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The Devil in the White City
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Evils imminent -- Prologue, aboard the Olympic (1912) -- Frozen music (Chicago, 1890-1891) -- An awful fight -- In the white city -- Cruelty revealed (1894-5) Property of H.H. Holmes -- Epilogue, the last crossing
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Summary
Add a SummaryIn The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson takes readers into a richly complex moment in American history, a moment that would draw together the best and worst of the Gilded Age, the grandeur and triumph of the human imagination, and the poverty, violence, and depravity that surrounded it. 464p.
Between majestic architecture and cold-blooded murder, the early 1890's were a defining period for the city of Chicago. The Colombian Exposition of 1893 (the World's Fair of 1893, so named to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in America) proved that Chicago could put its elbows on the table of the world's greatest cities. It hugely impacted the course of American history through its influence on technology, architecture, and the popular conscience. This book weaves together the stories of Daniel Burnham, a prominent architect in charge of planning the Exposition, and Herman Webster Mudgett, better known to history as H.H.Holmes, America's first serial killer. Opening a hotel just down the Midway from the fair, Holmes was ensured of a constant flow of trusting young women. What his ill-fated guests did not realize was the presence of air-tight rooms with gas-jets, a greased body chute and the basement containing vats of acid and a crematorium. In the style of Truman Capote, this is a non-fiction novel, a gripping account of deeds of great and evil men alike, made all the more interesting because these events really happened.
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Add a CommentAlthough there are two story lines, it's the one about the psychopathic serial killer that I'll most remember. The author jumps around alternating between the stories, which was distracting in a few places. I liked the epilogue at the end, which relates what happened to the main characters after the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 ended.
Good cross between history and novel - brings the Chicago of the 1890's to life in a compelling way.
loved this book and i recomanded
Fascinating and spellbinding book that combines elements of true crime, American history, murder mysteries, psychology, popular culture, and urban planning. This book incorporates them all. The American and human spirit at their highest and lowest are thoroughly analyzed. Interesting story about American culture and urban growth.
Erik Larson did an excellent job writing this book. It is a great story and was very well written. I found that some of the chapters about the construction of the fair were slow at points, but overall Devil in the White City is an amazing story and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
The book is the intertwining of two stories (the model Larson seems to prefer) and my favorite story was that of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. How I wish that I could have seen it. Larson states that many people left feeling that attending the fair and seeing the sights and exhibits was the highlight of their life. And the insight into landscape architecture and Frederick Law Olmstead was great. Some photos of the fair are here. Incredible! http://www.flickr.com/photos/winterthur_library/with/4926758571/
Absolutely chilling.
Awesome book! It's well written, it's exciting, interesting, and chilling. I loved hearing about the world's fair, which I knew very little about. And now I'm fascinated by Olmsted. READ THIS BOOK!
While the wonders of the 1893 Columbia Exposition were amazing the crowds, two other extraordinary characters were bringing impending doom to the White City. Both were murderers, one on a far more colossal scale, and both were, in the parlance of the day, mad. Just how mad was not to be discovered until into the 20th century when madness could be explained. And even the visionary of the fair, David Burnham couldn't stop calamity from entering his perfect picture of America at the critical moment when he wanted acclaim and closure to what his last success. Engaging to the last, this chronicle of another time is as wonderfully detailed as you would expect if you could go back in time.
This is a thrilling book. it rotates between two famous people and gives a drama-history book. Great read-I visited Chicago 3 months later and it was amazing how much I knew about the city.