Larson is an outstanding writer, especially when it comes to evoking a specific period and its zeitgeist. He does this extremely well with regard to the great exhibition in Chicago in 1893. In many respects, I wish he had focused solely on the fair as there is more than sufficient material in that story to fill an entire book.

Of course, the grisly tale of the murderer Holmes and his unspeakable torture castle provides a stark contrast to the clean white castles constructed for the fair. However, unfortunately, there are no new sources regarding Holmes and his crimes for Larson to discover. There is nothing even remotely new in what he can disclose about Holmes that hasn't been recounted countless times in various true crime books.

For me, the book was somewhat dissatisfying as it places excessive emphasis on Holmes, yet he never truly comes alive. Additionally, there are no extant decent images of the'murder castle/hotel'. Consequently, we are presented with more and more details about the fair and the arduous struggle to create it. While it is immensely readable, it doesn't really leave a profound or substantial impression.

It is not a bad book by any means; it is highly readable and enjoyable. Nevertheless, it has been vastly overpraised.

Excellent history lesson!!

This remarkable book had me completely engrossed from the very first page. It provided a captivating account of numerous influential individuals who played a crucial role in shaping this great nation into what it is today. The detailed descriptions and vivid narratives made it an absolute pleasure to read. I found myself learning an abundance of new information, far more than what I had learned during my student days.

However, on the flip side, I was truly horrified by the heinous murders committed by Holmes. His actions were despicable, and it was astonishing to see just how evil of a character he was. The way the author presented this aspect of the story was both chilling and thought-provoking. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in history, as it offers a unique and engaging perspective on the events and people that have shaped our nation.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is an engrossing true crime-cum-history book.

It centers around the World's Columbian Exposition that took place in Chicago in 1893. This event was a remarkable showcase of progress and innovation.

However, the book also delves into the dark side of that era with the life and crimes of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes. He was a menacing figure, active during the time of the fair and widely regarded as America's first serial killer.

I was truly captivated by the contrast between the success of the world fair and the presence of a serial killer on the loose, committing heinous crimes and using his wit to evade the authorities.

Given my penchant for the true crime genre, I found myself more drawn to the details of the killer and his killings.

Nonetheless, the part of the book that讲述了 the fair's origin, the meticulous planning for its construction, the numerous hurdles faced and eventually overcome, was also highly informative and added depth to the overall narrative.

It provided a fascinating glimpse into a significant period in American history, both in terms of its achievements and its hidden horrors.

Overall, The Devil in the White City is a compelling read that combines history and true crime in a unique and engaging way.

The Devil in the White City is a captivating book that delves into two distinct yet intertwined aspects. On one hand, it explores the White City, which was the magnificent 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This event was a showcase of architectural brilliance and innovation, with a fascinating cast of characters involved. The importance of architecture was on the rise, and Chicago was a hotbed of such creativity. The book vividly描绘s the allure and grandeur of the fair, bringing to life the excitement and wonder it generated.

On the other hand, the book also focuses on a devil - a psychopathic serial killer. This aspect of the story is equally gripping, with the author presenting a detailed account of the killer's actions and the impact they had. The social changes that were taking place during the Gilded Age, especially as seen by the poor, added an extra layer of complexity to the story. The fact that young women were responding to loosening social roles was a crucial element, but the driving forces behind this were not fully explored.

While I enjoyed both parts of the book, I was disappointed with the author's decision to integrate them into one. If they had been separate, each could have been developed more fully and perhaps earned a higher rating. The White City half had the potential to be a four or even five-star book, given its engaging subject matter. Similarly, the devil half had enough substance to reach the upper echelons of true-crime nonfiction, just below Capote's classic In Cold Blood.

By combining the two stories, the author lost some of the depth and detail that could have been achieved. For example, he couldn't fully trace the developments in crime detection over the decades as he would have in a strictly true-crime story. Nor could he follow up on the implications of how the World's Fair changed American's conceptions of urban space in an architects' story. Additionally, the book could have benefited from a more in-depth exploration of the sociology behind both stories. Why did these events occur at this particular time and place in Chicago?

