RA's review
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
by Erik Larson
I found the history in this book fascinating! So many things I didn't know about the World's Fair and the city of Chicago. Plus, the story line definitely held my interest. A great nonfiction read!
I 100% agree with you about the writing. I got seriously irritated that he couldn't come up with a better way to end the chapters...and this book was a National Book Award finalist!
I didn't much care for the book. I found it to be a bit dull and tedious to get through. But the thing I disliked most of all was exactly what you brought up -- the "look out below!" foreshadowing. I was constantly rolling my eyes and wishing the man could work some variety into his writing. Drove me crazy.
RA's review
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
RA's review
rating:
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 say, a real page-turner.
However, I can't recommend this book wholeheartedly because of one major shortcoming. The author, Erik Larson, hailed as "a historian with the soul of a novelist," (according to one of the blurb reviews on the cover) has a heavy-handed style appropriate for suspense movies and supposedly-thrilling historical documentaries. Almost every segment - as in, many times during each chapter - ends with a sentence to the effect of, "This man/event/action would ...more
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 say, a real page-turner.
However, I can't recommend this book wholeheartedly because of one major shortcoming. The author, Erik Larson, hailed as "a historian with the soul of a novelist," (according to one of the blurb reviews on the cover) has a heavy-handed style appropriate for suspense movies and supposedly-thrilling historical documentaries. Almost every segment - as in, many times during each chapter - ends with a sentence to the effect of, "This man/event/action would ...more
I found the history in this book fascinating! So many things I didn't know about the World's Fair and the city of Chicago. Plus, the story line definitely held my interest. A great nonfiction read!I 100% agree with you about the writing. I got seriously irritated that he couldn't come up with a better way to end the chapters...and this book was a National Book Award finalist!
I didn't much care for the book. I found it to be a bit dull and tedious to get through. But the thing I disliked most of all was exactly what you brought up -- the "look out below!" foreshadowing. I was constantly rolling my eyes and wishing the man could work some variety into his writing. Drove me crazy.