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 … 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 is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic.
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deliciously wicked.
This book has remained on my bookshelf for many years. I love this haunting and atmospheric story set in Savannah, Georgia about a man who is haunted by his dead lover. But the other characters in the story are wonderful as well – in particular, The Lady Chablis and Minerva. And then, of course, there is the Bird Girl Statue – which also became …
If you want Southern done differently, you will like this read. Some of the characters are outrageous but they could be real. I like plausibility.
This is one of the better murder novels that I have read over the past several years. This book had it all. Won’t say what made it so enjoyable. It would spill the fun of reading it. Would recommend it to Abby reader.
Great book! Wonderful work of real life events.
I liked the book, but I liked the movie better. The book is a little slow going
Such a good, intriguing book.
Welcome to the Deep South, rich with tradition, and as colorful and eccentric as it is charming, friendly, and beautiful. This story takes you on a masterfully written tour of a Georgia tragedy. Enjoy!
Makes you want to visit Savanna.
A Southern masterpiece. Stays with you years after reading it.
One of the best books I ever read. Great historical read on the city and thrilling story of a murderer.
One of the best true crime books. Great characters. You will start making plans to visit Savanah and see all the locationsame first hand. Excellent read!
Brilliant. it opened a whole new genre of journalism for me.
Terrific
Excellent book with an excellent movie made on it.
I visited Savannah to see this town because of my wonderful reading experience.
Excellent
I’m from Belgium, The book was so good, that I went twice to Savannah
to visit the sites where all the plots happened I was not disappointed !
Makes me want to visit Savannah again and again.
Mystery set in old Savannah Ga