Overall, The Devil in the White City is a worthwhile read, but it falls short of its potential. The material is interesting enough to have warranted a more comprehensive and engaging treatment.

A brief list of things that generally don't strike my fancy: architecture, the Gilded Age, landscape design, metropolitan cities, politics (of the historical kind), and serial killers.

So, for a novel that exclusively focuses on all of these things, the very fact that I made it through and maintained mild interest is quite extraordinary. However, my interest never really piqued above "mild" and, hence, the three star rating.

The Devil in the White City is really two stories: the planning and building of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the simultaneous planning and building of a serial killer's lair. Larson uses the convergence of these two storylines to juxtapose man's capacity for the divine against an equal capacity for evil.

Two men become the embodiment of this dichotomy: Daniel Burnham, chief architect of the Exposition, who brought the dream of the "White City" to life, and H. H. Holmes, the psychopath who used the bustle of the World's Fair to lure victims to his real-life house of horrors. This intention seems to be summed up in a quote from the physician John L. Capen, who, reflecting upon Holmes's appearance, says of his eyes, "They are blue. Great murderers, like great men in other walks of activity, have blue eyes." Attention is drawn time and again to the startling blue eyes of both Burnham and Holmes, illustrating that each man would become "great" in his way.

However, Larson thankfully doesn't browbeat his reader with lengthy explorations of the nature of good and evil. Instead, he presents the extraordinary lives of each man during that fateful time and allows the reader to draw these comparisons. As the White City is built, America is presented with the dream of what it could be. A civilized country could emerge from the twilight of the frontier and our pioneer spirit could live on in a future where men like Tesla, Edison, and Ferris looked toward building the impossible.

Despite the hopes and possibilities represented by the Columbian Exposition, there is also an undercurrent of darkness in the form of union strikes, economic collapses, and cities large enough to swallow ambitious men and women whole without leaving a trace--cities that serve as the perfect hunting grounds for a man like Holmes.

These are compelling stories and, yet, they never quite came to life for me. Larson's research is obvious, but the pacing of the story is often slowed down by dry passages--especially those detailing the power struggles that occur during the planning of the Exposition. Larson is at his best while writing about Chicago itself, capturing the sights, smells, and sounds of a bustling and ambitious city eager to prove its worth as a cultural mecca to its more sophisticated counterpart, New York City. He's also adept at bringing historical characters to life (I particularly enjoyed it when Susan B. Anthony and Buffalo Bill cross paths). All in all, this is a worthwhile, if not riveting, read.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder

This was my very first encounter with a book penned by the author Erik Larson. As such, I truly had no inkling of what to anticipate.

He presented two distinct stories. One was a historical account, told from the vantage point of Daniel H. Burnham, the Director of Works. Burnham faced the truly daunting task of constructing the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago within a mere span of a little over two years.

The other narrative was a true crime story centered around Herman W. Mudgett, more commonly known by one of his numerous aliases, H. H. Holmes. Holmes was an enigmatic psychopathic serial killer who owned a pharmacy and a hotel in close proximity to the fair site.

Larson's remarkable writing abilities seamlessly intertwined these two tales, resulting in a masterful depiction of the events that unfolded during that era. My only slight disappointment was the absence of pictures. I firmly believe that had there been pictures, it would have further enhanced my reading experience and pleasure.

This book offers a glorious tribute to the painstaking efforts of everyone involved in organizing and preparing the Windy City for the world stage - the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

It showcases the remarkable transformation of Chicago as it readied itself to welcome the world. The detailed descriptions bring to life the excitement and anticipation that filled the city during that time.

However, the story takes a dark turn with the arrival of a mass murderer. The author's ability to seamlessly weave these two very different stories together is truly masterful.

It creates a captivating and thrilling narrative that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

The contrast between the grandeur of the World's Fair and the horror of the murders adds an extra layer of depth and complexity to the book.

It is a unique and engaging read that offers a fascinating look into a significant moment in history.

