Megan's review
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness and the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
I'd been hearing so many raves from so many people about this book ( Ash, Steve, Annie, Brad's parents, etc ) and decided that I should probably pick it up to see what all of the hype was about. Now, I get it.
What an incredible book. Although it's over 400 pages long, I think that I read it in about 2-3 days - I just couldn't put it down. The characters were so interesting, and were so well described (you felt as though you knew several of them personally, and could just picture them ) the story line was fantastic and did such an amazing job of holding your attention - between historical facts, inventions, a murder spree, famous people, and life and time in the 1890's it was fascinating.
I spent most of the time imagining that I was there while the Worlds Fair was being built, and the sights, sounds, and wonder that it all would bring. Also, I kept reminding myself that this entire story was completely historically accurate and these people, places, and events all really occurr...more
What an incredible book. Although it's over 400 pages long, I think that I read it in about 2-3 days - I just couldn't put it down. The characters were so interesting, and were so well described (you felt as though you knew several of them personally, and could just picture them ) the story line was fantastic and did such an amazing job of holding your attention - between historical facts, inventions, a murder spree, famous people, and life and time in the 1890's it was fascinating.
I spent most of the time imagining that I was there while the Worlds Fair was being built, and the sights, sounds, and wonder that it all would bring. Also, I kept reminding myself that this entire story was completely historically accurate and these people, places, and events all really occurr...more
This is one of my most favorite books EVER!!!! And not only because I lived in Chicago ;) It has history, intrigue, suspense, the whole nine yards. In a nutshell it is the story of the World's Fair in Chicago at the turn of the century. It tells details of the amazing city within a city that was built, the inventions that came out of the fair and the whole storyline is intertwined with the plot of a serial killer who was in Chicago at the same time. All based on a true story. I give this as a gift a lot and everyone I've given it to loves it as well. Pick it up!
