Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- Melissa Kudley
- Jul 21, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 6, 2022
Genre: Historical / Mystery / Classic
Book Type: Audio
Author: John Berendt
Narrator: Jeff Woodman
Pages / Length: 388 pages / 15 hours and 4 minutes
Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (January 13, 1994) / Random House Audio
Book Description:
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: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.
Thoughts:
A recent trip to Savannah prompted me to read this book, and my only regret is that I couldn’t finish it before we made the trip. Again, this book is outside what I typically read, but I’m so glad I read it! It was fascinating to see where this book took place, and the mystery that surrounds the death of Danny Turner. I really enjoyed that this was realistic/historical, yet also read like a mystery. It was a very well written book full of interesting characters, witchcraft, money, suspense, love, sex, drugs, and murder.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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