I just love Erik Larson, I hope he is working on something great right now. After reading Devil In the White City, I was anxious to read this next of his books, I had pretty high expectations. While I wasn't really disappointed and recommend this book with out reservation, I still think Devil in the White City was a book I enjoyed more. Thunderstruck follows the development of wireless telepathy, I mean telegraphy, by Guglielmo Marconi, the man who saw the potential social and business applications of this new technology and the story of a murder, one that captured the attention of the world at that time. The two stories are told parallerly (is that even a word!?) until the final chapters of the book, when a collision occurs that helps the communication abilities of the times, the early 1900s.  Intertwined, in Larson's expert manner, are details of the history, politics and social feel of the day.  If only history could have been taught this way, who wouldn't be interested?  I have to admit, while Larson apologizes (in his words, half-heartedly) for the gory details of early forensics, that didn't bother me.  The details of the science behind wireless telegraphy though, they were beyond me.  And while there was so much of that in the beginning, including all of the struggles Marconi had and all of the walls he hit, there wasn't so much of the solutions he must have come up with near the end.  Of course, my mind was fogging over with the physics, so I may have missed it.   

If you haven't read one of Larson's books, go do it.  Every one is a page turner of the best kind, because it is all real and true.  I love that as I read each of them, I learn so much about things that we are so used to that we take them for granted.  From cable to communication to wireless!  Ironic that we are leaving some of that for cable again.....

Two hundred thirty-nine to go.  Are you keeping track?  How many days in a row have I posted?   

Comments

[margene]

Devil in the White City as so amazing! This one sounds good, too. I just read Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton and liked it. You might, too.

[Theresa]

You've read Isaac's Storm, right? That's a great one, too.

[AuntieAnn]

Thanks for the recommendation! Although your early reference to "wireless telepathy" threw me at first. Um, is there wired telepathy? But now I get it -- telegraphy.

[--Deb]

Sometimes I think I was the only person who did NOT like the Devil in the White City.... (grin)

[Sharon]

We read Devil and White City in my book club, and I did not want to read it. But by the end, I had to admit it was fascinating.It cemented in me a strong desire to experience a World's Fair, so I would add Shanghai in 2010 to your list in the last post.

[CyndiG]

I loved "Devil and the White City", partly because of growing up near Chicago. I will try to read this one this summer -- because of the physics and because Larsen is a good enough writer that he is bound to make the science somewhat understandable!

[CyndiG]

Oops ... I spelled Larson's name wrong ...