John BerendtAnmeldelser

loved it. The city, the people the "mystery" was a minor player but it all added up to a good read

I ran across a news article about 2024 being the 30th anniversary of this book and giving some detail about it. Shortly after that a copy appeared in our Little Free Library, and some friends highly recommended it as well. Of course I had heard of the hype over it some years back, but had never gotten around to reading it. So I decided it was finally time to do that. It did not meet my expectations, which admittedly, were probably a bit higher than they should have been.

The book was alright and while I didn't find it riveting, it was somewhat entertaining, or informative at least. As all sources had indicated, it was truly more of a memoir of a particular period in Savannah society and a few of the upper crust and those who were involved with them. In covering the murder case of a troubled young man and his accused murderer, a high end antiques dealer; it managed to paint a portrait for us of Savannah in the 1970's and 80's.

The writing style was adequate and straightforward, with no frills. As the author had written magazine articles for many years, this makes perfectly good sense. That style is just what we find in the book, as well.

Events, details and descriptions were laid out matter of factly, with no pretense at suspense or complex story lines.

And so the story of Jim Williams, Danny Hansford and 8 years of jury trials, with descriptions of Savannah, and some if its inhabitants woven in, unfolds for us to its denouement.

Probably closer to 3.5 stars. Interesting, funny, readable, but not amazing or life-changing. Failed to make me think.

Nonfiction books, even those covering a specific event in a specific setting, tend to be a little dull in their dry factualness. Nonfiction true crime has a tendency toward moralizing. Berendt’s story of a young man killed by his lover/employer in an isolated Georgia town avoids both. He carries the reader along with charming descriptions of the people of Savannah, who seem just like crazy characters in a Southern Gothic lit novel. But these are real people, and supposedly the stories he tells about them are real, as well, and I would get a sudden jolt when he’d slip a chilling fact in amongst the tale of some cheerful eccentricity, such as the town’s complacent acceptance of a jury letting a group of men go free because the victim they stomped to death was “just” a homosexual, or of Savannah’s extraordinarily high murder rate because the victims are mostly black, so it’s “a black problem”.

His storytelling is calculated to entertain, and he treats the town and its people with affection, but he does not refrain from telling the whole story and leaving the judgement up to the reader.

I read this book for the Twelve Tasks of the Festive Season challenge. This book was for Task the Third: The Holiday Party (Read a book where a celebration is a big part of the action), because the action in the book revolves around a series of parties and ceremonies, from the annual Christmas party given by the killer, to the never-ending house party given by the lawyer/conman, to the society ladies’ exclusive tea parties, to the midnight graveyard ceremonies conducted by the voodoo woman.

This is my second reading of “the book” as it became known in Savannah after being published in 1994, spawning a film version and a resurgence of tourism. Journalist John Berendt came down from New York, stayed a few years, and managed to capture the insular eccentricity of a small slice of Savannah’s culture. He wrote about Lady Chablis, Joe Odum, Jim Williams and other compelling characters with a sharp eye.

The Savannah in the book, one of hard drinking, high and low society; old, new and no money may be history now, but still lives on in some way. Berendt portrayed Savannah as the most interesting place he knew, that was his art. It drew, and still draws, an uncounted number of tourists trying to capture his version of the city.

Drinking, backbiting and gossip are the major activities and sport in the story. Antique dealer Jim Williams and his four murder trials for shooting his young lover are central to the book. His trial defense employs the unique services of a voodoo woman named Minerva. “She’s thrown graveyard dirt at some of the best homes in Savannah, God bless her,” Williams told Berendt. “I give her twenty-five dollars a day, and I’ve learned not to ask questions.”

True crime is not really my kind of genre. I vaguely remembered the movie, so when I happened to come across the book I decided to give it a try.

It was a rather slow read, and I got distracted at times. The book was very well-written though, and full of quirky, eccentric, wonderful, funny and horrible people. There is voodoo as well :-)

P.S. I went to Google maps street view to take a closer look at Savannah.

Reason read: I meant to read this in October but it wasn’t available. I bought it in Savannah. This is a book you should read before you go to Savannah but having been there it made it possible to picture the different scenes. What a bunch of characters. Savannah is and was an interesting town. I would call this a nonfiction novel.½

I could have sworn I read this when it came out but none of it seemed like I had read it before, so anyway, I took the plunge. What an excellent book about the eccentric people of Savannah GA.
Plus a murder trial which is also quite entertaining.

