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Summary: Intriguing, detailed historical fiction
Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. As a New Yorker, I was fascinated with detailed descriptions and a look back at the area where I work and live. It is extremely wordy, with excessive description and dialogue, but if that is your cup of tea, this is the book for you! The crimes were rather graphic, dealing with children, and that was a bit rough but the means of solving the crime appealed to me, as I am involved in the forensic mental health area. If you like the intellectual calistentics of Sherlock Holmes and the wordiness of Charles Dickens, please read this book. It is long but worth the read!
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Summary: What a journey in time!
Review: Caleb Carr takes the reader back to turn of the century New York like none other. I'm a history teacher and I find myself recommending this book to my students on a daily basis. Carr captures the feel of New York as it had to be during the 1890's while he tells us a story that could be happening today. The characters became my friends and I finished the book looking forward to hearing from them again. That's history that comes alive!
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Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: I have to say I loved reading this book and when it was over I was sad... wanted more :)
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Summary: No different from 1990's New York
Review: There were no 'good ole' days! There never were. This story is set in 1890's Manhattan, a city of pimps, junkies, cocaine users, transvestite prostitutes and criminals of all sorts lurking behind every corner. I guess Manhattan was a sleaze city 100 years ago, almost like today.
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Summary: Though this is a well researched book, it failed as a story.
Review: This book reminds me of Sherlock Holmes. The book is intellectually well written, but it failed to evoke the reader's emotions felt for the characters in the book. The alienist is too occupied with his theories whilst others did the real job for him. The development of characters becomes weaker due to the much precise in details of background informations and technical issues of how to detect a crime. It also results in slowing down the intensity of the story. The writing style is rather slow and deteched in the way of describing the characters and events. The killer becomes less freightening by somehow degrading him into a simple psychopathatic being in the end. He deserves more of his own grounds instead of some staggering manners. I hope that next books of Mr. Carr will be less technical and with more human enough characters that makes the reader to forget it's only a fiction.
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Summary: Wonderful book. don't miss it!
Review: Who ever said the characters are flat? Nonsense! The story of putting together a group of farsighted investigators to discover the identity of a new kind of murderer,the serial killer is engrossing from page 1. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!
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Summary: A fascinating, enthralling read I could not put down!
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. Caleb Carr was able to pry open the mind of a nineteenth century serial killer and peek inside, but he did it in such a fashion as to not lose the reader with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo. His characters in the book are each uniquely developed with different traits and skills, allowing each of them to bring their own style to the story (everyone from a young street punk to a rehabilitated murderer).Carr also told the story in the context of the time. He took great care to map out the history and tradition of late nineteenth century New York City. By describing New York City in such a concise and descriptive manner, Carr only hepled to make this book an even more enjoyable read. At about 600 pages, this book was a little long for my tastes, but I had no trouble following the plot or the intracacies in Carr's descriptions of history and psychology. This book was terrific. I can't say enough about it, and not surprisingly, I highly reccommend it.
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Summary: Dark and evil as New - York has ever been
Review: "The Alienist" is a wonderfully written story, ominous and dark, revealing the worst parts of human behaviour. It will not take you long to finish this one...
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Summary: Incomparable
Review: One of the best books I have ever read. I find myself constantly looking for other books like this one. Unfortunately, few authors have spent the time to throughly research their stories and even fewer possess the sheer writing genius of Carr, who can weave a tale like no other. I have also read the Angel of Darkness and found it just as engrossing. I have heard that Carr plans to write a series of books, using each of his main characters as narrator for each separate tale. I can't wait to hear Sara's story, or that of the Isaacson brothers. All characters are wholly enjoyable and will undoubtedly make excellent storytellers when their times come. I know that whatever Carr chooses to write will be well worth the wait.
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Summary: A spine-tingling tale of excitement. Insomnia? Yeah right.
Review: This story is absolutely fascinating. I couldn't put it down for days. If too much detail scares you, then this is not for you. But if you enjoy a story that makes you gasp, scream, or scared to be alone, this is the best you can find. I have never gotten into a story more. Spellbinding. I say none better. The characters were each so amiable and so human, so well defined by the master word weaver Carr. Up until the end, a rollercoaster of thrills and sadness sure to please a cultured reader.
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