So I just completed my second Erik Larson book - the first being Dead Wake. And honestly, I was pretty excited to read Devil in the White City because I did enjoy Dead Wake quite a lot, and I had heard a number of good things about Devil in the White City. The questions for me were whether I would like Devil in the White City and whether I am going to enjoy reading all of Larson's book. My logic is simple - if I enjoy the first two books of his that I read then I am going to enjoy them all.
So Devil in the White City was an excellent work, I really enjoy his compelling but clean writing style. He is often compared to novelists, and I think that's fair. What he really does well is put the reader in the shoes of the people he is writing about. Now, the fact that he does this well may not be something everyone likes. For those history purists who don't like the liberties of imagination that are necessary to write this way may not appreciate this approach. At the end of the day, these popular histories are really a different genre than academic history.
So before I get into the plot, I did want to say that I really enjoyed the contextual history at the beginning of the book, as well as descriptions of life in Chicago generally. The way people lived in these growing urban centres in the 1880s and 1890s was very different, perhaps closer to life in medieval times than in our age.
For example, the removal of refuse was almost non-existant and garbage, manure and animal bodies lay about the streets. Often this waste simply washed in the lake, where it contaminated the drinking water. And the pollution from coal smoke and other fires created a general haze. Life in Chicago, although exciting, was something less than sanitary. Disease was rampant.
As far as the story goes, there are basically three separate plot lines in Devil in the White City and these three plots really only have loose connection.
The main plot is the story of the 1893 World's Fair that took place in Chicago, including its design, construction and operation. The main character is Daniel Burhnam who was the chief architect and driving force for the design and construction of the event. Of course, there were many other important architects, engineers and contributors who worked tirelessly on the project.
The secondary plot is the story of Dr. Herman W. Mudget, better known by his alias H. H. Holmes. Holmes used the transient and wild Chicago environment to lure unsuspecting women, men and children to their deaths.
The third sub-plot was the story of Patrick Pendergast and his tragic obsession with the Mayor of Chicago.
The story of the World's Fair took up the balance of the Devil in the White City. While it was interesting in its own right, I could see people who picked up the book for the story of Holmes being somewhat disappointed with how the narrative is balanced. I enjoyed the history of the creation of the World's Fair, but at times I did find it slow.
The story of Holmes on the other hand, the building of his hotel, his activities in Chicago and his ultimate downfall was very compelling, if creepy reading. The problem with this aspect of the story is that it is largely conjecture. Its hard to know what aspect of the work is factual and what is conjecture, imaginary details that filled in very incomplete facts about Homes and his victims stories. I guess that as long as you know that the story of Holmes borders on historical fiction, then I there is no harm.
Basically, the book rotates back and forth between the history of the World Fair and the story of Dr. Holmes and his actions. Here and there, we catch up with Mr. Pendergast and the Mayor. I really enjoy the way Larson creates the narrative and rotates through the stories. It keeps the plot fast and fresh, and really helps build the anticipation as the events unfold.
The book really does have a remarkable pace and is as exciting as any novel. It's a book that I highly recommend if you are interested in history.
Publication date: Feb 10 2004 | Publisher: Vintage | Page Count: 464
Great Source for Buying Books:
I often buy new books at a very good price from Book Outlet. As I understand it, Book Outlet sells overstock books received directly from new bookstores. You can find a broad range of genres, publication dates as well as soft covers and hardcover.
If you are interested in checking out Book Outlet, please follow my link. I don't get paid for referrals, but I can earn credits that are applicable to my own book orders. Help me read and review books so that you can avoid things or find things that are up your alley!
Comments
Post a Comment