I wavered between three and four stars. I found it an interesting story but I wasn't all that invested in it and I almost felt like I had to push myself to finish it.

AR: 3.6

AR: 3.6

Good true crime story told in such a way that I now want to visit Savannah, GA.

This book uses a celebrated murder trial as a vehicle to introduce the reader to Savannah, Georgia and some of it's more colourful inhabitants.[return][return]The fist half of the book is spent introducing us around the place, and helps set the scene for the second half of the book: the murder of Danny by his boss (lover?) Jim. [return][return]Such are things that I remember more about the town than I do about the trial (and the result).

This book uses a celebrated murder trial as a vehicle to introduce the reader to Savannah, Georgia and some of it's more colourful inhabitants.[return][return]The fist half of the book is spent introducing us around the place, and helps set the scene for the second half of the book: the murder of Danny by his boss (lover?) Jim. [return][return]Such are things that I remember more about the town than I do about the trial (and the result).

Donna Leon brings Venice to life in her Guido Brunetti series and I wanted to expand on that knowledge. John Berendt's ode to Venice, The City of Falling Angels, has the same tone as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, gossipy journalism that reveals the underside of the elegance and old money world of Venice. And, I liked it very much! The book focuses on the fire at the Fernice Opera House, the setting of Leon's first mystery.½

An easy read, well written, it's described as "narrative nonfiction".
I was motivated to read it, as I will make a short visit to Savannah soon, but this book really wasn't my cup of tea. I often felt like I was reading a gossip column. I don't think I would have finished it if I weren't planning to visit the city. I read in an interview with the author that it has sold 5 million copies, and been translated to many languages, so I think i'm in the minority here. Hope you enjoy it.

There are five million reviews out there. All I really remember is that I liked this book but wasn't blown away by it.

Second reading: still so very gossipy, still so very very good.

First reading: Gossip cleverly disguised as commentary upon the citizens of Venice, Italy. Mmm, good.

Gossip cleverly disguised as commentary upon the citizens of Savannah, Georgia. Mmm, good.

Coming back to this 20+ years later, appreciate the honesty & this would never get published in todays PC world½

My RLBG met today and discussed Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. We read it mostly because it was part of a book group pack that we could check out to make sure everyone had access to a book. It was a reread for me although I couldn't have told you much about it other than it focused on a sensational murder in Savannah. I did reread it and all the quirkiness came back but I found myself skimming a bit. My book group mostly hated it with one woman not getting past the first half. I think the story was sensational at the time and Berendt took advantage of that to write a gossipy, offbeat tale of Savannah. But, somehow it just hasn't worn well, maybe it's because the sensationalism has worn off and the story wasn't all that interesting to start with.

We did discover that Lady Chablis, the drag queen featured in the book, wrote an autobiography called Hiding My Candy: The Autobiography of the Grand Empress of Savannah. Berendt wrote the introduction.½

Fair.

Similar to many journalistic, well researched this book, this book contaibned many repetitions and unneeded details. However, it was written as if it were a mystery about the fire at Fenice, the Grand Opera House of Venice. All of the intrigue and pettinesses involved, besides the outright graft, nepotism, and networking by many of those involved, was very enlightening. The legal system, and laws (whether obeyed or not) also added much interest.

Savannah, la vieja ciudad sureña del añejo esplendor georgiano, es la verdadera protagonista de esta novela de misterio.
¿Libro de viajes o novela de misterio? Quizá ambas cosas a la vez, pues la protagonista, vieja dama que conserva aún la singular belleza de su decadencia, es una geografía que explorar y un ente vivo cuya placidez puede tornarse tragedia. La vieja dama es Savannah, la ciudad sureña del añejo esplendor georgiano. Hoy tiene alrededor de doscientos mil habitantes y un displicente aire provinciano. Sus viejas mansiones, como ahogadas en un bosque de magnolios, dan ese toque de Edén en el que no puede faltar el diablo. Porque también en Savannah hay, parafraseando a Brassens, «hermosos asesinatos».

Savannah is my second favorite city in the world so when I heard about this book I snapped it up. The murder that the book is based upon is really secondary to the quirky characters and beauty that are old Savannah. Genteel old men to the voodoo priestess, all are Savannah. The murder trial is even written in a warm, humorous and almost other worldly prose that typifies the city. No matter what genre you enjoy, this book will leave you wanting to return to Savannah or visit it a first time.