Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Ratings114
Average rating3.8
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 city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt interweaves a first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.
The story is 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 uproarious 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.
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Gossip cleverly disguised as commentary upon the citizens of Savannah, Georgia. Mmm, good.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is probably one of the most atmospheric books I've read in a while. I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend it. I'm not sure I would have rated it 4 stars without experiencing the story through Jeff Woodman's narration. My guess is it'd lie closer to 3 as some sections may have dragged a bit in the first half.
Before reading, everyone should be aware this is a nonfiction novel, reads like a novel, and the author uses artitistic license to accomplish that. He addresses it in his acknowledgements and had discussed it elsewhere as well. It's not straight nonfiction true crime that simply walks the reader the facts of the case. It creates a thorough and complete story that is very interesting. I remember reading that the book was extremely well-received by the people of Savannah.
The characters studies are interesting, and the language will be very accessible to most people (which is understandable given the author is a magazine writer). The way certain things are talked about or addressed is indicative of the time and place in which it was written, so keep that in mind.
I recommend this to anyone who likes true crime or general fiction.
This book was purchased by my wife, but I was short on audible credits so I thought I'd give it a go. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a fun read, but that's about as far as I would go with it. The character development was interesting, but nothing really grabbed me towards them. This might be a 3.5 star rating; give this book a go if you are interested in Savannah, but that's about it.
