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Comments (16)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 16 of 16 items
Jun 05, 2022Fast100Reader rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Too creepy. I can think this stuff up on my own... The parts about the World's Fair were fascinating, but I'd skim over the murder story.
Apr 07, 2022FloraWest rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
A disappointment. Whereas Devil in the White City seamlessly weaved together two nonfiction historical narratives, this books feels very much like he was looking for a way to repeat the pattern and it felt forced.
Dec 30, 2020
Left off on page 106.
Nov 30, 2020JCLRachelN rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Larson takes two elements of history and tells each progressing story in alternative chapters until they intertwine, showing the impact they have on the other. Depending on your interests, you may find one storyline more appealing. I enjoy…
Nov 02, 2019Boddenam rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
If this is your first Erik Larson, put this book down and pick up Devil in the White City. If you loooooove it, you should like this book. I absolutely loved Devil and Beasts but this book starts out a bit slower with quite a bit of…
Jul 27, 2019jquick99 rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Wayyy too much on the history of electricity/wireless technology and not enough on the murder plot. Super boring.
Nov 01, 2018emmckee rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I preferred "The Devil in the White City" but this book was also interesting in its own way. Larson's device of intersecting two contemporaneous stories can be disjointed, but I do enjoy how they end up being connected, especially in…
Mar 15, 2018orange_lobster_23 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Erik Larson's uncanny way of intersecting historical personalities and events always captivates me. Unlike "Devil in the White City" and "Dead Wake", which I previously read, Larson choses to focus mainly two events: Marconi and…
Mar 03, 2018brobertb rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
After reading and really enjoying one of his other books "Dead Wake", I was looking forward to reading this one. After inching along and having to renew it once, though, I still hadn't read much of it. Too much jumping back and forth…
Jun 23, 2015chamc01 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Lots of great period detail. The way he meshes the two story lines is so interesting.
Jane60201
Oct 21, 2013Jane60201 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An excellent book. The switches in themes were a little distracting but both themes were well researched and written.
gwsuperfan
May 02, 2012gwsuperfan rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Thunderstruck was great, although I'm sure some folks will be irritated by the focus on the development of wireless telegraphy distracting from the core story of the allegedly murderous doctor. This seems to be a pattern in Larson's books:…
Mar 14, 2012Dub rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Excellent read. Historical drama and tying the two separate stories together in the end was extremely effective. Well written and a good page turner.
Jan 30, 2012ownedbydoxies rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Interesting book, but flipping from one person to the other throughout, made it a little difficult to really find interest in either individual. His other books are better, in my opinion. That being said, this still was well-written and…
markengpns
Jan 12, 2012
This book was not nearly as interesting as Devil in the White City. I am an electrical engineer and even I found this one easy to put down. The story just isn't that interesting, and the writing doesn't keep the reader's attention.
Sep 15, 2007gailygirl rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
For someone who finds it hard to read non-fiction, this was a page turner. Written in the style of The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester where we have two stories being told "at once," knowing that sooner or later they will…