August 21, 2017sarahylockwood

Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson

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Rate: 5/5

Medium: Kindle

Overview (No Spoilers): Isaac’s Storm has been on my TBR radar since back in April 2016 due to the high recommendation of Warren, however I’d been rather stubbornly holding out for my library to obtain a copy of the audiobook. As a result, I promptly overcompensated my procrastination by reading two Larson books simultaneously, e.g., Thunderstruck and Isaac’s Storm.  While the two books were in two different mediums, audiobook and Kindle, they, unfortunately for me, took place right around the same time period (turn of the 20th century), resulting in endless confusion every time I picked up one the stories. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed both books, especially Isaac’s Storm, which focused upon the devastating Great Galveston Hurricane that destroyed the aforementioned Texan city. As with Thunderstruck, Devil in the White City, and Dead Wake, Larson continues in Isaac’s Storm to pair a specific event, i.e., the Great Galveston Hurricane, with a scientific concept or advancement, in this case meteorology.  Surprisingly political in nature, I hadn’t much pondered the state or history meteorology prior to let’s say, satellites, especially in vulnerable locations such as coastlines.  While the political sparring and enlightening of scientific knowledge regarding hurricanes set the stage to the deadly event, Larson’s detailing of the actual storm ravaged town was something out of a nightmare. The horrors continued in the aftermath, specifically the cleanup process. Moreover, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the events of Isaac’s Storm, with one scene in particular popping back in my head involving corpses, trees and venomous snakes. Although the story is hard to read due to the damage and horrendous loss of life inflicted by this specific storm, Larson notes in passing other hurricanes and tropical storms that wrecked devastation dwarfing that of Galveston. Overall, after now reading five different books by Larson, I would adamantly recommend anything he writes, however Isaac’s Storm struck particular cords when reading that will cause me to continually reflect back upon for the foreseeable future.

 

13 comments

  1. Great review, I always find it so satisfying when a book’s been on my tbr for ages and then it actually lives up to my expectations! Historic events are so powerful; Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood was hard to read in that same way. Knowing things actually took place changes a read completely.

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  2. I’ve only read Devil in the White City but I remember really enjoying it! He has a way of making historical events read like a great story. Which of the five Larson books was your absolute favorite?

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