One of those books that you won't be able to put down

books:


	• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Modern Library) John Berendt Modern Library, 2005 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 481 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of those books that you won't be able to put down

I've never been to Savannah before, but after reading this book, I really want to go there! "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is a fantastic book about the leaders of Savannah society in the early 1980's. It's actually a work of non-fiction (although it reads very much like a novel), and it chronicles the events in author John Berendt's life when he ventures out of his New York City home and discovers the town of Savannah, Georgia. Berendt was instantly smitten with the town, and he decided to live there on a part-time basis. The book is peppered with stories about the dozens of interesting characters Berendt encountered, including Jim Williams, a charismatic yet mysterious antique dealer; Danny Hansford; a troubled young man with a dangerous streak; and Chablis, an extremely outgoing transsexual entertainer. At first the book appears to be just a series of colorful anecdotes about Savannah and its quirky residents. However, eventually a murder is committed, which results in multiple trials and chaos that spans almost an entire decade.

I really enjoyed this book. Berendt is an excellent writer, and his vivid descriptions of Savannah and its inhabitants made me feel like I was right there with these people when all these crazy events transpired. It was hard to remember that "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is actually based on a true story: All these characters are real and this murder mystery actually happened less than 30 years ago. If you're looking for a captivating murder mystery that is brilliantly written and will keep you up reading until the wee hours of the morning, this is definitely the book for you!

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Rich in Detail and Eccentricity

John Berendt does a fabulous job of describing his experiences in Savannah over an eight year period. The eccentrics he encounter paint a fascinating portrait of an isolated, contradictory environment. Berendt writes with an easy hand, rendering each event with vivid detail. The main plotline of the book follows Jim Williams, on trial for the murder of his young male lover. This main storyline is interwoven with the stories of a piano player/former lawyer who moves from house to house, generally living rent free, writing bad checks, and opening and closing various bars; an outrageous drag queen who loves being the center of attention wherever she goes;a voodoo priestess who communes with her dead husband; and a man who did chemical work for the government who carries a vial of poison powerful enough to kill the entire town, among other interesting people. If you've seen the movie, it is a condensed version of the events described in the book. The book takes place over a period of years and there is more than one trial for Mr. Williams. The author is a less central figure than in the movie, reporting on most of the events rather than actually participating in them. The people described are odd and entertaining. The book is less a true crime expose than a snapshot of a group of people over this period of time during which these murder trials were taking place. A fascinating study, highly recommended.

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One of my favorite books

If you are planning on taking a trip to Georgia and have time to stop in Savannah I suggest you read this book. I have passed it to three of my friends already and they loved it.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Read John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in Large Print.

* All Random House Large Print editions are published in a 16-point typeface

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981.  Was it murder or self-defense?  For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares.  John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction.  Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight.  These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience.  Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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