Rating: 
Summary: The Fair That Changed The World
Review: The Chicago World Fair of the late 1890s will always be remembered as an event that forever changed America. Trying to compete with the new, very popular Europeen flavour (especially with France and their newly-built Eifel Tower), the United States decided that they would host a world fair to amaze the world. After much debate, a vote was taken and Chicago was chosen to host the event.Eric Larson is obviously fascinated with the subject matter at hand. His book gives us the whole history of the fair, from its early stages where the planning was done, to the commitioning of the architects, to the building of the many great structures that would grace the fair grounds, to the opening of the fair, to the building of the first Ferris Wheel, all the way until the closing of the fair. He leaves nothing behind, giving us a complete, hands-on history of the fair that changed the world and giving us, in detail, an account of all the problems the fair had to live through before its grand opening (which almost didn't happen). Larson gives us a complete background on everyone that was involved in the fair, starting with a man named Burnham, who was the head responsible for everything that took place, as well as other characters such as Bloom and Mr. Ferris himself. But the book also tangles another subject. It was also in this period and in Chicago that one of the most notorious serial killer to ever grace the face of the earth began his mudering spree. A Mr. Holmes (one of his many aliases) murdered at least nine women and children during the fair, although the number is suspected to be much higher. Forget Hannibal Lecter, this is the real-life monster that should be haunting your dreams. Mixing suspense with real life drama, Devil In The White City doesn't read like a nonfiction book. It reads like a great tale of suspense that never ceases to thrill and amaze the reader. This can only be attributed to Larson's talents as a writer and researcher. His writing is so affecting that it's often hard to put the book down. Devil In The White City is a rare kind of book that you will not soon forget. Summer reading at its very best.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant read...
Review: Read this book in a little over a weekend, it was that good. Fascinating study of the dichotomy of ambition between two men, Burnham and Holmes. The sheer galvanizing power and persistence of Burnham in getting the impossible done, and the unfathomable evil that drives Holmes further and further. Larson does a commendable job tying the two extremes together, brought together by a city in 1893 that experiences both "black" and "white", as it struggles to find its national prominence - at once marvelled and then later disgraced....
Rating: 
Summary: Good though superficial story of the exposition
Review: I enjoyed Larson's telling of the story of the Chicago World's Fair. The other information I have read on the Fair has been from a more scholarly perspective, and I thought Larson's work would have benefitted from giving more attention to such analysis. For instance, Larson treats the Midway purely as a series of spaces designed to entertain the tourist and maximize revenue--which is only one side of the story. He neglects to mention those who viewed the Midway as a chance to educate Americans in the latest views of racial science. For instance, the exhibits along the Midway were organized with those of 'races' believed to be more advanced located closer to the Court of Honor. (Readers who are interested in reading more along this line would enjoy "All the World's a Fair.") But, to be fair, this kind of analysis was not really what was I was looking for in the book; what I really wanted was something light and entertaining to read over a long weekend vacation, and this fit the bill well. Readers in search of relaxation should be warned that the mystery was a little more disturbing and disconcerting than I had bargained for, though less so that many of the 'thrillers' which come out nowadays.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read...
Review: Great insight into Daniel Burnham, the driving force behind the Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes, the serial killer that preyed upon its visitors. Interesting dichotomy on the ambitions of men, both good and evil.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 Different, mostly unrelated tales in one book
Review: I had the opportunity to listen to the abridged version of this book as I drove across the country recently, and I found that I enjoyed the book, but it did not seem to be as advertised. The title of the book leads the prospective reader (or listener, in this case) to believe that there was a string of events that occured at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 that are all related. This, however, is not the case. The book focuses on two separate topics - the world's fair of 1893 in Chicago, including the planning and execution of the exposition itself, and a serial killer that lived in Chicago at the same time frame that the aforementioned events were occuring. The only true relationship between the two stories is that they both took place in Chicago in the early 1890's. Other than that, there is no true correlation, although one can see where the author attempted to tie the two together by placing the serial killer at the fair with one or more of his victims. In my opinion, this book should have been split into two different books; one on the history of the fair, and one a true crime book focusing on the killer, the subsequent investigation into his treachery, and punishment of the killer.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonerful Read
Review: I picked up this book because it was on the NY Times Bestseller list along with the title being snazzy. As you probably know the book is focused on 2 different stories one about Burnham the architect and the other about Holmes the murderer. Although, these 2 stories have very little to do with one another they are both surrounded by the 1893 World's Fair. Larson does an excellent job about the details involved about putting the fair together. I was really impressed with his research. While reading the story I found myself wanting to know Holmes was plotting to do next. Overall, Devil in the White City is an excellent read if you are interested in Chicago, the World's Fair, architecture, or a serial killer.
