Rating: 
Summary: Great Read!
Review: I agree with your reader review from Michigan. Loved the book but was craving more photos and illustrations throughout. Fortunately Larson gives you incredible details which does help you to visualize what it must have been like. For anyone who has ever lived in Chicago OR who has taken the architectural tour(s) there, this book will be particularly interesting.
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Summary: TWO STORIES IN ONE
Review: THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY essentially follows two separate plot lines that only have the 1893 World's Fair in common. Set in the economic depression of the late 19th century, the World's Fair appears to be destined to remain as a dream as one challenge after another faced the architects and tested their will. The reader follows the conceptualization and implementation of the architect's grand plans to not only stun the remainder of the country but also to show the world that Chicago is a city grander than the meat-packing plants and heavy industry that it is most known for. Meanwhile, in the nearby area of Englewood a serial killer is preying on vulnerable young women who tend to disappear without causing suspicions. These two stories join together at the height of the World's Fair and will forever change the city of Chicago.I love to learn about the history of Chicago, and Erik Larson should be commended for bringing this important part of American history to life. Although we know that the history of the World's Fair is a success, THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY manages to keep you on the edge. Larson's prose successfully maintains suspense in both plot lines and I couldn't wait to finish the book so I can find out what happened. I can't imagine a more creepy psychopath than Holmes; to acknowledge that he did exist simply sends chills down my spine. In this instance I believe that fact is more terrifying than fiction. THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE rivals other non-fiction I have recently read. If you enjoy a good story based in fact, check out this book. You most likely won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Coulda' Shoulda' Been Better
Review: I was disappointed in this book, especially after having enjoyed Isaac's Storm. I can not help but think it could have been and should have been better. The book follows two and a half themes - the building of the Chicago's great fair, the Columbus Exposition, a serial murderer named (alias) Holmes and the half theme, another murderer named Pendergrast. Although the Pendergrast theme is the least of the three (only about 25 pages devoted to it) it was the most gripping. Larsen's account of the fair itself is, as one might expect, extremely well-researched. However, the telling is filled with redundancies. There were probably as many pages devoted to the landscape artist Olmstead's physical maladies as there were to Pendergrast's madness. By the end of this book, you will surely know he suffered from insomnia, toothache, etc. Mr. Larsen must tell it six or eight times. More space was devoted to building delays and weather induced problems than in descriptions of what actually was built. Since there are a dirth of photos of the architectural wonders Larsen wants the reader to appreciate, this was a short-coming. The book devotes more to the problems of building than the end result. The story of Holmes' murders never grips the reader as it should. Possibly because there are few firm facts. Mr. Larsen acknowledges this in his Notes and Sources at the end of the book. Holmes is an interesting story unto himself and Larsen does well to try and weave him into the fair story. Unfortunately, due to the lack of hard facts, the story of the killer never raises the tension as one might think. Mr. Larsen's emphases just seemed to be misplaced making what could have been a riveting read a somewhat tediously plodding one.
Rating: 
Summary: The builder and the destroyer
Review: This extremely well-written book takes us back to the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, an event that appears to have dropped from sight in American history. It was quite an undertaking, with the stated goal of outclassing the earlier Fair in Paris, France. The story goes along two tracks, one which covers the fair and its chief architect, and another which covers the career of America's first serial killer. Both tales are very interesting, but obviously the more gruesome story is the more attractive, particularly from the standpoint of the mental state of the perpetrator, and the details (what are known) of his crimes. The author does the best he can with some skimpy data on Holmes, the killer, but he covers the Fair extremely well, and even though we might want to learn even more than he presents to us, his book gives us the flavor of the times and the people involved, and shows what can be done by a city and an organization that pulls together for a common goal. This is a book well worth reading, and you will more than likely learn something new about an almost forgotten part of our collective past.
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Summary: can't go wrong with this one
Review: This is an engrossing tale about the essence of modern america, magnificently reconstructed and researched and elegantly written. It is a pleasure to read such a fascinating story and to discover the secrets of a cast of characters that would have made many a novelist proud. Almost a gothic romance, a hidden history of an age in the making and a sharp and enticing portrait of an era that shapped the myth of our society. A great tale picked from real life by a great storyteller with the right stuff to do it, and the reader, justice. Go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: A thoroughly enjoyable read with many interesting facts about the Chicago World's Fair. Adding the mystery of an actual serial killer really helped move the story along. I recommend this book even to those who are not history buffs. I breezed through it and wished for more.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but needs more illustrations
Review: I found this book fascinating. My only complaint is that there are not enough illustrations. I kept wanting to see more pictures of the buildings and landscaping and lagoons of the Exposition. However, the stories of the Columbian Exposition and Dr. Holmes are so interesting, it was hard to put this book down.
