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zbmorgan's review against another edition
4.0
While this takes a bit to get off the ground, Larson really turns history into a page turner. There are two stories successfully woven together here. The first is about Marconi, who harnesses radio waves to an achievable wireless radio output- but only from one end of the room to the other. He then sets up a business and gathers investors- which, arguably, slows him down a great deal. Watching him go from scientist to hustler was a little depressing- he probably would have had success a bit sooner broadcasting waves across the ocean if he hadn't spent so much time on business, but such are the risks of invention.
Meanwhile, a mild mannered Doctor is saddling himself with a high maintenance wife and finding his had to England, where he meets his true should mate. But what to do with that wife?
In my opinion, the murder mystery was far more fascinating than the story of Marconi, largely because we learn more about the characters of the people involved. Marconi was a cool customer, and the book would have been better served if he'd had more of a personal life to discuss. Larson might have also made it a bit more accessible : it's just assumed the reader knows the difference between wireless and telegraphy and how radio waves work, and it took me a while to understand that they were transmitting the SOUND of the morse code, and he completely neglects to mention when messages move from being transmitted in morse to when they are transmitted in voice, but still, a fascinating read. The last third of the book being so un-put-down able makes up for the slow first third.
Meanwhile, a mild mannered Doctor is saddling himself with a high maintenance wife and finding his had to England, where he meets his true should mate. But what to do with that wife?
In my opinion, the murder mystery was far more fascinating than the story of Marconi, largely because we learn more about the characters of the people involved. Marconi was a cool customer, and the book would have been better served if he'd had more of a personal life to discuss. Larson might have also made it a bit more accessible : it's just assumed the reader knows the difference between wireless and telegraphy and how radio waves work, and it took me a while to understand that they were transmitting the SOUND of the morse code, and he completely neglects to mention when messages move from being transmitted in morse to when they are transmitted in voice, but still, a fascinating read. The last third of the book being so un-put-down able makes up for the slow first third.
merri217's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Gaslighting
Minor: Emotional abuse and Miscarriage
kessler21's review against another edition
I was really interested in this story and I love Erik Larson but I did not finish this book.
Thunderstruck is the story of the second most famous murder in London as well as the invention of the wireless telegram and how the two stories coincide.
The reason I did not finish this book is due to the supernatural/paranormal. I do not read books that touch on this.
In the early 1900s I was not aware how much supernatural and paranormal integrated with science. At a time when discoveries of how electricity and magnetism worked, science itself seemed supernatural and paranormal. I understand this and was interested in this fact. But when the story started detailing paranormal and supernatural experiments with unseen forces/people in the room, I was finished with the book. I finished learning about the actual story and the wireless telegram on Wikipedia.
Thunderstruck is the story of the second most famous murder in London as well as the invention of the wireless telegram and how the two stories coincide.
The reason I did not finish this book is due to the supernatural/paranormal. I do not read books that touch on this.
In the early 1900s I was not aware how much supernatural and paranormal integrated with science. At a time when discoveries of how electricity and magnetism worked, science itself seemed supernatural and paranormal. I understand this and was interested in this fact. But when the story started detailing paranormal and supernatural experiments with unseen forces/people in the room, I was finished with the book. I finished learning about the actual story and the wireless telegram on Wikipedia.
emmabeckman's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, this one is most similar in subject and style to The Devil in the White City, but it’s not quite as good as that one. I wish there had been more at the end about people’s reactions to how the Marconi messages had worked. Also I maybe would have liked more at the beginning about how Marconi messages worked—I realize that he himself didn’t know and so we were also in the dark, but I don’t feel it had to be that way. Lastly, the audiobook narrator spoke in a very stilted way, but I still ended up listening to about 85% via audio.
wintermote's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Well researched. Interesting way to leave these two stories together.
harmonictempest's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of interesting history. But ultimately the attempt to weave two disparate historical narratives (Larson’s signature move) falls flat for me. In particular, he tries to up the drama by increasingly inauthentic moves like “years later, they would both realize the incredible significance of this night” for moments that really aren’t that important.