Jake F, The Devil in the White City

Jake Frankenfield

The Devil In the White City

Historical Fiction

Just Right

Page 45

1. Right now in my book, the plot is just taking off. The first 30 pages just gave me background information about Chicago, Burnham and Root's architecture firm and a bit about the city's anticipation of the World's Fair, all of which seems essential to the upcoming plot. It talks about their success along with rather minor setbacks, but also mentioning worse was yet to come for the the two. Presently, the firm has been awarded the World's Fair architectural spot and they are filled with excitement. They are only having trouble finding the resources necessary to conduct such a large project.

2. So far this book is very good. The reading moves at a slow pace but I think this will pick up as the story begins to take shape. The first 30 pages were slow, but it was still really interesting because it is about something I've never really looked at before. Throughout the other 15 pages it has still been slow, but in a way, Larson is still setting down the foundation of the story.

3. A theme I've noticed so far is ability to find success. Both men were novices when they first met and decided to start their own firm because of their distinct talents. Neither would have been particularly successful without the other, but when they found each other and their talents, they built one of the most prominent architectural firms in Chicago, let alone the world.

4. My favorite character is Daniel Burnham. He's so outgoing and confident and he talks with such authority. This is because he knows he will win the customer or be liked by people if he talks this way. We haven't really met the characters yet, only looked at them briefly and the firm as a whole more observantly, but I know Burnham to be an outgoing man.

5. We haven't actually seen many others, except Dankmar Adler, a competing architect in Chicago, who won the job of building possibly the grandest structure in all of Chicago, before the World's Fair that is. I don't know much about him, but based on his architecture style, he is too focused on flash and style, and less about the fundamentals, although they are solid. He just seems more into the examined side of his work.

6. Seeing as the World's Fair was completed, I believe they will get straight to work and find someone who will give them money for the Fair and immediately.