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Thunderstruck
Binding: Paperback
Author: Erik Larson
Release Date: 2007-09-25
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Features:
Average Rating: 4.0
Total Customer Reviews: 177
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $10.17
Sales Rank: 25025
Product Description
A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s “great hush”
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect crime.
With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate. Thunderstruck presents a vibrant portrait of an era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century. Gripping from the first page, and rich with fascinating detail about the time, the people, and the new inventions that connect and divide us, Thunderstruck is splendid narrative history from a master of the form.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Users Product Reviews: |
Product Review Summary: Interesting read I bought this book because I loved "Devil in the White City." "Thunderstruck" is written basically the same with an historic event coinciding with a murder. Larson certainly did a lot of research and while I found this book loaded with the inside scoop on Marconi and the race for wireless telegraph, the murder case was not as thrilling as from his prior book. I look forward to reading "Isaac's Storm".
Product Review Summary: History, Story-telling, and Mystery in One: Move Over CSI I thoroughly enjoyed Devil in the White City and was eagerly awaiting Larson's next book. The critics panned it, so I took my time getting around to it. It's a thoroughly enjoying read.
The arc of Marconi's work, the work of others, the politics, business/ horse-trading, nationalistic fervor are all interwoven into the tale. The history of how telegraphy evolved, the advances in technology over relatively short periods of time, and the applications that drove the use of this technology was very interesting. It evoked memories of the last two decades (anyone else remember those first car-phones that plugged into the cigarette lighter and were the size of a small suitcase?). I was amazed at the description and pictures of the telegraphy towers built in New England and Nova Scotia. The other story line features a meek husband and a brash, high-mainetnance wanna be actress (Real Housewives of ____, anyone?).
I think the reason this doesn't grip the way DITWC does is that it isn't set in the U.S., and it isn't chock-full of names we recognize (from Carnegie to Disney). The extent of historical research required, the narrative to weave the story lines together, and the mini-cliffhangers at the end of many chapters make for a very good read. DITWC remains more exciting because it's more accessible, but that's no reason to pass on Thunderstruck.
Product Review Summary: If you like narrative history I really loved this book. I even took it on the subway with me, something which I never do with a hardcover book (it's too hard to hold hefty books with one hand while trying to hold the pole). This may be due to the fact that I am a telecom nerd and this book tells the story of Marconi, the man who perfected wireless telegraphy. Just like Erik Larson's other famous work, Devil in the White City, this book also tells a related tale of murder in addition to Marconi's story. It is riddled with great anecdotes and details of the times. You are given a complete picture of the era and the struggle to make wireless a viable commercial product. If you like narrative history, give this book a go.
Product Review Summary: Excellent story, just a few problems... Never having read one of Erik Larson's famous books before, I was in a way thrilled to read `Thunderstruck'. The story was well written and full of exciting events. However, it took too long to get to the climax. Larson is very good at mixing two stories together, however this near 500-page book could have easily been shaved down to 300 pages. The amount of detail was immense for just two events in history. I give Larson credit for putting a lot of effort and time into writing this book.
Many critics of the book say that Larson consistently follows the same format for all of his books, combining two stories into one, and that this makes them somehow boring. I strongly disagree. History is always flowing and connecting itself through occurrences and events over time. It's amazing to see how an invention and a murder that weren't meant to be connected somehow came to be.
The only thing that, as a high school student, I'd say is that he could've left out more of the descriptions and added to the intriguing parts of the story. Only some portions of the book were page turners for me and the majority was straight facts. In addition to this, I would've liked to hear more of the trial involving Dr. Crippen. I also felt like the whole story was summed up into 15 pages as if that's how it happened in real life.
On another note, this would make a fascinating movie. I'm confident that many people would enjoy it. If the screenwriters could stay true to the feel of the story and its environment then people could get a real look and feel of the 19th century in Europe.
It seems some people don't quite appreciate the hard work it takes to put together a detailed non-fiction story. I applaud Larson for his creation. It was easy to read and gave readers an exciting history lesson from a different era. I look forward to reading `Devil in the White City'.
Product Review Summary: Find Formula (i.e Devil in the White City)...rinse and reapet. Well....ho-hum.
I am dismayed when authors do this. You are a writer...come up with some new ideas!!! I don't doubt that Larson could have written two very well researched and enjoyable books on these tenuously linked themes: The Crippen Murder and The Rise of Marconi and Wireless. Two books would have been just fine in my opinion. The fact that he turned them into a White City Format Rehash is a shame.
I was wary of the book when I first learned of it; I felt a pang of regret for the man. Now, after reading it, I am trying to convince myself that someone made him do it. Larson could have written anything after White City and people would have picked it up. Instead he wrote the same thing, only less well. This makes picking up next time harder. I can guarantee if the next Larson book returns again to the combo theme I will have a hard time picking it up.
'Less well' doesn't mean the research is garbage nor the stories uninteresting in their own right...it isn't and they are. It's the combination that fails in my opinion, as well as the idea that repetition is the best way to become an author of note.
Onward and upward Mr. Larson...you're not a one-trick pony.
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