book data
9891 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 1030 reviews
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published
January 13th 1994
by Random House
binding
Hardcover, 388 pages
isbn
0679429220
(isbn13: 9780679429227)
description
Voodoo. Decadent socialites packing Lugars. Cotillions. With towns like Savannah, Georgia, who needs Fellini? Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ...more
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| The Next Best Boo...: Twin Peaks like mystery | 17 | 58 | 10 days ago, 06:56PM | |
| Room 110, Period 3: Vocabulary | 30 | 29 | 10 days ago, 02:22PM | |
| The Rory Gilmore ...: Fave Book Ever!! | 96 | 421 | 10 days ago, 08:53AM | |
| Babbling Book Club: books 2008 | 1 | 2 | 05/27/2008 07:44PM |
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avg 3.80
Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of the film
This was a decent book. There was a lot of mood, of which I'm a big fan. The characters all had the potential to be very interesting, but unfortuately, they weren't developed. That's not to say you don't spend a lot of time with them, or find out anything about them, it's just that you don't really give a damn.
The book is written by a magazine journalist who ends up living on and off in Savanah, GA for eight years to investigate and chronicle a murder and it's trials. This book is more ...more
The book is written by a magazine journalist who ends up living on and off in Savanah, GA for eight years to investigate and chronicle a murder and it's trials. This book is more ...more
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(5 people liked it)
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There was a lot of hype around this book a few years back, but in this case I think it is actually deserved. For one, Berendt is a skilled writer who understands how to tease a compelling story out of the material he’s working with. And, oh, what material! The true-crime mystery at the center of the book—whether the social-climbing, closeted gay antiques dealer shot his lover in cold blood or self-defense—is interesting enough, but Berendt decorates that story with outrageous character por...more
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(4 people liked it)
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Read in June, 2007
I chose this book for the title and the fact that I love Savannah. As a former Georgia peach, I think the story works because it is told from the view of an outsider, and because the cast of characters is quite an interesting ensemble.While each new character introduced is appealing enough to catch your eye, he doesn't go into too much detail to detract from the main story or main characters.
The descriptions of the place and the people and even the food are detailed enough to give the read...more
The descriptions of the place and the people and even the food are detailed enough to give the read...more
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1 comment
Read in September, 2006
recommends it for:
everyone.
I love this book to the point where I don't even really know what to say about it, because nothing I can say about it will be good enough to explain just how incredible this book really is.
After reading this book, I had to restrain myself from booking a flight to Savannah. It makes you want to be there, it makes you want to know the people, it makes you want to pick up and find a place just like it so you can move there. I am a city person through and through, but this book made me want to m...more
After reading this book, I had to restrain myself from booking a flight to Savannah. It makes you want to be there, it makes you want to know the people, it makes you want to pick up and find a place just like it so you can move there. I am a city person through and through, but this book made me want to m...more
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I just couldn't put this down. Berendt did a magnificent job in bringing these real life people to the page in a memorable and entertaining way.
One of my favorite scenes includes the cross dresser who works in the hardware store. His employer disapproves of his wearing "makeup" while working, so he only makes up one half of his face, and then spends his working days at the store turning his head, so customers and his employer won't see the "makeup". To think this is a ...more
One of my favorite scenes includes the cross dresser who works in the hardware store. His employer disapproves of his wearing "makeup" while working, so he only makes up one half of his face, and then spends his working days at the store turning his head, so customers and his employer won't see the "makeup". To think this is a ...more
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Read in July, 1999
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...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
true-crime readers
An fascinating true-crime book. I enjoyed the outrageous characters, the intriguing murder case, and the unique flavor of the author's writing, which was so entertaining that at times I had to remind myself this was a piece of non-fiction. Savannah is truly a gem of the South (at least I loved it) and it really shines in this book.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in April, 2007
Having an aunt in New Orleans, the south has always intrigued me. Fantastic architecture aside, the culture and people are truly fascinating; though I'm often content to remain a casual observer, without really pushing myself to learn more.
With little more than an elementary curiosity for Savannah, I was quite thrilled when my mother brought over a box of books she'd been given by a friend and I saw this lying on top.
Through this book I feel as though I'd been given the ultimate opportu...more
With little more than an elementary curiosity for Savannah, I was quite thrilled when my mother brought over a box of books she'd been given by a friend and I saw this lying on top.
Through this book I feel as though I'd been given the ultimate opportu...more
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I thought this was a great example of what true crime can be when in the hands of a really good writer.
This book is actually two parts. The first part sets up the scene - the oh-so-southern Savannah, Georgia, and the many characters the author met while living there. This, I thought, was the better half of the book. Berendt does a great job of introducing the residents of Savannah and makes you feel like it's a place you've lived. I had to keep reminding myself it was a non-fiction nov...more
This book is actually two parts. The first part sets up the scene - the oh-so-southern Savannah, Georgia, and the many characters the author met while living there. This, I thought, was the better half of the book. Berendt does a great job of introducing the residents of Savannah and makes you feel like it's a place you've lived. I had to keep reminding myself it was a non-fiction nov...more
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Read in January, 2003
recommended to ann by:
Newspaper reviewrecommends it for: Anyone who likes true crime stories, anyone who likes movie link-ups
The date I read this book is a total guess - because I love it so much I've read it almost every year!
