou...more