The Devil in the White City was a book where I felt like I was
reading and walking through a documentary. The research that Erik Larson has
conducted for this novel is impeccable and the reader gets such a real feeling
of walking through 19th century Chicago, which was my favorite part of the
book. The story of Holmes is a dark one, but Larson does a great job making it
all realistic and not too fantastical. His choice to leave out nasty death
scenes and include instead the clues that the detectives found allows the
reader to experience Holmes character as others did. The Chicago fair is an
amazing historical event, and Devil in the White City not only provides a
thrilling story but a fun history lesson simultaneously. A must read for sure.
Anusha
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Although starting
slow, The Devil in the White City is a marvelous novel written
with a flavor of dark, nightly thunderstorms mixed with murky waters. The story
takes place around the mid to late 19th century, around the [untold] story of
the World’s Fari in Chicago (or, the White City). The story continues about the
construction of the fair, the immenseness of the situation, and the plans to
make it all happen.
The real story follows
the an alleged serial killer who uses different medias to stalk and kill his
victims. Following the earlier story of this dubious physician and his trials
and tribulations, the reader gets a sense of where the killer is coming from.
Beginning with his many marriages, treatment of his business associates, and
run from the DA, the serial killer handles his craft in an genius fashion. The
story becomes even more morbid and depressing as we learn of the psyche, which
is human nature.
Themasap (Timmy)
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Camie
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Erik Larson is a great writer who was able to eloquently record the historical events surrounding the Chicago World’s Fair as he interlaced his own narrative. The book divides itself between following Daniel Burnham, the Fair’s architect, and H.H. Holmes, the serial killer. While Larson for the most part spared us the gruesome details of murder, his chilling descriptions of H.H. Holmes imprinted the horrors experienced by others at Holmes’ hands. I found it fascinating how Larson brought these two separate lives together to create a cohesive seamless narrative. The undeniable comparison of the two men, one fighting for the Fair to open and the other reaping the benefits of the influx in young women, both meticulously designing their grandest creation, keeps you wanting more until you have devoured the book. Burnham created a beautiful exposition filled with the unimaginable whereas Holmes created a house of unimaginable horrors. Even though they never interacted, Burnham and Holmes changed Chicago and the course of architecture (and murder). I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It is a great mixture of non-fiction, murder, mystery, and the depths of humanity.
Zasha
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I've always been a fan of stylized, narrative nonfiction, yet many of the books I've found in this genre tell interesting stories and histories without truly providing the suspense that fiction often does. However, Erik Larson perfectly balanced suspenseful storytelling with informative passages in Devil in the White City. By creating an image of Chicago as its citizens approached the monumental task of building the 1893 World's Fair, Larson effectively built and sustained readers' anticipation. While the book could be dense and detail-heavy at times, the characters' race against time aided the pace of the book. The narrative is split between two men made famous by the World's Fair: Daniel Burnham, the architect who, against all odds, orchestrated the successful Fair, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, the sociopathic serial killer who used the chaos of the fair to cover up hundreds of murders. Whether you're interested in the the underdog who faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles or the charming man with a gruesome agenda, the descriptions of the fair's beauty or of the many accidents that occurred during its construction, Devil in the White City will have a story for you.
Camie
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Erik Larson is a great writer who was able to eloquently record the historical events surrounding the Chicago World’s Fair as he interlaced his own narrative. The book divides itself between following Daniel Burnham, the Fair’s architect, and H.H. Holmes, the serial killer. While Larson for the most part spared us the gruesome details of murder, his chilling descriptions of H.H. Holmes imprinted the horrors experienced by others at Holmes’ hands. I found it fascinating how Larson brought these two separate lives together to create a cohesive seamless narrative. The undeniable comparison of the two men, one fighting for the Fair to open and the other reaping the benefits of the influx in young women, both meticulously designing their grandest creation, keeps you wanting more until you have devoured the book. Burnham created a beautiful exposition filled with the unimaginable whereas Holmes created a house of unimaginable horrors. Even though they never interacted, Burnham and Holmes changed Chicago and the course of architecture (and murder). I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It is a great mixture of non-fiction, murder, mystery, and the depths of humanity.
Zasha
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