I discovered it after reading a review in a Sunday paper, obviously a well-written review as it prompted me to go and buy the book, something never achieved before or since! I sat in a restaurant alone and read, and read, and read until it was closing time. That must say something!
This true story totally captures the hot, sultry mood of Savannah, and goes at that pace - any faster and I do d...more
I discovered it after reading a review in a Sunday paper, obviously a well-written review as it prompted me to go and buy the book, something never achieved before or since! I sat in a restaurant alone and read, and read, and read until it was closing time. That must say something!
This true story totally captures the hot, sultry mood of Savannah, and goes at that pace - any faster and I do d...more
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I'm about 14 years behind the crowd on this one, but I can see why "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" caused such a stir. The characters are fascinating, even more so because they are real. Berendt achieves a nice balance of getting close to the people of Savannah -- from the fabulous Lady Chablis and voodoo queen Minerva to antiques collector/murderer Jim Williams and lawyer/pianoman Joe Odom -- and keeping enough distance to maintain his status as an outside observer. In a ...more
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Read in December, 2007
Excellent observation and storytelling skills; the first half as much more interesting than the second. Highly reminiscent of "The Orchid Thief," yet smoother, less theoretical, more personable. Both are books of non-fiction written by New Yorkers who are drawn to a community in the American South, and over the next few years become a part-time resident. There's almost a suggestion of the "other" in the descriptions of Southern Allure, as though it's not the PLACE the writers...more
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This is one of my favorite books and inspired my first visit to Savannah. The characters are fantasy come to life and the lush descriptions of the city make you want to experience all this spooky historic city has to offer. The book is losely based on the murder of Danny Hansford by the eccentric self made art dealer Jim Williams. But it is the supporting characters such as The Lady Chablis that make this story what it is. The famous cover of the bird-girl statue taken in Bonaventure Cemetery is...more
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Read in July, 2007
I bought this book from the Salvation Army because I had seen the movie, couldn't remember it, but did remember that John Cusack was in it. And if he was in it, it's got to be quality, right?
Anyway, upon reading, it was. A really interesting and fun portrayal of Savannah, I'm sure fact and fiction crossed back and forth with each other, but whatever the case, the writing was poetic when it needed to be, and straight-forward when it needed to be, creating a book that was a pleasure to read an...more
Anyway, upon reading, it was. A really interesting and fun portrayal of Savannah, I'm sure fact and fiction crossed back and forth with each other, but whatever the case, the writing was poetic when it needed to be, and straight-forward when it needed to be, creating a book that was a pleasure to read an...more
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Read in November, 2007
Although I enjoyed it, I think this book could have been much better. The first half is largely a series of character studies, and the second half is essentially a true-life crime novel. Unfortunately I grew dangerously bored with the first half, and as the mystery unfolds, I grew annoyed that many of the characters introduced in the first half really have little play or impact on the rest of the book. The murder mystery itself is an interesting story but is very anticlimactic. While the book is...more
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Read in August, 2007
I came across the title of this book as I was researching where to go in the South. First book ever written by John Berendt, the book was a New York Times bestseller for 216 weeks since its release in 1994 and was made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood in 1997. Set in Savannah, Georgia, this is a non-fiction that narrates a range of events that occurred in the 1980s, including a murder of a local hustler by an art dealer. This story of prolonged murder trial is favored with the various ...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
people who really really love Savannah
A mostly true story, John Berendt writes about Savannah with an obvious and infectious love. The beginning section where he introduces many of the characters gets a little tedious with an abundance of people that there to add spice but not substance. The second half drags with the monotony of four murder trials. Overall, it was a good read, but too much filler made you long for action. Take away this charming and mysterious old city, you're left with not much.
This isn't a film review, but K...more
This isn't a film review, but K...more
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Read in June, 1995
recommends it for:
creative nonfiction fans
This book is an amazing work of creative nonfiction. Savannah, Georgia provides some of the most unbeleivable characters for Berendt's work. No doubt some liberties were taken to make dull plot lines a bit more exciting, but everyone in this book is a real person. Everyone wants to be one the right party lists and to be left off is highly insulting. The world's coolest drag queen is in this book as well. There is also a very eccentric art dealer who is the hottest host in town. There are d...more
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Read in August, 2004
recommended to Tiffany by:
my mother! recommends it for: crime afficinados, people interested in psychology or the South
This is one of my all time favs and one of the few books I've ever read twice. It's full of facinating, quirky characters like Lady Chablis, the transvestite, and the guy who walks a non-existant dog down the street every day.
After reading the first time, I longed to visit Savannah, and a few years later, I got to do so. It's a gorgeous city with a park in each city block, and the book makes it come to life. I actually got to tour the house owned by the family of the main character. Interes...more
After reading the first time, I longed to visit Savannah, and a few years later, I got to do so. It's a gorgeous city with a park in each city block, and the book makes it come to life. I actually got to tour the house owned by the family of the main character. Interes...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
Most anyone
Its a lucious, dreamy, hilarious, booze-soaked, mischief-ridden, poetic, sultry tromp through Savannah. Murder, frivolity, Americanna. The genre of semi-historical really doesn't get a hell of a lot better. I actually read this in high school and reread it recently. I found, much to my great delight, that it was still excellent. Further proving, I guess, that 15-year-old tastes aren't all horribly misguided.
Anyway, I loved this book all over again. but a quick warning; while I like the...more
Anyway, I loved this book all over again. but a quick warning; while I like the...more
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