Rating:
Summary: A Lot of Information on a Subject Unfamiliar to Me
Review: Back in the 1950's I remember my grandfather talking about visiting the Chicago World's Fair and seeing Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, but never remembered any of the details. Author Erik Larson has filled in a lot of information on the 1893 Chicago World's Fair that I never knew about beginning with the city's attempt to lure the fair to Chicago and to outdo the Paris, France, fair in which the Eiffel Tower was built. After being granted the fair the author provides details in which American talents were rounded up with ideas of where in Chicago to locate the fair and how to outdo the Paris, France, fair. Struggles in getting the work started and the race to finish on time are also dealt with. The book alternates chapters between the fair and the matter of a serial murderer named H. H. Holmes, an apparent kindly man who gassed young women to death in his Chicago suburb "hotel" that he had built. The book is filled with interesting people from this time period such as George Ferris who built the first ferris wheel on the Jackson Park location of the fair. Buffalo Bill, Frederick Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park in New York, and Daniel Burnham, the main architect, who also designed the Flatiron Building in New York are some of the individuals the author provides interesting details. Many products we use today were first put on display at the fair such as the zipper and Shredded Wheat cereal. Every midway at a fair now has a ferris wheel, the first one being at the 1893 Chicago fair. To me, the story of the mass murderer, H. H. Holmes is an interesting sidelight in this book. The story of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 is the main story, and one in which I knew nothing about other than my grandfather telling me he saw Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at the fair. The details of making the fair a reality and the people who flocked to the fair despite the difficult economic conditions at the time make this book truly interesting reading.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting reading
Review: I say haunting because the ghosts of the White City and the victims of H.H. Holmes must still lurk in Chicago. They will haunt your memories of this book. I cannot add much to what other reviewers have outlined, except that I was fascinated in this read by two subjects that I have had zero interest in, architecture and serial killers. Thankfully, the author does not concentrate on the "grisly" aspects of Holmes killings, but on the hypnotic man himself. You shudder to think there are many "Holmes" out there today walking among us. As for the Columbian Exposition, it just confirms my earlier suspicions that society was reaching a crescendo at the turn of the 20th century and has since went into decline. A very good read.
Rating:
Summary: A Non-fiction Masterpiece
Review: Erik Larson has delivered a major accomplishment. This book reads like a thriller, but with such a rich sense of turn-of-the-century atmosphere that you will feel as if you are walking the dank streets of 1890s Chicago. Larson skillfully fuses two contemporaneous events, the World's Fair and the depravities of a serial killer, which was not uncovered until some years after the closing of the fair. Larson shows how the two are inter-related, and how both are illustrative of the seismic changes America experienced in the 1890s. The contrast between the two is striking: the World's Fair created hope in Chicago that the Second City would not only become a world center of culture, but also re-assert America's predominance in engineering. The fair created an opportunity for evil to flourish. A fascinating, well-researched, and brilliantly written work. This is my first experience with Larson's writing, and I'm going to get a copy of everything he has published.
Rating:
Summary: Great book........
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of interesting facts about the World's Fair and About H.H.Holmes. I found it highly enjoyable. I love to read about history and this is one book I would recommend if you are interested in history and the other side of the story. I also bought 2 other books about H.H. Holmes after I read this one. Very interesting. All three books.
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