This is an accurate account of the task set before Chicago and it's architects to show the world that they could build a World's Fair within a short period of time. It is absolutely intriguing at every step of it progress and the lives of the people that helped bring this major event happen. It also brings to light all the products and inventions that the world still benefits from today. It tells the story of a diabolical, smooth talking murderer who used this opportunity to kill mass amounts of people for his enjoyment and profit. Many of his victims were lured to Chicago by the hopes of employment, adventure and possibilities. It is a book that you can not put down!! Great author. This is the second book that I have read by Erik Larson and he is an exceptional author who brings to light well researched history.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a story that is well written and actually fun to read! This is more a history book made into story form. There is no plot as the theme follows the history line of actual facts. The facts and points of interest are wondrous and simply staggering. All of which make this read that more enjoyable. Furthermore, adding this book to your library, for future reference, can actually make your library worthy of showing off. It will be a constant source of confirmation to one's sense of being educated. Eric Larson (the author) has written several books in a like manner but I have not actually read them. However, if "The Devil..." is any indication of the level & amount of enjoyment available, then the series is a year's worth of entertainment waiting to be explored!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is the 2nd time I’ve purchased this book after my dog mistook it for a chew toy. But will be the 3rd time I’ve read it. Why? Because it’s amazing. The writer mixes fiction and history so wonderfully you forget it is a story about a horrible man doing horrible things but yet also a story about the making of an enchanted city of years gone past. Makes me wish I was born 80 years earlier. And for the price vs purchasing new ..... it’s a wonderful deal
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
If you are looking for a book just about the 1893 Chicago World‘s Fair *or* just about a serial killer, this isn’t it. The book recounts how the fair came about as well as a gruesome history of a madman. There is great detail in both stories. I really enjoyed this book ( I like history). The book made me search eBay for more artifacts from that era which I happily found. The book is compelling and not difficult to read. Should have been made into a movie.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Describes the Chicago Columbian Exhibition (world's fari) and includes parallel chapters of mass murderer H.H.Holmes. The world's fair featured beautiful buildings and landscape including canals and islands, and the first mass demonstration of electric lighting, Holmes murdered using gruesome measures. His body count, impossible to pinpoint, was between 29 and 200, mostly young women. He did them in at his personal chamber of horrors.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is an excellent read recommended to me by my daughter. It is full of history and actual events. The author has written this so well that the book is hard to put down. I highly recommend it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This was my Book Club selection for January. I found it fascinating due to my lack of knowledge about the Chicago Worlds Fair and also my interest in "the criminal mind." Most of the club, myself included, found the descriptions of the architectural details fairly tedious, although informative. I was most pleased when the chapters pertaining to the crimes were being described. It is chock full of information about Chicago, its people and politics, during that era, inventions developed due to the fair, i.e. Ferris wheel and Shredded Wheat. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a good "history" lesson as well as an entertaining read.
I enjoyed the book. I bought it because it was the monthly selection for my book group. When it was selected, I wasn't too thrilled to be reading about a serial killer, but it turned out to be a lot better than I expected. Erik Larson did a great job of weaving together the two tales, one of the killer and the other of the building of the Chicago World's Fair. I found it fascinating all that went into the planning and executing of the fair itself and was surprised by the number of "firsts" that appeared at that fair. Most of the people in the book group were really drawn to the story of the killer and not the architecture and details of the fair as I was. I thought it was well done and well researched.
The book was recommended to me by a friend because she knows my interest in nonfiction. As scary as one of the characters was, the author did a great deal of research to learn and re-enact the scene of the Chicago World's Fair to the reader. I was most impressed with his research, but really enjoyed learning about other characters so prominent in history (Annie Oakley, Frank Llyod Wright)... I also enjoyed the author's ability to subtly introduce information as foreshadowing. I recommend it, but also caution those who don't enjoyed murder and gore to be prepared for a bit of it in this book... although not prominent enough of an issue to not read. I took it on a plane ride and the time when by very quickly.
The book came in excellent condition. It's a long read, yet compelling content and provides details I have not read in other books about the challenges of building the first American World's Fair. And you learn some new terms as well with some of the architectural details.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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