Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story
THE LANDMARK NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR MUSICAL COMING SOON TO BROADWAY • An enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city: “Elegant and wicked.... [This] might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime." —The New York Times Book Review • 30th Anniversary Edition with a New Afterword by the Author.
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 is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this true-crime book has become a modern classic.
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 is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this true-crime book has become a modern classic.
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Community Reviews
Jan- loved the book and it's characters.
Mel- found it ok; liked it better the first time she read it.
Michele- Read 9 chapters.
Connie- Didn't like the book as a whole but found the trial interesting and some of the history of the city of Savannah.
Lydia- loved the book so much she went to visit Savannah after she read it when it first came out.
Pat- didn't like the first of the book but enjoyed the trial and some of the philosophical references.
Erica- loved the book and recommended it.
Lynne-Loved the book.
Lynne-didn't finish the book but she had read it year ago.
Doris-Visited Savannah, loved the squares. She did see the movie.
I enjoyed this book. I loved the old south feel and the eccentric characters. The retelling of the murder was well done, it left me with questions
Great characters and vivid descriptions of Savannah in its glory. it has a slow Savannahian way of leaking out the story to the reader to keep the pages turning. The end was a surpirse
I guess I didn't get it! Found the pace to be painfully slow and a somewhat redundant story line. I felt that the movie did not stand the test of time, do I know too much to be accepting of this dated cast ? It felt more creepy than homespun. 🥴
Super fun book with memorable characters, it had me laughing from start to finish. It took me a little bit to realize it wasn't a novel but a true story with maybe a couple artistic liberties, but it kept me intrigued wanting to find out what happened. Also very cool living close to Savannah and seeing it through new eyes, I'll have to check out the tour that they base off of this book next time I'm in town.
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