The devil, when he comes for one of us, will not present himself in a sheath of red flame. There will be no odor of brimstone about him. He will not possess goat’s horns, bat’s wings, cloven hooves, or a long tail with a barbed point on the end. He will not carry a pitchfork. Instead, he will be impeccably dressed, well-groomed, and charming. He will present himself as a successful, upwardly mobile member of a respected profession, perhaps a physician. Women will be drawn to his magnetic charm, while men will be jealous of his way with women. He will frequent a busy, festive, public setting where he can blend in unobtrusively. And against the backdrop of a great city, he will perpetrate the most hideous horrors, never allowing his public façade of charm and respectability to slip even a little bit.

Such is part of the message of Erik Larson’s 2003 bestseller, The Devil in the White City. The “White City” of the title is Chicago’s Columbian World’s Exposition of 1893. Just four years prior, Paris’s Exposition Universelle of 1889 had astonished the world, especially when engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel’s tower, initially intended as a temporary entryway arch for the fair, quickly became a beloved icon of Paris. When Chicago was selected to host a World’s Fair commemorating the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s “discovery” of America, the people of Chicago felt the challenge of staging a fair that would match the elegance of the Exposition Universelle. More specifically, they wondered what sort of attraction Chicago could come up with that would compare with the magnificence of Eiffel’s tower.

The task was entrusted to Daniel Hudson Burnham, a brilliant architect who had already designed and built many of Chicago’s most iconic buildings. The fair would take place in Jackson Park, then a largely treeless wasteland on Chicago’s South Side – “an ugly, desolate place of sandy ridges and half-dead oaks” (p. 100). The fair’s builders would face numerous challenges, including financial difficulties, labor troubles, fire, windstorms, and snowstorms. For a time, it seemed as if everything except the ten biblical plagues from Exodus would conspire to stop the fair from happening. Yet, against all odds, Burnham and his team of architects created a magical, otherworldly landscape. In contrast to the grim, dark industrial landscape of nearby Chicago, Burnham’s fair buildings, painted an elegant white, soon earned the fairgrounds the nickname “White City.”

However, Burnham’s “White City” was indeed haunted by a devil. His birth name was Herman Webster Mudgett, but in that era of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary popularity, he adopted the name Henry H. Holmes. Under any name, Mudgett/Holmes was a truly terrifying individual – one of the first known serial killers in American history. Virtually everything about him was a lie. He purchased countless goods and services without paying for them, presented himself as single despite being married to attract pretty young women, and even built a building while cheating the construction workers who built it.
That building, a “World’s Fair Hotel” ostensibly built to accommodate fair guests, had some disturbing modifications. One such modification was a large metal vault in the building’s basement. Mudgett/Holmes once asked a business associate “if he would go inside and try shouting, so that Holmes could hear for himself how little sound escaped” (p. 102). Only later did that business associate realize how lucky he was to walk out of that vault alive: many others were not so fortunate.
There was plenty of business for Mudgett/Holmes’s “World’s Fair Hotel” as the fair, after a shaky start, was a great success. Surprisingly, a Pittsburgh engineer even came up with a central attraction that compared favorably with Monsieur Eiffel’s tower. But I won’t reveal what that attraction was or the name of the engineer. Larson deliberately conceals these details for as long as possible to preserve the surprise, and I’ll follow his example.
For a time, it must have seemed to Mudgett/Holmes that he would get away with murder – multiple murders. Larson allows us to get to know several of Mudgett/Holmes’s victims, nice young ladies from small Midwestern towns whose dreams of finding love and success in the big city ended in Mudgett/Holmes’s vault. The cruelty and horror of his crimes are all the more palpable as a result. There is a double horror in knowing how Mudgett/Holmes callously parried the inquiries of the missing girls’ families and even private detectives hired by the families, assuring them “how much it grieved him, truly deeply grieved him, that he was unable to provide any new information to ease the worry of the parents” (p. 199).
But Mudgett/Holmes did not escape justice. One of the strengths of this tale of “Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” (the book’s subtitle) is the story of Philadelphia detective Frank Geyer. Himself a victim of family tragedy, Geyer conducted his detective work meticulously. Through countless interviews with hotel proprietors, real estate agents, and others in the cities Mudgett/Holmes passed through, he successfully constructed a chain of evidence that ultimately led to Mudgett/Holmes being convicted of murder. But this process of detective work involved one final, horrifying discovery, the details of which are deeply disturbing.
I read The Devil in the White City while visiting Chicago. Although I didn’t make it to Jackson Park, where the White City once stood, I did find that Larson captured the big, booming, can-do spirit of Chicago well. The Windy City, the City of the Big Shoulders – all these nicknames capture the essence of a bold and open-hearted city that, in contrast to some of its more self-consciously proper Eastern rivals, is not afraid of engaging in some old-fashioned civic boosterism. This aspect of Chicago’s character shines through in Larson’s book.
One doesn’t hear much about World’s Fairs these days – the last two American World’s Fairs, in Knoxville in 1982 and New Orleans in 1984, were widely regarded as failures – but unfortunately, one hears a great deal about serial killers. The drama of The Devil in the White City lies in the way Larson juxtaposes humanity’s highest aspirations, symbolized by Burnham’s dedication to building the White City, with its darkest capacities, as exemplified by Mudgett/Holmes’s murders of an unknown number of victims. It is a powerful and profoundly sad book.