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Summary: Fabulous Historical True Crime Saga
Review: Author Erik Larson had set the bar pretty high for himself after his previous book, "Issac's Storm," was such a huge critical and commericial success. Surely, he couldn't top that, could he? Well, with "The Devil in the White City," Larson has produced a book at least the equal of, if not better than, his previous effort. As a work of history, this book has it all. It resurrects for the modern reader the memory of an all-too-forgotten historical event (the 1893 Chicago World's Fair) and combines it with the sensational and gruesome story of the firt American equivalent of Jack The Ripper. The book is structured as a dual biography of Daniel Hudson Burnham, the steadfast architecht who was the prime mover in making the World's Fair an astounding succes; and of Dr. H.H. Holmes, the diabolical psychopath who operated his own killing chamber in a hotel he built not far from the fairgrounds. The two men never met, nor did they have any connection other than their contemporary existance, but weaving their stories together was a brilliant choice by Larson. Larson provies plenty of colorful backdrop for his main story, vividly describing harsh life in 19th Century Chicago; the development of the first skyscrapers, the Charles Dickens-like ambiance of the streets and the colorful personalities that made it go. He also describes the amazing and lasting impact the Fair had upon America, the The Ferris Wheel, Cracker Jack and Shredded Wheat being but a few of the things that debuted there. And, of course, he graphically describes the Holmes murders and the investigation that finally brought him to justice. Larson is a diligent researcher in addition to being an excellent storyteller, and that's what makes this book so special. Overall, an outstanding work of narrative history that is like to be high on most reviewer's lists of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2003.
Rating: 
Summary: Deceptive title -- borrow it from the library
Review: Well written and mostly an enjoyable read. But I was anticipating much more information about the serial killer, Dr. Holmes, and how he was related to the World's Fair. As it turns out, Holmes and his horrific activities were not really related to the Fair at all, except by proximity and time. It's two interesting stories, not one. The book is primarily about the Exposition and it's an intriguing story, no doubt. But the story of Holmes has little to do with the Fair. It's as if someone wrote a compelling story about the Seattle World's Fair and tried to weave Ted Bundy into it because he had once lived in Seattle. It would be easy to believe that the author first wrote a history of the fair and then added the serial killer hook because his editor said it would punch up sales. A better title would be "The White City and a Creepy Guy Who Lived Down the Street".
Rating:
Summary: Que lastima! ...
Review: This book is a poorly written, mediocre attempt as a dual biography of noted architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer Herman Mudgett during the period of the Columbian Exposition of 1892-3. The book abounds with flaws of syntax and definition throughout, such as "diaspora", "impedimenta", etc.. The writing is somewhat stilted and artificial. Several sentences include lists of words, obviously drawn out of a synonym dictionary only to add emphasis, emphasis and emphasis. The author uses words over and over again ("macadam" appears at least eight times) in attempts to be erudite. Another irritating description, that occurs at least twice, is "in twentyfirst century dollars". As though the dollar in 2001 will have the same value as in 2100. Absurd in context with a history book! The book centers on the exposition, mostly, and the title is misleading. The main theme of the fair is slow-moving and generally boring. The descriptions of the "Holmes" affairs appear to be lacking and contrived to a large degree. Larson treats the installation of the Ferris Wheel from its inception with all types of cliche supense, fanfare and fantasy leading up to it being the wheel without really delivering any details on the true construction until it is nearly complete. (Like a poor mystery whose villain appears in the last chapter). The writer states some facts at least twice, such as references to shredded wheat and cracker jack, as well as some unsupported allusion to Walt Disney's father, as though someone wasn't paying attention, or possessed the same short memory span as the author seems to possess. The book is only mildly entertaining, typical of recent American culture, a bit boring and monotonous. If you are interested in biography, history of this fair, serial killers or the like, you will surely be wasting your time and money to buy this one.
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