Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Thoroughly enjoyed this and you will too if you like an unpredictable novel with a slowish pace and strong characterization. The descriptions were so vivid I felt I knew Savannah by the time I'd finished (would love to go now). I think the slow pace at the beginning cleverly suggests the lazy and languid way of life in the south and is not meant as a criticism, stay with it the pace speeds up.

Just doesn't get any better (19/19 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 (3/5 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.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

John Berendt

Reader Reviews:

more good than evil (0/0 people found this helpful)

Just doesn't get any better (19/19 people found this helpful)

Intense book (1/1 people found this helpful)

Atmospheric Character Study (2/2 people found this helpful)

A mesmerizing book (3/5 people found this helpful)

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