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Reviews tagging 'Death'
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
78 reviews
jennmichelle_otsr's review against another edition
5.0
Larson’s tone and style remind me of Kate Moore’s prose. The story is simply laid out for the reader in a narrative style instead of a typical drier nonfiction style. I find this type of book more my speed for nonfiction.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
boomwormbrittany's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was a really interesting book to read. I had read The Splendid and the Vile before by Erik Larson and really enjoyed it. This was no different. I though this was a fantastic and interesting overview of both topics.
What I really loved about Erik Larson's books is that he writes them as if we are in the people's heads who helped created the World's Fair and in the head of H.H. Holmes which is a big unnerving. I thought that this had a really interesting overview of what went wrong and right at the fair. From the start it seemed to be an uphill battle to get the fair going let alone to the grandeur that it did become.
I was a little more interested in the H.H. Holmes aspect of this story because I've never seen a whole overview of his story before, just very brief snippets. I thought that Erik Larson did a fantastic job setting out this story and making us really feel for the victims of Holmes.
I would definitely say if you want an engaging and fascinating story about history around the World's Fair and Holmes, I would highly recommend this. If you want an interesting overview of history, definitely pick up any of Erik Larson's books.
Graphic: Death and Violence
robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Miscarriage
thejessman's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Death
soythesauce's review against another edition
4.75
A must read for anyone that loves Modern day Chicago, Chicago history and/or serial killers.
Burnham is a genius and Chicago would not be the gorgeous city that it is today if it wasn’t for him and architects that were inspired by him.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, and Murder
ottolee's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
oceanwriter's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
julziez's review against another edition
2.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
ame_why's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
mariakureads's review against another edition
3.5
It's been on my TBR since who knows when and after a few starts and stops, I'm done.
Larson wrote a very detailed, and I do mean very, account of the Chicago's World Fair, the atmosphere and history of the time, as well as the serial killer hiding amongst, the glitz, dirt, toils, glamour that the Fair brought to the city at the time.
The book involves a large set of people, all oddly enough interlocked in different ways and avenues and Larson explored and provided so many facts through his meticulous research that at different points were not only quotes provided, but newspaper clippings, menus, images, and witness accounts which some were interesting and others felt staid and dry and I lost interest at different parts of the book.
At times so factual that when the alternative chapters of the serial killer, H.H. Holmes, were introduced, it would sometimes grab my attention for a few pages but it felt odd as I was thrown off a few times by the pacing especially the further I read on to find that while the World's Fair and Holmes were in the same city, there was nothing concrete to tie them together since Holmes was adamant that he didn't do anything or was guilty of such killings—that the disappearances were a happenstance, surely, by his account.
Larson is a great researcher, this I'm sure of, and gave me so much new information specific to the fair and all the people, some later becoming famous in their own right, that all in all, while I had a few disconnects, the book is a solid read.
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Torture, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment