Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Summary (from the publishers): 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 enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic.

Review: So I obviously missed the memo because I totally thought this was a work of fiction until I was about 50 pages in and I stopped to read the description on the back in more detail. Not only do people talk about it as if it is a juicy novel but it reads just like one. Most non-fiction can get pretty dry and technical so I consider it a huge accomplishment for a writer to create a work of non-fiction that reads like a story and is able to captivate readers. The only other book I've read that comes close to being able to do that in the same way this book does is The Devil in the White City.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is about Savannah, GA. The main tale relayed is that of Jim Williams, who is tried for murder that occured in his mansion, Mercer House, and talkes from other famous/infamous residents of Savannah. Other residents include a raunchy black crossdresser, a lawyer who breeds the UGA mascot, and a charming swindler. But the heart of Berendt's book is the story of Savannah itself. I was impressed that an outsider (and a Northerner to boot) was able to capture the essence of this unique Southern town. Berendt depicts Savannah as a world of its own, isolated from the rest of the country, but filled with plenty of its own scandals, oddities, and quirks. But I would love to know what Savannah itself thought of this book, and what the individuals described in the book made of it.

I've been to Savnnah a few times before but this book made me want to visit again so badly! It has such a unique vibe and presence that Berendt has done an excellent job of capturing. I can easily see why this book was such a hit, and deservingly so.

Stars: 4