Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Vintage;(June 28, 1999)
ISBN-10: 0679751521

(3rd book for RIP)

From the Inside Flap

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.

 

 

Having, once again, read a book for about 160 pages and finding I was not rushing back to read each time, I gave up The Terror, and began to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The first half of the book is all about Savannah and some “characters” that live there.  It wasn’t until the chapter where the murder occurred that I began to get very vivid pictures in my mind. 

“I know this…”

“It was a movie!” (duh)  Nothing like being a bit dense!! (half a books worth!)

Fortunately, (or unfortunately) I sorta/ kinda/ remembered how it ended!  However, it was more fortunate that I couldn’t remember how, or what happened, in between the murder and the conclusion!   Well.. I was remembering only as I read it!

The second half of the book was mostly the trial.  There was no doubt of the murder… but was it self defense??  Was he telling the truth?  Was he guilty of  Manslaughter or First Degree Murder? 

Had I never seen the movie it would have been a far better read for me, but even knowing the outcome it had been sooooo long since I had seen the movie that enough was forgotten to enjoy the book!

If you think you want to read of a murder trial in the very beautiful southern Georgia city of Savannah… this would be the book to read!

…and if you don’t want to read it you might consider the movie of the same name, starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack and directed by Clint Eastwood.