I picked this book up a couple years ago, made it 50 pages in, and then started grad school and had to put it on hold. This is a book that requires time and perseverance to finish. I don't mean this in a bad way - it's meticulously researched, and written in a way that reads more like fiction than a textbook. It's just chock full of information and details that would fly right over your head if you weren't "in the zone" while reading. 
 We discussed this book at my book club, and came to the consensus that it seemed as though there were two separate books here - one on the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and one on serial killer H.H. Holmes. Both compelling stories, but very loosely linked merely by the fact that they both occurred in Chicago during the iconic fair. You could make the stretch that both Burnham and Holmes planned and executed incredible architectural designs (in Burnham's case, the beautiful White City, and in Holmes case, his dark and sinister hotel). Otherwise, it seemed almost as though Larson added in the Holmes story to rope in readers who weren't actually interested in the planning and implementation of the 1893 World's Fair (he certainly duped our book club!). However, more power to him if this was his plan. While I did find myself skimming some of the stretches of architectural jargon, I learned so many things about Chicago and the World's Fair that I never would have known if I hadn't been intrigued by the Holmes story and picked up this book. My favorite part was the birth of the Ferris Wheel (and hearing about some of the ludicrous plans people had submitted to "out-Eiffel" Eiffel). 
 3 stars because I did have a bit of a hard time getting through, but I definitely appreciate Larson's well-done research and compelling writing style. It's worth reading the "Notes and Sources" section to get a peek inside his research and writing process.