The Devil in the White City (Abridged): Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America Audiobook

" This one was too hard for me to follow, but the overall story seems to be great. "

" Interesting story on the worlds fair in Chicago. History of a lot of things we are familiar with. "

" Interesting characters made more because its true. While the story of the Chicago World's Fair White City was interesting, I would have preferred more on Mr. Holmes. But overall a well balanced read. "

" This book was pretty easy to read. It really was a good history of how the Worlds Fair in Chicago came together with the side story of a secretive killer at work. "

" The footnotes hold a few gems as well. Not as compelling to me as isaac's Storm. "

" Fascinating story, all the more because it is based on history. "

" Erik Larson certainly investigates his material thoroughly and with pleasure, but he asserts that his role is not to contribute to academia, but to "animate history", a goal which he, for the most part, accomplishes in his much celebrated account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and one of America's first serial killers. Larson thoughtfully entwines the two distinct stories, giving readers a welcome relief from the details of one to jump back to the other, all the while maintaining a level of suspense that shouldn't be possible in a work of non-fiction, yet none the less drives the work forward. Toward the end, however the work drags a bit, and there's an awkward chronological jump in the Holmes story. Still, history buffs and trivial pursuers will enjoy the plethora of connected facts, spinoff tales, and entwined destinies, and all readers will come away knowing and caring more about the time than they ever did before. "

" It was a very interesting well documented book. I had previously read Larson's the garden of beasts and I find him a very gifted writer, he is one hell of a historian, but it's a real accomplishment to be able to give real hard accurate historical facts without sounding to technical or boring. Highly recommend this book to any historical buffs out there! "

" Loved the historical side of this book! "

" I didn't enjoy the intertwining of the two stories. One did not give much needed context to the other. It was just ok. "

" incredible! loved the history and though it was super alarming, it was captivating. i love this author! "

" Great book. I preferred the history chapters to the thriller murderer mystery chapters but it was a great read. I felt transported to the Chicago world's fair. "

" Very engrossing. Fascinating intersection between Chicago's history, the building of the World's Fair, industry, and murder. Couldn't put it down and finished this within 3 days. "

" A little hard to get started but very interesting, especially if you are from the Chicagoland area "

" Good book. Enjoyed reading it. "

" Book club loved this but I didn't. Liked learning about all the inventions inspired by the exposition including AC electricity, the Ferris wheel etc. but I didn't get why he put in the serial killer thing. Well I did but I didn't care frankly. "

" His best book! True life murder mystery with amazing descriptions of the World's Fair. "

" One of my favorite books "

" The book was great when it came to the part about the actual murderer...it dragged out too much about the contruction of the city and the fair and reading tow chapters about board meetings for building the fair, it was all just too much really.. "

" Interesting interplay between the career of a serial killer and how the Chicago World's Fair was put together. The author makes it all hang together. Book provides useful insight into the development of engineering in the U.S. "

" I just couldn't get invested in this book. "

" A page-turning jaunt through two of my favorite subjects, architecture and madness. They are blended here in a way that makes raising buildings seem suspenseful and murder intellectually intriguing. This is the most interesting history you'll ever read. "

" Enjoyed learning about the WORLDS FAIR . "

" Tried three times to read this. Never once could finish it. "

" One of my favorite historical fiction books! Loved it! "

" BRILLIANT. I dare anyone to point me to a better, can't-put-down pc of nonfiction. "

" If you really like your history then pick up this book. It definitely starts off slow but picks up once you get to the fair "

" I thought my favorite part of the book would be the murderer but I was fascinated by the architect instead! "

" Great book! Creepy! Vividly describes Chicago and architecture in the 1890s. "

" This was a riveting book- but a slow read. I am not a non-fiction reader typically so I found the level of detail excruciating at times, but I'm very glad that I 'soldiered through.' "

" I really enjoyed the parts about H.H. Homes. I grew tired of reading about the fair though. "

" It took a while to really get into this one...but, the second half had me hooked. "

" What can I say? Everyone in Chicago is into this book. "

" History that reads like a novel! Loved it. "

" A bit dry at times, but a true story written like fiction. Loved the history. "

" It was interesting to see how the lives of the two men intertwined, but if you aren't a Chicagoan all the place references were confusing. Also, the switching back and forth between all of the different story-lines made it hard to remember who everyone was and made the pacing rather slow. "

" Would have been just as good without the serial killer part of the story--maybe even better. The story of the architects was the most fascinating to me. "

" This book was fantastic! It is two stories in one and both are completely engaging. "

" A little slow to get into, but once you get going, very interesting. "

" Great book! A non fiction that reads as fiction. The planning and creation of the Chicago World's Fair is dramatically reinacted, along with the plans and actions of one of nation's worst serial killer. The book is a good read for men and women of all ages. "

" It's a history book that reads like a novel. Read it as a chronicle of American ingenuity and progress, or as a story of intrigue and ambition. "