Reviews for this particular piece are somewhat of a mixed bag. As a result, I was a tad hesitant to pick it up and give it a read. However, I'm extremely glad I did as I ended up thoroughly enjoying it!

It truly is a highly interesting and entertaining read. I found myself completely fascinated by it, and what made it even more captivating was the fact that it's a true story. It draws you in and keeps you engaged from start to finish.

My only minor gripe is that within all the madness and mayhem, I craved a bit more in-depth exploration of the murders. I yearned for the nitty-gritty details of the murders to be presented on the same level as the details of the fair. Nevertheless, it was still an excellent read, and I would unreservedly recommend it to others. It's a book that will surely keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.

In my book, Erik Larson is truly “the master” when it comes to making non-fiction highly readable. His work that delves into the construction of the 1893 World’s Fair site in Chicago is not only informative but also captivating.

Accompanying this account is the dark and chilling story of Dr. H H Holmes, a charismatic serial killer (shudder) during that era. The way Larson weaves these two narratives together creates a truly fascinating read.

It is a book that I would highly recommend with 5 stars. It is a must-read for everyone who has an interest in history, true crime, or simply a great story.

Whether you are a history buff or someone who just enjoys a good page-turner, this book has something for everyone. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Writing a book, regardless of the genre, is an arduous task. Authors pour their heart and soul into it, yet readers like us may dismiss or love it without considering the time, energy, effort, and pain that went into its production. Fiction may seem relatively easier to write, as it is based on the writer's imagination, but I don't believe this to be entirely true. However, I will admit that penning a fictional tale might be marginally easier than one based on a true event or a complete non-fiction book. Non-fiction is challenging for two reasons: it must be factually correct, and it has to resonate with readers, especially those not typically interested in this genre, and make them like it.

Erik Larsson has achieved this and more with his book, and I must say that I completely salute him. He has not only written a book based on two true events that occurred concurrently in Chicago in the late 1800s but has also managed to write and pace it like a thriller, keeping the reader on the edge of their seats at all times, without losing focus or dramatizing the events. This, I believe, is the mark of a great writer, and I am glad to have read his book.

The basic plot involves the construction of a World Fair in Chicago that was intended to surpass the one in Paris a few years earlier, and the mysterious murders of people who flocked to Chicago for the Fair, either to work or to see what the excitement was about. Initially, the victims were women, but soon it encompassed men and children as well. Two people stand out as the main heroes or villains, depending on how you look at it: Daniel Burnham and H.H. Holmes. Burnham became famous for his unenviable task of creating the world's largest fair in Chicago, while Holmes became infamous for the mysterious murders that took place during the World Fair. Of course, while Burnham was renowned from the start of the project, it was only much later that Holmes' crimes came to light.

