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The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, Mad...

A book by Erik Larson

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A fabulous book!!!

Feb 20, 2006

by rmurray847

Rating:

I had of course heard of the Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair of 1893), but had never really given it much of a thought. This was my misfortune, because after reading THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, I was simply floored at the incredible story of the creation of the fair, it's impact both positive and negative on the future of America, and the stories of the people who made it happen.

What the writer has done SO well is made this bit of history flow like the most exciting thriller, but he almost never cheapens his history for dramatic impact. He tells the actual events as they happened (as nearly as anyone can), and lets his simple prose carry us away. The story is compelling enough NOT to need anything else. This is not to say that Larsen hasn't earned his keep...he has. He dug deeply into this story and pulled out a series of fascinating events, characters and observations. To me, the measure of how good this book is: if someone were to ask me now what moment in time I would go back to if I could have my pick, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair would be near the top of my list. I would love to see it.

As you no doubt know, Larsen also tells the story of H.H. Holmes, possible America's first (and possibly deadliest) serial killer. Although Holmes' story is lurid and interesting...about halfway through the book, I realized I cared even more for the details of the fair than the details of this killer's accomplishments...and I picked up the book first of all to read about this psychopath. His story IS interesting, but the tale of the expo blew me away.

Just understanding the architectural advances made at that time, or the many, many ideas and products that were introduced at the fair which are still with us today. And the chapters about the world's first Ferris Wheel are worth the price of admission alone. It is simply hard to believe that all this really happened...but it did. The book was moving and inspiring and endlessly interesting. It was a breeze to read...not at all like reading something cuz it's good for you!

I'll be hunting down Larsen's ISAAC'S STORM now...but I must tell all readers aged 15 and above...READ THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. Popular history just doesn't get any better than this!

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More The Devil In The White City: M... reviews

review by TStocksl. September 30, 2008

Creepy-cool slasher history

Creepy-cool history of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, intertwined with the history of the serial killer H. H. Holmes who was operating at and around the Fair and may have accounted for anywhere from 9 (confirmed) to 50 (suspected) to even 200 (conjectured) murders. Reads like an atmospheric slasher novel, except it is history, and thoroughly footnoted from contemporary accounts as well as secondary sources. The couple of scenes where Larson assumes an omniscient authorial … more

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review by rachelbrandon1. May 19, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Murder, Mayhem, and National Pride

Erik Larson must have spent a year just doing the research for The Devil in the White City. I probably learned more about our nation's history from reading this book than I did in an entire college course. In the book, Larson combines two stories: the story of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the story of H.H. Holmes, one of the U.S.'s first serial killers. This is an incredible story, and each page of the book is filled with little tidbits that make you think, "Hmm...why did … more

Comments (5) Compliments (73)

review by cpw1952. October 09, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Ferris wheels, Cracker Jacks, Buffalo Bill and a serial killer!

As Chicago entered the final decade of the 19th century, it was a black city with a black heart, a figurative and literal pig sty run by a civil administration rife with graft and dominated by the stink of the pig slaughtering industry that was run by the local equivalent of capitalist robber barons. In a shocking affront to New York City's insufferable sense of superiority, Chicago's city fathers somehow won the right to host the 1893 World Fair. Despite the astonishing crime rates, the … more

Comments (2) Compliments (9)

Quick Tip by cpw1952. October 09, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by cpw1952

An interesting, informative and exciting juxtaposition of two wildly different historical events that took place in Chicago - the creation of the 1893 Columbian Exposition and the terror of America's first documented serial killer, Dr H.H. Holmes.

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review by radrhonda. July 15, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Amazing Non-Fiction

I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction but this book was amazing. I was spellbound as I read. The author did a great job of describing the time period, it made me almost sad to live now and not then. I was in awe at the descriptions of architecture and building even though I previously had no experience with either of these. That, combined with the descriptions of the "evil" guy's psychotic personality was a great combination that kept me turning the pages. I would recommend … more

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Quick Tip by RebecaR. July 05, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by RebecaR

good stuff, learned a lot and got freaked out!

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Quick Tip by LauraWalters. July 01, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by LauraWalters

Loved this! Great look at a unique moment in history and a little known serial killer - nicely woven into one.

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Quick Tip by mauverneen. June 28, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by mauverneen

An excellent combining of history with imagination. Erik Larsen weaves plots together in this book with great skill!

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Quick Tip by crazyscorpion. June 24, 2010

A Quick Tip by crazyscorpion

wow!

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Quick Tip by Jenniferjax. June 23, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by Jenniferjax

Enjoyed the dark subject matter and historical recount of the world's fair.

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see all The Devil In The White City: M... reviews (31)

About the reviewer

rmurray847
Ranked #159

I've got my own site, www.afilmcritic.com, on which I'm posting my reviews. I am 46 years old, married 25 years, two kids (23 & 18) and currently work in accounting/finance. I spent 15 years … more

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About this book

Wiki

The 1893 Chicago World's Fair is the setting for this true account of two very different men: the celebrated architect Daniel H. Burnham, who designed and supervised the construction of the "White City" around which the fair was built; and H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett), a fiendishly clever serial killer posing as a doctor, who murdered scores of people, mostly young women, in his World's Fair Hotel, which contained a gas chamber and a handy crematorium for disposing of his victims. Telling their entwined stories in alternating points of view, Erik Larson illuminates the lives of these two men, but also provides insightful commentary on the changes that were taking place in American society that allowed both phenomena--a grandiose World's Fair and a string of unsolved murders--to take place. The book contains cameo appearances by such late-19th-century celebrities as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

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