The Diva Review:
This is another one of those books that I took a chance on. And was happy I did. It's really two unrelated stories tied together by one of the most amazing events in American history, the Chicago World's Fair. I really enjoyed that this amazing story is culled from true events. Larsen is a master storyteller and makes every detail a "wow."
The book chronicles the lives of two very different men, each building their dream. One of the men was Daniel Burnham, who fought politics, horrendous weather and personal setbacks to build his vision of an enchanted city to house the fair. And the other was Henry Holmes, a charming, psychotic killer who takes advantage of the bustle of the fair to lure young women to their death in his World's Fair Hotel. This isn't a spoiler - you know that I don't do that! Larsen warns us early on about Holmes.
On the one hand, the anatomy of a serial killer is fascinating. It's particularly interesting because record keeping at that time was so limited that people could get away with a lot more for a lot longer than they ever could today. Holmes is a very intriguing character, made all the more interesting in comparison to Burnham.
By the time Burnham started work on designing the Chicago World's Fair, he was already a highly regarded and accomplished architect. He was a man of incredible dedication and vision who created a truly amazing mini-city – especially when you consider what went into building in those days. Aside from that, many of the inventions that we take for granted today were created for the fair.
It's a very interesting way to tell a story. On their own, both stories are really good. Together they give us a snapshot of a point in time when the impossible happened.
|
|
|
Diva Interviews