Tweet
#BorgonReviews - Books - "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Murderers throughout history aren’t a rare occurrence. From genocidal dictators to serial killers, it is easy to find more than you want to know about death. However, it isn’t always that the story of one of these people that give sense to their lives only by taking those of others intertwines with wondrous architectural achievements. I chose to read this book after learning that the case of the Chicago World Fair and America’s first serial killer went hand in hand through the years of the late 1890s and beginning of 1900s. It seemed almost unreal that it was possible for something that was trying so hard to fix and help society would open the way for the devastation of families through murder and slander. This description is what caught my eye when browsing through books to read. Two thrilling stories shaped into a whole, while providing historical context of the era got me to select this book without a further thought.
The Devil in the White City is narrated from two and, at certain intervals, even three different perspectives. One of the two main stories focuses on Daniel Burnham. He was a man who made a name for himself as an architect in the city of Chicago. The story narrates how, after Paris’ Exposition Universelle, the United States felt the need to create a World Fair that would not only be equivalent to, but in fact cast a shadow over Paris’ exposition, including their prized possession: the Eiffel Tower. The designated city for this was Chicago, and the man destined to bring the fair into existence was Burnham. His story focuses on both personal and business life, the hardships of building the fair including financial, economic, and even meteorological obstacles, and how he tried to overcome them for the future of the 1893 fair.
The second story within the book is that of Herman Webster Mudgett, more infamously known as H. H. Holmes, the serial killer. His tale focuses on the real events that took place in the years before and after the Chicago World Fair in which he performed a series of scams to acquire enough assets to build a hotel close to the fair that would attract more victims into his web of murder. Through Erik Larson’s thorough research one can get a very clear picture of how Homes did what he did and, more importantly, how he managed to go unnoticed for so long.
Larson’s narrative throughout the book is both enticing and thrilling. His style is so dynamic that for Burnham’s point of view you can feel the seriousness and formality of the tone, while when speaking for Holmes the writing becomes casual and relaxed, even more mysterious to a certain degree. This variety within the story keeps the reader on the edge of his seat throughout the entire book with increasing curiosity about the outcome of both stories. A highlight of the book can be found in almost every chapter that relates to Holmes. Larson managed to write the character in such a way that the reader not only finds out what the murderer was doing, but can even feel goosebumps as one delves deeper into the mind of the man that, at the time, seemed perfectly normal to everyone around him. This is exemplified by a quote early on in the book:
Overall Opinion
This is a book that can be enjoyed by people of a variety of interests, from murder-mystery novels to genres as different from the book as science fiction. However, I personally recommend it to students of history as it will have a more lasting effect on them. Although it is historical fiction, there are times in which the book feels very much like reading a history textbook, especially in Burnham’s story. However, Larson succeeds in always keeping the story interesting despite all the information that is being delivered. This might not be the type of book that one simply can’t seem to put down, but it is enthralling enough that the reader will get from start to finish having knowledge of the years before World War I that they might have not even understood prior to reading the book. It gives one a true feel as to how the people acted and lived in that period, and delivers an astounding story as well.
My final rating is 7 out of 10 BorgBalls.
You can compare this to Goodreads' 4 out of 5 and Amazon's 4.3 out of 5.
I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you do decide to pick up The Devil in the White City, be sure to let me know what you think.
The Devil in the White City is narrated from two and, at certain intervals, even three different perspectives. One of the two main stories focuses on Daniel Burnham. He was a man who made a name for himself as an architect in the city of Chicago. The story narrates how, after Paris’ Exposition Universelle, the United States felt the need to create a World Fair that would not only be equivalent to, but in fact cast a shadow over Paris’ exposition, including their prized possession: the Eiffel Tower. The designated city for this was Chicago, and the man destined to bring the fair into existence was Burnham. His story focuses on both personal and business life, the hardships of building the fair including financial, economic, and even meteorological obstacles, and how he tried to overcome them for the future of the 1893 fair.
The second story within the book is that of Herman Webster Mudgett, more infamously known as H. H. Holmes, the serial killer. His tale focuses on the real events that took place in the years before and after the Chicago World Fair in which he performed a series of scams to acquire enough assets to build a hotel close to the fair that would attract more victims into his web of murder. Through Erik Larson’s thorough research one can get a very clear picture of how Homes did what he did and, more importantly, how he managed to go unnoticed for so long.
Larson’s narrative throughout the book is both enticing and thrilling. His style is so dynamic that for Burnham’s point of view you can feel the seriousness and formality of the tone, while when speaking for Holmes the writing becomes casual and relaxed, even more mysterious to a certain degree. This variety within the story keeps the reader on the edge of his seat throughout the entire book with increasing curiosity about the outcome of both stories. A highlight of the book can be found in almost every chapter that relates to Holmes. Larson managed to write the character in such a way that the reader not only finds out what the murderer was doing, but can even feel goosebumps as one delves deeper into the mind of the man that, at the time, seemed perfectly normal to everyone around him. This is exemplified by a quote early on in the book:
“He was affectionate and impossible to ruffle. ‘In his home life I do not think there was ever a better man than my husband,’ Myrta said. ‘He never spoke an unkind word to me or our little girl, or my mother. He was never vexed or irritable but was always happy and free from care.”
The book is so well done that there will even come a time when the reader knows Holmes to such a degree that they can predict what his next move will be. Despite a relatively bland ending, The Devil in the White City is well worth the time to read.Overall Opinion
This is a book that can be enjoyed by people of a variety of interests, from murder-mystery novels to genres as different from the book as science fiction. However, I personally recommend it to students of history as it will have a more lasting effect on them. Although it is historical fiction, there are times in which the book feels very much like reading a history textbook, especially in Burnham’s story. However, Larson succeeds in always keeping the story interesting despite all the information that is being delivered. This might not be the type of book that one simply can’t seem to put down, but it is enthralling enough that the reader will get from start to finish having knowledge of the years before World War I that they might have not even understood prior to reading the book. It gives one a true feel as to how the people acted and lived in that period, and delivers an astounding story as well.
My final rating is 7 out of 10 BorgBalls.
You can compare this to Goodreads' 4 out of 5 and Amazon's 4.3 out of 5.
I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you do decide to pick up The Devil in the White City, be sure to let me know what you think.