The Devil in the White City in Bound Together

Mar 10, 2017 Dem rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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Extremely well written and researched, unsettling, entertaining, educational and fascinating are all words that come to mind on finishing Eric Larson's book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 was a remarkable achievement for the city of Chicago and it's architect Daniel H. Burnham and while the city was celebrating and enjoying this new wonder of the world, another man by the name of H.H. Holmes, a handsome and Extremely well written and researched, unsettling, entertaining, educational and fascinating are all words that come to mind on finishing Eric Larson's book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 was a remarkable achievement for the city of Chicago and it's architect Daniel H. Burnham and while the city was celebrating and enjoying this new wonder of the world, another man by the name of H.H. Holmes, a handsome and charming doctor was luring victims to their deaths and becoming America's first Serial Killer. This is the incredible true account of two very different men and the different paths their lives would lead them.

This is my second Book by Eric Larson having read and loved Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania previously I was looking forward to another book by this author. His books are extremely well researched and very detailed and he leaves no stone unturned when telling a story.

I loved learning about the Fair and the magnificent buildings, The World's first Ferris Wheel, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, electric boats, all the different elements that went into planning and organising such an amazing event. I loved how this book crossed over with numerous other books I had read about this time, (especially the quote from the notorious Chicago May who was born in Ireland only a few miles from my home and ended up becoming one of Chicago's most notorious Crooks of that time) I enjoyed the descriptions of families travelling long distances to the fair from small farms and towns and their amazement at witnessing these spectacular attractions and miracle of electricity for the first time. Eric Larson's descriptions are vivid and captivating and you actually imagine you are there at the centre of the city's excitement. Of course then you are brought back to reality with the murder and mayhem created by H.H Holmes and wonder how a man like this could have murdered so many innocent people and nobody noticed or suspected him.

A word of warning The Devil is in the detail and Eric Larson book's are high on detail and facts which I loved but some may find a tad tedious as the story does drag slightly in places but the historical information and descriptions are excellent and I loved every minute spent with this book.
I listened to this one on audio and the narration was excellent. ...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Wendy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Yay! My first finished book of 2016! I'm giving the full 5 stars because this is exactly the type of book that gets me reading and looking up other information. It's packed full of famous names and inventions from history and the dual storyline of Dr Holmes and the Chicago Exposition kept the story moving along - making it pretty quick to finish. There were parts that made me question if the author took too much liberty in imagining what things were like in a certain scene, but I didn't care. Th ...more

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Jul 19, 2013 Irene rated it really liked it

At the same time that many of the most powerful and creative minds in the U.S. were joining forces to make the 1893 Chicago World Fair an international success, a psychopath was luring untold numbers of young girls to their death and swindling financial institutions out of countless sums of money in the same city. Larson manages to compile copious amounts of research into an interesting narrative. The history of the Herculean effort to build and manage the Worlds Fair is told in alternating chap ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history, 2021, 2021_nonfiction, 2021_tbrstack

I had started this book years ago and never finished. Can't remember why. But I've read several other Larson books (In the Garden of Beasts, Dead Wake, and The Splendid and the Vile) in the last few years and - combined with the fact that I've lived in the Chicagoland area now for more than twenty years - I wanted to revisit this bestseller.

It did not disappoint. Chicago during the 1870s to 1890s was a fascinating, disturbing, and vibrant time. I adore how Larson not only discusses the historica I had started this book years ago and never finished. Can't remember why. But I've read several other Larson books (In the Garden of Beasts, Dead Wake, and The Splendid and the Vile) in the last few years and - combined with the fact that I've lived in the Chicagoland area now for more than twenty years - I wanted to revisit this bestseller.

It did not disappoint. Chicago during the 1870s to 1890s was a fascinating, disturbing, and vibrant time. I adore how Larson not only discusses the historical context of his topic at hand, but also weaves in events and history on a broader (national, global at times) scale to give the reader a more well-rounded understanding of the interconnectedness of history across times and places.

Yes, the book is dark, largely due to the infamous H.H. Holmes, but the darkness also suits the story of Chicago at that time (and possibly now, but I digress) - a place where the stench from the Union Stock Yards drenched the city; where outbreaks of deadly illnesses were a heavy rainfall away as the city's drinking water was contaminated yet again by carcasses and sewage; where people went missing on a regular basis; where the air was thick with black smoke from furnaces and chimneys. But then! The World's Columbian Exposition and the White City...and Chicago succeeded.

I do take aspects of Larson's books with a grain of salt since he is, in part, a storyteller. I trust his writing and research, but I have also followed up on vignettes that interest me and found some debate as to what actually happened. One such example includes Larson's description of Holmes' arrival in Englewood and his encounter with an elderly Mrs. Holton, whose husband (Dr. Holton) owned and operated a pharmacy in which Holmes was interested. The doctor dies (of cancer, presumably) and the widow hands Holmes the deed to the store. When the widow goes missing, Holmes assures people that she has decided to stay in California with relatives. A quick internet search revealed that this story might not be entirely true. It's possible that Dr. Holton was actually a woman within a few years of Holmes' age; that she was pregnant with her second child and ready to give up her practice to Holmes; that she actually lived down the street from Holmes for as many as fifteen years; and that she and her husband outlived Holmes, who was later executed for his crimes. I'm not claiming to be an expert on Holmes and I'm not questioning Larson's extensive research, but it is interesting to see how one exchange in history can have multiple theories and perspectives. (Which is also why I appreciate that Larson relies extensively - and exclusively, I believe - on primary sources.)

Definitely a worthwhile read, and I look forward to more of Larson's work. ...more

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