book data
21480 ratings, 3.93 average rating, 4160 reviews
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published
April 1st 2004
(first published 2003)
by Bantam
binding
Paperback, 496 pages
literary awards
Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime (2004)
isbn
0553813536
(isbn13: 9780553813531)
description
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking th...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 6325)
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avg 3.93
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
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
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did-not-finish
Read in January, 2006
Everytime I started the book, I would say fascinating! I would think, this is really interesting and informative. However, I would put the book down and not want to pick it back up. Finally, after several attempts, I gave up.
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non-fiction-or-history
History. The story comes off like a novel instead of non-fiction. I learned all sorts of things about Chicago and... deviant psychology? Well worth it.
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2 comments
Read in September, 2007
It took me forever to finish reading this book. I'm not sure if it was because I was busy or because I tend to take awhile reading non-fiction. But, it was certainly not because it was boring. I've always been easily sucked in to true crime stories and I especially liked the way this one was written alongside the historical account of the World's Fair in Chicago. One minute I'm reading about this creepy guy, Holmes, who builds a gas chamber in his office and the next minute I'm reading about...more
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Read in June, 2007
I probably shouldn't be allowed to comment on this book because I didn't even finish it! I only got about 75% of the way through. I'd heard the hype about it for years, so I think my expectations were too high. I also thought I'd love the parts about the creation of the fair: the architecture, the landscaping, etc; but I found it to be rather dull. I was just getting through those chapters in order to make it to the other story line! Also, I disliked the fact that it was a history book rath...more
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The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a historic novel about the 1893 World Fair in Chicago, Illinois. One thing you need to know about this book is that each chapter changes the point of view in the book. The first chapter will be about the two architects designing and building the World Fair, and then it will switch to the mind of H. H. Holmes, a serial killer. When I read this book, I completely skipped the architects' chapters because it was boring and gave me a bunch of factual i...more
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I have never read a better book than this one. Who would guess that a book about the Chicago Fair could be so intriguing. I never put the book down until I finished it (Again on the plane, returning from Europe, 24 hours in the air!) This book tells the inside story of the World's Fair in Chicago - the architects, the politics, the cultural and political after affects of the the event - in such a dramatic and yet factual way that you simply can't put it down. Intermingled with the building...more
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Read in September, 2007
p. 51
; it is a matter of chronic anger with me.
p. 98
Oysters.
A glass or two of Montrachet.
Consomme of Green Turtle.
Amontillado.
Broiled Shad a la Marechel.
Cucumbers. Potatoes a la Duchesse.
Filet Mignon a la Rossini.
Chateau Lafite and Rinnart Brut.
Fonds d'Artichaut Farcis.
Pommery Sec
Sorbet au Kirsch.
Cigarettes.
Woodcock on Toast.
Asparagus Sala.
Ices: Canton Ginger.
Cheeses: Pont l'Eveque; Rocquefort. Coffee. Liquers.
Madeira,...more
; it is a matter of chronic anger with me.
p. 98
Oysters.
A glass or two of Montrachet.
Consomme of Green Turtle.
Amontillado.
Broiled Shad a la Marechel.
Cucumbers. Potatoes a la Duchesse.
Filet Mignon a la Rossini.
Chateau Lafite and Rinnart Brut.
Fonds d'Artichaut Farcis.
Pommery Sec
Sorbet au Kirsch.
Cigarettes.
Woodcock on Toast.
Asparagus Sala.
Ices: Canton Ginger.
Cheeses: Pont l'Eveque; Rocquefort. Coffee. Liquers.
Madeira,...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
People who like history
I was very misled about this book. I thought I was going to read a book just about a serial killer. The title makes you think that the emphasis is on the killer. If I had a better understanding about the book before I started, I think I would have enjoyed the book more. It took me a while to realize that the info about Chicago was not just historical background...it was a story line. I kept waiting for it to get back to the story about Holmes. I also wish I had known that the story lines weren't...more
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Read in February, 2008
Some people go to Florida or the islands for vacation, but I went to Chicago for my vacation in May. I did the tourist bus thing and all the tour guides talked about this book, and I thought when I got home, I'd go to the library and pick it up.
