Rating: 
Summary: The Most Intriguing Book of the Year
Review: "The Devil In The White City" is the kind of history you won't find in text books or the topic of this week's lecture at your local high school. This is a part of history I was never taught, but should have been. These are the conclusions you will come to if you read Eric Larson's book "The Devil In The White City." In this totally absorbing book, Larson tells the story of the 1893 world's Fair in Chicago. It basically concentrates on telling the story of the man in charge of building the fair, Daniel Burnham, and America's first serial killer who used the draw and appeal of the fair to kill many people, mostly women and children. I felt that Larson ballances these two stories in an effective way. Some may say one part of the story is more focussed on than the other, but overall he does a credible job of bringing you each man's story in an entertaining way. When I say entertaining, I mean entertaining this book never is dull and reads with the richness and flavor of a great novel. Larson puts you in Chicago in 1893. The descriptions are brilliant and vivid. You can smell the smoky streets of Chicago and the horrible odor from the stockyards. The when the story shifts to the "White City" of the fair you can feel the excitement and extravagance of the fair. Larson really makes you feel what it was like to be living during that time period. Of course, the book is littered with historical figures who make cameos like Buffalo Bill Cody, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony, and others. What really impressed me were the details of the architects of that time. It really gave me an appreciation about what these men where able to accomplish. As a person who lives near Chicago it also gave me an appreciation of some of the things these men did that still exist today like the Museum Campus and the Museum of Science and Industry which is one of the few remains of the great fair. This is the kind of book that will leave you with thoughts that will remain long after reading it. It is no doubt one of the best books of the year. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love of history or what it was like to attend the great World's Fair of 1893.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent account of the era
Review: An excellent account of the city Chicago was at the time of the fair and all that went into creating the greatest exhibition man had ever seen.
Rating: 
Summary: A fitting tribute to a grand undertaking.
Review: As a native Chicagoan, I'm embarrassed to say that before reading Devil in the White City, I knew relatively little about either the city's 19th century history or the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Fortunately, Larson's informative narrative helped immeasurably in correcting those deficiencies.
Most of Devil in the White City is devoted to the impetus behind the 1893 World's Fair and the tremendous amount of work that went into the planning, construction and administration of the Fair. The central character in this portion of the book is the primary architect of the Fair, Daniel Burnham. Larson provides an excellent overview of Chicago society at the time and the challenges faced by architects of the age as they struggled to erect some of the very first skyscrapers. Anyone who enjoyed the depictions of 19th century life contained in Caleb Carr's Alienist novels or Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club should appreciate this aspect of Devil in the White City. A much smaller portion of the book deals with the cunning Dr. H.H. Holmes, a mass murderer who exploited the draw of the nearby Fair for his own nefarious amusement.
While an examination of just the World's Fair itself probably would have made for an entertaining read, Larson's decision to chronicle the contemporaneous exploits of the infamous Dr. Holmes worked for me. Just as the brilliance of the Fair's White City was offered by its creators as a tantalizing alternative to the dreary, soot-stained reality of Chicago and 19th century life, Larson's juxtaposition of the noble, progressive potential of mankind as exemplified by the Fair with the darker, baser instincts of Holmes proved both riveting and illuminating.
Ultimately, Larson's tale is imultaneously uplifting and bittersweet. Even as one marvels at how Burnham and his fellow directors were able to create such majesty in such a short period of time and against such seemingly insurmountable obstacles, it's sad to think that so little remains of the White City and its environs. Fortunately, we have Larson's engaging tribute to transport us back in time to the Fair and provide us with a glimpse of what was truly a marvelous undertaking.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - turn of the century Chicago
Review: As with Isaac's Storm, I was unable to put this book down. This is how history should be - without the boring textbook. This is the meat of history and it reads like fiction (of which I believe, someone else has remarked)- but it is true. The book gets 5 stars because my free time has turned into reading time.
Totally enthralling, this is the story of Chicago at the turn of the century - its squallor, and its changing landscape and the one man, it seems, who forged its inception into modern day history. I love Larson's research into characters and their impact on the situations. For me, the trials and tribulations of building the Columbian Exposition were more interesting than the sidebar of the serial murders. One serial murderers story is not so different from another's - really - other than name of the killer perhaps. The psychotic illness is just what it is. For those digging the serial murder stuff, read The Alienist which is superb historical fiction. I would also suggest Isaac's Storm, another superb Larson tale about the Galvaston Hurricane. Larson epitomizes great historical writing and proves that truth can be bigger than fiction, if presented well.
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Summary: Big book---worth the effort
Review: Big books seem to be back in style. It is hard to choose an all time monster but H.H. Holmes(Mudgett) surely rates right up there. This book was so unique because it was like reading two books at the same time.The author balanced the shocking behavior of the calculating murderer Holmes with some of the worlds greatest builders.A life long city dweller or just one who visits a big city will be astonished to learn just what went into Chicago's Columbian Exposition and certainly will never look at high rise buildings,Landscapes,and public parks again without thinking about this book.Before this book the likes of Burnham,Root,Olmstead and other Architect's and builders were just names of streets to most of us. Not any more.Thanks to a great deal of research by the Author.This book has something for everyone and is both shocking and delightful.Jack The Ripper,Richard Speck,John Wayne Gacy,Ted Bundy all shocked and sickened us but H.H.Holmes was clearly a monster for the ages. Would also highly recommend another great book I came across called THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD-entertaining, frightening, laugh-out-loud funny, and well written.
