Building Suspense

The suspense continues to build.  

Burnham is building the team of architects.

 At first, nobody wants to help; they feel that it is too large a goal to complete such a grand Fair in such a short amount of time. And the architects from the north aren’t as invested as the architects from Chicago. What difference does it make to them, if it isn’t their city’s pride on the line?

 Olmstead is building his vision of the scenic landscape of the World’s Fair.

The workers are building the Fair from the ground up. The city is building anticipation. Will the Fair be a success? Will the Fair be better than France’s World Fair? Will the location, Jackson Park, be too unsuitable to construction? Will there be enough money? Will there be enough time?

Holmes is building an empire. 

He is building his revenue – continuing to find new ways to keep his debtors away, slyly selling his debt to his business partner and stealing the man’s wife. He is also building his “dream home” which is more like a torture chamber – I talked about it in my last blog post. A kiln large enough to fit a human body? Secret chambers? A soundproof room? All covered in the secrecy of being rooming for the ladies he is hoping to employ in the businesses downstairs.

Everything continues to build, and I feel like I am never going to get to the good stuff. 

Are there going to be difficulties with the buildings? Will they sink into the mud? Will the fair be a success (okay so I should probably know the outcome of the fair, it being US History and all, but you guys will have to spare me, at least this once. History isn’t really my thing…) This makes sense though, as the story takes place over a couple of years, and it gives a sense of the apprehension and complications that the Chicago citizens had to deal with. The World’s Fair was a big deal, and there are a lot of decisions, roadblocks, etc that went into its construction. Also, because Larson’s Devil in the White City is a two-for-one-special (telling the stories of both Holmes and Burnham) it would make sense that the story would take twice as long to unfold. This anticipation, although somewhat frustrating, is also proof that the book is worth reading. It proves that I am invested in the plot, and want to know more. ASAP.