In consecutive chapters or parts, we follow the journey of both these men as they go about their lives, trying to achieve their goals. What makes the book truly remarkable is the seamless connection between the two parts and the lack of any slowdown in pace. Whether the author is discussing the various problems faced during the construction of the fair or the way Holmes planned and executed the murders, both manage to keep you interested and eager to know what happens next.

Character development in a nonfiction book is often limited to the development of the person in real life. Given that this book deals with characters over a short period, character development may not be the main criterion for evaluation. Nevertheless, I felt that the book did a good job of developing the characters, and one could almost sense their growth as if one were right there with them. Madness, single-mindedness, dedication, dissatisfaction, improper behavior, and perseverance in the face of disillusionment or impending failure are some of the behavioral aspects that were well-developed by the author. Both main characters were fully developed, and minor characters were also given due importance.

Detailing is another outstanding aspect of this book. The author has taken great care to ensure that not a single detail of either the constructive or the destructive element is overlooked. Whether it is the attitude of people, workers, colleagues, and superiors during the construction of the Chicago Fair or the attitude of those who came into contact with Holmes, the detailing of the police investigation, the apathy of the families of the murdered, or even the actual murder scenes, everything is examined and described in minute detail. While this may seem excessive to some, believe me, it still reads like a thriller and never loses its pace.

Shakespeare once said, "Evil that men do, lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." I believe this statement holds true for this book as well. While Burnham was applauded and commended for his efforts in putting up the greatest and biggest fair, his work was soon forgotten once the fair was over. Even those who contributed their creative talents to make it beautiful were forgotten. However, the evils of Holmes lived on to tell a tale long after his arrest, trial, and subsequent sentencing.

This stark contrast between good and evil, which exists simultaneously in our world today, is brought out beautifully by the author. In our lives, we have witnessed or shared space with many such Burnhams and Holmes, which may make this story a common one in history. However, this very fact also makes this book highly relevant even today.

Highly recommended to all those who want a taste of Chicago in the late 1800s. It is even recommended to those who do not typically like nonfiction because this one reads like any fiction, with the only difference being that the events are true and real!

An interesting period in the History of the United States was brought to light through the realization of the World fair in Chicago at the end of the 19th century.

During this time, Mr Larson crafted a window through which the reader can gaze into the past of the US. It is a story that is both uplifting and depressing simultaneously.

It narrates the tale of a depression and a time of remarkable creative output that altered the course of US history. Aesthetics and beauty were finally embraced on US soil as there was a race to construct a place that would outshine Paris' World fair (featuring the Eiffel tower). The writer reveals the behind-the-scenes dynamics through the eyes of the creators and their visionary ideas, along with the problems and solutions before and during the World fair in Chicago. It is a beautiful and well-told story, with a small detour into a naval disaster (the subject of Larson's next novel as well).

The growing and darker side of Chicago is illustrated by the story of H.H. Holmes, one of the earliest documented serial killers, who lived and worked in the city. His story and the Fair share the same time period. In the expanding city of Chicago, there was madness and chaos, which Holmes exploited to carry out his gruesome deeds.

The book delves into both aspects and, as a mood-piece based on fairly factual historical situations during the period of building the World fair, during, and closely after the fair, it functions extremely well. For the average reader, it is an easily readable book about a piece of history that deserves more recognition than the typical war periods.

If there is one aspect that could have been enhanced by the writer, it would be the scarcity of more photographs accompanying the story. This would have provided the reader with a visual aid to better imagine the White City and its construction. Although the writer claims to have not conducted research on the internet for this novel, he relies too much on the reader's ability to do so if they truly wish to see it for themselves. The visual aids in this book are present but lack in quantity and quality.

The book is actually 390 pages long, with the remainder consisting of notes, acknowledgments, sources, and a list of literature.

It offers a decent window into a period of US history that was new to me and is interesting in its situation and heritage to US history. It is a good starting point for those interested, but it is not the definitive book on the subject.

Well worth your time.