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Great flow between these storylines to paint turn of the century Chicago. Amazing piece of writing that was definitely entertaining. I am amazed that the historical and architectural aspects of the story intrigued me and drew me in as much as the serial killer portion.
In this way, with the story of Holmes is embedded within another story, and the feeling of horror and the gruesome activities of this man are somehow eased. Holmes. Once again, however, Larson manages to tell a good story, and to bring history to life along with the tale of tragedy. I find myself having difficulty finding descriptive words for this man.
Well, Larson did it again in this book. Rather than being left with only repugnance as otherwise would be the case. This time, it is the story of the the creation and eventually the destruction of the Chicago World's Fair, and those who dedicated an important part of their lives to building it. He takes an event from history, one that has many gruesome and tragic aspects, and weaves an amazing story.
If you read the book, you will understand why, as simply confirming him as a killer, does not come close to describing what he did. this man is a storyteller of extraordinary talent. Much of the book was dedicated to the horrors committed by one H.H. At least, Holmes was one of many names used by this murderer.
UGH. At one point, the author goes so far as to provide a list of the frequency of illnesses caused at the fair, including one case of extreme flatulence. This was awful. I only bought this book because I like Scott Brick, but even his narration couldn't save this book. I have never read (listened) to a book that was so full of minutia before.
There are lots of characters, which sometimes I have difficulty tracking, but these folks are unique enough to make it fairly easy to follow who's who and who's doing what when. It's long at 400 pages and the print is small (have I revealed my age). I really enjoyed this book and I am not usually a historical fiction fan. References are made frequently to future acts of notoriety which I haven't gotten along enough to see if they pan out but it's a great read. so may be a bit too long for a monthly book club selection. Well I take that back; I haven't been a historical fiction fan since James Michener and although Larson is no Michener, he captures the balance between fiction and fact to keep it interesting. It moves along at a good pace which is often my chief complaint of some of the best sellers.
Do yourself a favor and discover this book for yourself. Every chapter is made memorable with deeply felt grace notes that I was compelled to go back and reread. Not often rendered jealous, but I must confess that Mr. Larson's research and fluid writing style displayed within these pages is most impressive.Rather than repeat what so many others have already mentioned about this outstanding book's contents: the depiction of a bygone America which, for the sake of us all, particularly for our progency, is not entirely gone, I must commend the author for all the simple yet lyrical sentences he managed to flavor his narrative so often with.
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