But then I forgot until I saw it at the bookstore in the airport, and thought, yes, I wanted to read that.
I wish I had remembered way back in May, because this book was a fantastic read. I especially liked the fact that the author would spend a ch...more
But then I forgot until I saw it at the bookstore in the airport, and thought, yes, I wanted to read that.
I wish I had remembered way back in May, because this book was a fantastic read. I especially liked the fact that the author would spend a ch...more
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This book annoyed me, almost beyond reason. The juxtaposition of the building of the Chicago world's fair with the murders was quite interesting, but this is fiction!!! Most of the footnotes are noting that no, the thing footnoted actually happened this other way instead of the way it's outlined in the book. So much is speculation and hardly any of the "research" is via primary sources. I wouldn't have been nearly as annoyed if it had not been presented as non-fiction, and if most of t...more
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Read in April, 2008
A book club selection and not something I would have read otherwise. My favorite part was about the serial killer. That's what kept me going and I confess I skipped through some of the World's fair stuff to get back to the murderer. If you already know a lot of the relevant history, I think this book would be fascinating. Or if you want to learn the history. If you're already feeling overloaded by information in the world and you don't have a burning curiosity about the history of the Chica...more
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Read in February, 2005
Brilliant brilliant brilliant! I give this book to everyone and urge them to read it. It's a vivid retelling of history that reads like a thriller, and paints a picture of Chicago's history in the late 1800's that you'd be hard-pressed to imagine looking at the city of today. While the story of the serial killer might entice, I was actually far more compelled by the drama of the visionaries trying to build a White City for the World's Fair, and all the obstacles and tension around that massive u...more
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2 comments
Read in February, 2005
recommends it for:
anyone with interest in history, architecture and design
Brilliant brilliant brilliant! I give this book to everyone and urge them to read it. It's a vivid retelling of history that reads like a thriller, and paints a picture of Chicago's history in the late 1800's that you'd be hard-pressed to imagine looking at the city of today. While the story of the serial killer might entice, I was actually far more compelled by the drama of the visionaries trying to build a White City for the World's Fair, and all the obstacles and tension around that massive u...more
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A historical story of the events connecting the Chicago's World Fair of 1893 with an urban serial killer
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Having trouble getting into...but got a glowing rec. from a friend so I will plug on.
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Ohhhh yeah, this was right up my alley. I read that the author took only true, documented facts to write the story but it reads like a great piece of fiction. The chapters are split between the building of the Chicago World Fair through the eyes of its architects, and a story of how America's first serial killer used the fair to pray on young women! The Architect chapters dragged on in some parts but over all I learned fascinating facts about how America was built by visionary men. And the s...more
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I love this author but he has a tendency to shoehorn two (almost) completely unrelated stories into one book. It can get very distracting so I've simply started reading one and then going back and reading the other. This particular book has two very interesting stories but his writing style is a tad melodramatic. By all means, amp up the drama for the serial killer bits, but do we really need all of that dramatic tension regarding the menus at the fund raising dinners for the World's Fair? I w...more
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So far, I've learned that the bends is not just the name of a radiohead album.
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to-read
the next selection for my grad school alum's book club
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quotes from this book
"Snow fell. Carolers moved among the mansions of Prairie Avenue, pausing now and then to enter the fine houses for hot mulled cider and cocoa. The air was scented with woodsmoke and roasting duck. In Graceland Cemetery, to the north, young couples raced their sleighs over the snow-heaped undulations, pulling their blankets especially tight as they passed the dark and dour tombs of Chicago’s richest and most powerful men, the tombs’ bleakness made all the more profound by their juxtaposition against the night-blued snow […]
Outside the snow muffled the concussion of passing horses. Trains bearing fangs of ice tore through the crossing at Wallace."
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