"The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson is hand down one of the best books I have ever read. Larson used so many creative writing techniques to pull the story together, and the book had a very interesting plot that kept me wanting to read more. This is the first book I have read by Erik Larson, but I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future. The subject of the book was the Worlds Fair in Chicago. The book spared no details in the process of deciding which city the fair would be in, where in the city the fair would be held, and who to put in charge of the project. A man named Daniel Burnham was a renouned architect in the city, and was chosen to oversee the fair. He and his partner John Root hired other architects from around the country in an attempt to build the largest, most spectacular fair the world had seen. It also followed the murders of Henry Holmes, who lived in the city during the time of the fair. He was a sly man who lured many women to their deaths in his hotel.
The story takes place in the early 1890s in Chicago. After the world fair in France, America feels that it needs to exhibit their talent in a similar way. The whole country is counting on the coordinators to finish the fair on time and to do an even better job than the French. There is tension everywhere, and everybody is blaming others. The fair is set up in a desolate place called Jackson Park, but a group effort turns it into "The White City".
Larson's target audience for this book was from a young adult audience to middle aged people. Most young teens won't understand the language being used, and the story wouldn't be as appealing. I also feel that a very old audience wouldn't like to read about death and tragedy that is portrayed in the book. His purpose for writing this was mostly to entertain, and partly to inform. Before reading this, I didn't realize how huge the fair really was, and how much effort was put into it. He makes the story more interesting by adding in the story of Holmes.
In the past, when books have switched between two different stories or viewpoints, I immediately put the book down. I could never get through the books because it was not a consistent story I could follow. Larson kept both stories interesting, and it was the first book written in this style that I really enjoyed. He introduced many characters, and developed all of them through the book which made it much easier to understand. Although his descriptions were a bit wordy and bland at times, Larson did a great job of painting an image on my head. The tone of the book overall wasn't really happy or sad, it played back and forth. So many problems were encountered during the fair, but every now and again a huge success would be made. One word to describe the tone of the book would be serious. The book went into detail of the business and behind the scenes making of the fair, and it was no joking matter. Neither was the life of Holmes, or the stories of the women he lured into his hotel.
Burnham and company face multiple struggles in the process of constructing the fair. Everything that could have gone wrong did. The roof on the "Manufacturers and Liberal Arts building" collapsed more than once. Nobody could agree on anything. The head of landscaping, Olmstead was extremely particular, and needed everything to go his way. John Root died before the fair opened. The ground under the buildings couldn't support their weight. Despite the odds, the World Fair opened on time, and it made a profit. At the same time, Larson tells the life of Holmes and his murder victims.He opens "The Worlds Fair Hotel" to attract people, and then burns them in his kiln or gas chamber. He sells the skeletons to universities, and becomes very good at what he does. Eventually, he does get caught and is sentenced to death.
The book goes over the transformation of a dreary, grey city into a place that people wanted to visit from all over the world. The struggle of meeting deadlines and outdoing France's Eiffel tower took it's toll on the architects. The first Ferris Wheel attracted many visitors, as did "The Worlds Fair Hotel". The story was dark at times, but it was factual and gripping. I would recommend this book to anybody.
