2022 ONTD Reading Challenge discussion

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

Blurb from Goodreads:

Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

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Feel free to discuss below. Remember to add spoiler tags. (Hope I'm posting this correctly!)

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I'm currently reading the book but I find some parts a bit tedious to get through (like the details about the life of the architects). The fair itself sounds fascinating! And I mainly chose this book because it's the closest thing to true crime on the list, but I'm hoping I can finish it before the month ends so that I can get started on my second pick.

i read this a few years ago and found it to be super tedious, and have avoided the authors other books because of it.

I found it tedious too. I felt impatient during the architecture chapters (my own fault for choosing a book about a topic I couldn't care less about, tbh) but I guess that made the Holmes chapters that much more interesting? lol

Haha! I read this as my first Larson book a couple years ago and I loved it, and sought out his other books because of it. I think I've read 3 others? (Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin)

I was a history major in college and read a lot of books by historians who wrote really dry, boring tomes. Erik Larson is really good at making history read like a novel, I thought. This is my favorite of his books.

I read this a few years ago and found half of it tedious... but I think it was actually the HH Holmes story I found boring. I liked reading about the World's Fair history but I guess the minutiae of construction, etc can be dry.

Reading it now and I agree that parts can be tedious but overall I'm really liking it. All the World's Fair stuff is really interesting to me and I'm a true crime buff so the HH Holmes parts are interesting as well.

Too much "White City," not enough "Devil" imo.

Edit - Somehow I'm not at all surprised to discover that this is being turned into a Martin Scorsese movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

anolinde wrote: "Edit - Somehow I'm not at all surprised to discover that this is being turned into a Martin Scorsese movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio."

Yeah, I think Leo is too old to be HH. I kinda think Aaron Taylor-Johnson would've been a better pick. C'est la vie.

I think I'm officially shelving this book. I've read a few chapters and I just can't motivate myself to pick it up again because it feels like a chore :/

Gotta find something else to read for Feb now :)

Well I finally finished it about a week late. Overall I enjoyed it, the world's fair stuff is so fascinating. And while the HH Holmes parts were interesting they weren't as, I don't know, suspenseful? as I had hoped. Anyway, I gave it 4 stars.