Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil |
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John Berendt
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Pages: (Audio Cassette)
ISBN: 1856866408
Pub: Random House Audiobooks
Pub date: 1998-03-19
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1097004
Reader Reviews:
Just doesn't get any better (13/13 people found this helpful)
Loved this book. I had no idea what it was about since I hadn't seen the movie and had avoided the hype years ago. Now, reading it for the first time, I'm amazed. I wasn't too excited at first--the first half of the book is just okay; entertaining but nothing that great, but the second half took off and just flew! This book got me reading more southern American literature and I came across a fantastic book called "Bark of the Dogwood" by J.T.McCrae which was actually just as good as "Midnight."
"Midnight" is probably the only book on the bestseller list I've read that deserved to be there. Jim Williams is an amazing character, and a real person, or was. We will never know the real truth of what happened (don't want to give away the plot), but even so, it makes for one heck of an entertaining read. Would also recommend the books "Prince of Tides" by Conroy and "Bark of the Dogwood" for two other southern books that don't pull any punches.
Intense book (1/1 people found this helpful)
When I first encountered this book, I'd not read any reviews and the movie had not yet been made. So I was totally unaware of what was going to happen. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the writing and story really came alive for me in the second half. I'd half-way guessed something like this might be coming, and sure enough, Berendt confirmed it. Add this one to the "keeper" pile because you'll want to read it again and again.
Atmospheric Character Study (2/2 people found this helpful)
The story is almost secondary to the wonderful character studies. All the people in the book are based on people the author met, and yet he manages to make them "larger than life". I found the book an easy read, and something a little bit different to the norm. I can't recommend it enough!
A mesmerizing book (3/4 people found this helpful)
Meet one the most charming of all southern belles. Not a woman or a girl, but the city of Savannah, located on the Georgia coast, rich with history, ancient architecture, and with its own distinct way of life. In this non-fictional account of life in Savannah, Berendt introduces characters that are at once eccentric, charming, tragic, and entertaining, giving this book an exceptional fictional feel. He aptly describes life in the higher social circles, including prejudices, feuds, jealousies, as well as "how the other half lives", featuring not only the rich and privileged, but also voodoo priestesses, drag queen show girls and male hustlers.
The book centers around the death of Danny Hansford, a troubled and violent young man, at the hands of his employer, Jim Williams, who is a very successful and affluent antiques dealer. The Williams - Hansford affair takes up a large portion of the book.
Berendt's choice of characters makes this story rich, compelling and very entertaining, and the variety of events has kept me reading at a considerable pace, with always a laugh or two around the corner. The Williams trial is highly interesting and adds a bit of suspense to the book.
After reading this book I not only recommend that you read it, but it also has made me put Savannah on my list of places to visit at some point in my life.
Entrancing, intriguing, evocative and very good (3/3 people found this helpful)
Wonderful, just wonderful. The best book I have read all year. Berendt weaves an evocative and insightful picture of Savannah into a gentle yet disturbing murder mystery with a twist. Each and every character - and there are lots of the them - is equisitely drawn and immediately engaging. Each espisode is enchanting and well worked into the slowly developing plot. The prose is by turns sparse and luxuriously, perfectly suiting the book itself. Read it or regret it.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Social Sciences -> Law & Disorder -> Criminology
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> B -> Berendt, John
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> True Crime
uk-shops -> Travel -> Audio Books -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> True Accounts
uk-shops -> Education Resources -> Books -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Law & Disorder -> Criminology