From the Bookshelf of Bound Together…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought

This book was terribly interesting. A story about the 1893 Chicago World Fair could have been dry, but it wasn't at all. Erik Larson is an amzing writer. Originally I had the feeling that the serialm killer element would be needed to boost interest on a dry subjucet, the fair. This was completely wrong. The author makes the fair come alive. You really feel the excitement of the fair. You wish with all your heart you could be there. You see the fair so clearly. You smell it. You hear it. You feel
...more

Yay! My first finished book of 2016! I'm giving the full 5 stars because this is exactly the type of book that gets me reading and looking up other information. It's packed full of famous names and inventions from history and the dual storyline of Dr Holmes and the Chicago Exposition kept the story moving along - making it pretty quick to finish. There were parts that made me question if the author took too much liberty in imagining what things were like in a certain scene, but I didn't care. Th
...more

Very fascinating historical account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and a very charming chap slowly, methodically murdering scores of young women nearby. Loved all the references to places in Chicago and all around No. Illinois (even Big Foot is mentioned!). I was amazed at many points. Also bored sometimes, but overall I highly recommend.
...more

At the same time that many of the most powerful and creative minds in the U.S. were joining forces to make the 1893 Chicago World Fair an international success, a psychopath was luring untold numbers of young girls to their death and swindling financial institutions out of countless sums of money in the same city. Larson manages to compile copious amounts of research into an interesting narrative. The history of the Herculean effort to build and manage the Worlds Fair is told in alternating chap
...more

This was a compelling read. The title isn't audacious--this book lays out in engaging fashion how the United States was emerging as a cultural bohemith on the world stage. The juxtaposition of the serial killer's work with the Fair's construction is high irony. I wish my history books in high school were as griping to ready. Excellent book.
...more

Sep 03, 2008
Carolyn
marked it as browse-to-read-someday
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller,
historical-fiction

Nov 03, 2008
Melissa
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
audiobooks-for-eddy

Nov 30, 2009
Gaijinmama
marked it as to-read

Feb 25, 2010
Kristin
marked it as to-read

Dec 22, 2010
Meera
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
books-i-own

Jun 20, 2011
Michelle
marked it as to-read

Nov 22, 2011
Angie
marked it as to-read

Aug 10, 2012
Stephanie
marked it as to-read-eventually


Sep 10, 2015
Lindsay
marked it as to-read

Mar 02, 2017
Amy
marked it as to-read

Sep 10, 2017
Karen
marked it as to-read