Rating: 
Summary: Good stories, bad writing.
Review: Both the Daniel Burnham and Henry Holmes stories are good ones to be told (yes, there are two -- it's not just about a serial killer, although it seems that's all anyone's interested in). The Chicago World's Fair and its construction is a great story, and definitely the better told one of this books two "main" plots.However, that's about where the quality stops. I agree with "Ed" from Philadelphia's review in which he discusses Larson's very poor sense of how to create tension. Larson repeatedly uses line breaks to try and create really impactful sentences, writing a paragraph and then following it up with a single sentence for more impact. Unfortunately, he does this on EVERY PAGE, which tends to sort of ruin the intended effect. He amateurishly tries to create suspense (like with the Ferris issue), and this book really suffered from a lack of photographs -- even though it states there was an official photographer of the fair -- and, in short, poor writing. And yeah, belly dancers come up on every page for no reason, and there are a lot of narratorial "guesses" in which Larson suddenly inserts his opinion on what people "probably" thought in certain situations, a technique which seems rather inappropriate, especially coming from a journalist. Add to all of this the fact that the book is terribly divided. For example, each chapter discusses a different "character" and his story; as a result, some of the shorter, less interesting stories (e.g., Prendergast's story) are scattered throughout the book, sometimes with chapters that are less than a page long. If you're really interested in these stories, pick up the book, but otherwise there's better books on both the Fair and on Henry Holmes.
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Summary: Hard to believe it's not fiction! Easy to recommend!
Review: Can the juxtaposition of a story about a serial killer and the 1893 Chicago's World Fair work? "The Devil in the White City..." proves it can.
Either tale, presented by an author as talented as Erik Larson, can make for compelling reading. The seemingly dubious decision to mix the two is a resounding success.
Meet Daniel H. Burnham, primary architect of the fair's white city. Meet H.H. Holmes, an outwardly charming, handsome man who lured, seduced and murdered dozens of young women. These two quite opposite, but equally intriguing personalities are fully revealed, as are numerous other characters (it was often hard to believe the book was NOT fiction). There are also guest appearances by various luminaries of the time such as Susan B. Anthony, Buffalo Bill, Grover Cleveland, Archduke Ferdinand and more.
An amazing time in U.S. History with an amazing assortment of people.
Larson presents the entire panorama of this pivotal period in the country's history while focusing on two main figures. One heroic (yet, like all of us, flawed) the other, outwardly so pleasant, yet at heart a veritable devil.
Highly recommended.
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Summary: Murder by the fair
Review: Erik Larson's new book, "The Devil in the White City" is simply terrific. The juxtaposition of the stories of architect Daniel Burnham and killer H. H. Holmes centered by the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 is deftly handled and Larson provides rich color in its telling. It's a hard book not to read in one sitting. While Burnham's account is related in a straightforward manner, Holmes's is not. Slowly, the author builds up the wickedness in Holmes and it is not until the last few chapters of the book that the massive evil deeds of the murderer come to light. If there ever was a tale of good and bad happening in the same city at the same time, this is it. Larson gives a good deal of historical perspective to the planning and building of the fair. He takes much pride in the detail and loves numbers. Statistics are inserted throughout the book, but never in a dry way....they are always directly relevant to the story. And what a nice sidelight regarding the first-ever Ferris wheel! I appreciated the postscript of Larson's book. Many authors leave their readers at a loss as to what happened to the characters. The author finishes them out to their collective dying days. Don't be surpised if you find yourself asking if the events in this book actually happened. It could have been a book of well-written fiction, but it is not....this is real history. Erik Larson has done a masterful job in balancing the lives of two men and the strange and wonderful people who surrounded them.
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Summary: Excellent book-The Devil's in the Details
Review: I first heard about this book when Erik Larson was interviewed on talkradio in the Bay Area awhile back. My parents are from Chicago,and having visited there several times, I've always wanted to find out more about the "cultural" history, and this book does it! I love architecture, history and a serial killer doesn't hurt for a storyline. Having read the review by a reader that some of the inclusions of famous people such as Lizzie Borden could be inaccurate, it did make me wonder if that was an aberration,not a pattern. Overall, I loved the book, but another reviewer pointed out validly, that there could have been more pictures, so that's probably my only major criticism. I would definitely recommend this book!
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Summary: Chock full of history
Review: I wasn't seeking this book out to read. I was in N.C. visiting a friend when I saw it in his place. He briefly told me what the book was about, so I read the opening pages. And then more, and then more. Eventually I asked if I could take it home and finish it. Before this book I never knew how big that fair was. How many odds were against the architects, that the Ferris wheel was born there and it was HUGE. I didn't know that on one day over 700,000 people attended the fair and A.C. electricity was born there. I didn't know who H.H. Holmes was, nor what he did. And I never knew his body lies 15 minutes from my house.
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