Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | John Berendt
Read John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in Large Print.* All Random House Large Print editions are published in a 16-point typefaceShots 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.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Ang203l
post image

Soaking up my last day of break! #catsoflitsy

RaeLovesToRead Hello, beautiful kitty!!! 🥰🥰 2mo
Kerrbearlib Beautiful kitty ♥️ 2mo
8 likes2 comments
review
DrSabrinaMoldenReads
post image
Bailedbailed

I hated this book so much that I actually quit it towards the end. I don‘t even know why I kept trying. But when he started with the “blacks” debutante ball, as if it was one of his comical elements, I was done and done. It‘s not even worthy of me going into it. Yuck!

blurb
Kristelh
post image

#december
Second book of December #nonfiction #savannah

13 likes1 stack add
blurb
DrSabrinaMoldenReads
post image

I am enjoying this book so much. I love his style of writing like he is having a witty conversation with me. I regret that he has only written one other book. Any other books that you have read that remind you of this one…for an enjoyable reading experience?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads Some books let you down. I‘ve come a long way to not finish but I‘ve wanted to 3mo
30 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Graciouswarriorprincess
post image

Book 160 of the year.

review
Morr_Books
post image
Mehso-so
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5mo
TheSpineView Great job! 5mo
Read4life 🍁👻🎃 5mo
See All 6 Comments
AmandaBlaze Excellent! 5mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 5mo
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🦇🧡 5mo
44 likes6 comments
blurb
Morr_Books
post image

Though I am not going to do the full 24 hour readathon like I normally do, as I have out-of-town family visiting for the weekend, I am going to do what I can to read for some of it. I'm starting Hour 1 with the tagged book that I hope to finish today.
#deweysreadthon #deweysoctober2023 @DeweysReadathon

blurb
TheSpineView
post image

#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Movie: Killer Joe

Klou Brilliant! 5mo
TheSpineView @Klou 🖤📖 5mo
44 likes2 comments
quote
smalldogs_bigbooks2419
post image

Starting a book after midnight, when I have plans first thing tomorrow morning. I might regret this, but I‘m doing it anyway. This line is already setting up the vibe of how creepy this book might be: “…eyes so black they were like the tinted windows of a sleek limousine — he could see out, but you couldn‘t see in.”

review
angieinwonderland
post image
Bailedbailed

I completely bailed on this book at 20%. I could not do it. The descriptions were great but I just couldn't get into it. I love reading a book set where I am so while in Savannah on vacation, I had to try it. I am leaving today towards Charleston and won't be picking it back up again.
But here is a pic of a lovely tree with Spanish moss that happens to neither be Spanish or moss but still is so lovely and evokes such mysticism and stillness.

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I wish I had stopped reading 3mo
angieinwonderland I watched the movie when we got back home and was relieved I had. 2mo
14 likes2 comments
blurb
bookandbedandtea
post image

This has great reviews everywhere but, at about 1/3, I'm getting tired of it. At first I enjoyed the loosely connected vignettes but now I'm finding them tiresome. There's no plot so far, just the author hanging out with various interesting people- and they are interesting!- but I keep waiting for things to *happen* and growing frustrated. I'm thinking I'll send this back to the library and try again sometime. Maybe.

AmyK1 I think I got about that far in before I bailed. Same reasons. 9mo
bookandbedandtea @AmyK1 I'm glad it's not just me! 9mo
Jeg It‘s one of my all time favourite books. It took me to Savannah and we got to do a tour of his house . I‘ve watched the movie but not as good as the book. Historical Savannah during the off season was a delight. One of the highlights of my travelling days. 9mo
bookandbedandtea @Jeg It definitely had me doing research on Savannah and plotting a trip! As an homage to the town it was working for me. But it felt like a series of linked short stories while I kept straining for the threads of a plot to appear. I can see myself picking up again in a few months. 9mo
32 likes4 comments
blurb
Jennaree3
post image

Is there anything better than a crackling "fireplace" (thanks for the Yule log, Netflix), a new kombucha, and a fresh book ? ah just bury me among my books when I go and let the book worms get me ?♥️???

blurb
JenReadsAlot
post image

I booked a trip to Savannah after reading this! #temptingtitles #antonyms @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great choice!! 11mo
Eggs Brilliant ❣️ 11mo
40 likes2 comments
blurb
ChelseaM6010
post image

#TemptingTitles
Day26. With Antonyms
#WithAntonyms

I found this to be a spellbinding story. Classic. The author did a good job detailing events.

#nonfiction #truecrime

Eggs I need to read this! 11mo
ChelseaM6010 @Eggs I really liked it! 11mo
22 likes2 comments
blurb
AvidReader25
post image

Visiting the Mercer House in Savannah last week. Much of the book take place here, and I loved getting to explore the historic squares described so beautifully in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

kspenmoll A wonderful historic city! 12mo
AvidReader25 @kspenmoll We had so much fun exploring! 12mo
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
AvidReader25
post image
Pickpick

I 1st read this in high school. Up until that point I assumed nonfiction was boring. It was a shocking wonderful experience. The descriptions of people were intoxicating. I was completely enamored with the whole city of Savannah. I could picture every street & quirky neighbor. The fact that those people really existed just made it all the more amazing. Midnight opened the door to the world of creative nonfiction for me. Rereading it was a delight.

all_4_kb I liked this one 12mo
35 likes1 comment
review
Jenken1998
post image
Pickpick

A NF look at the beautiful southern city of Savannah, Georgia, and some of its more eccentric citizens. The backdrop for a shooting in 1981 between two men. Employer - Employee, friends, lovers? Murder, or self-defense? This has been on my TBR forever.. I really enjoyed it. The movie..not so much. Non-fiction that reads like a novel.

5feet.of.fury Ooh! Awesome! I have a physical copy I thrifted a while ago & I have it in my stack to read next month so I‘m glad to see this positive experience 14mo
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
all_4_kb
post image

This looks like it‘s going to be fabulous. Any feedback from anyone who read is greatly appreciated!

Vansa I just finished John Berendt's book set in Venice and could not love it more, and it's supposed to be his lesser work!! I'm sure this book will be spectacular 1y
all_4_kb @Vansa ohhhhh tell me more about what you read…. Never heard of it !!! 1y
Vansa Called The City of Falling Angels,Berendt writes about Venice from a very..non tourist perspective,and he writes of aspects that interest him,so there's a lot about daily life,quirky locals,the impact of tourism,conservation efforts and the tremendous politicking that happens around that,a fire that destroyed the main opera house and the convolutions around it's rebuilding.He doesn't mean for it to be a history book,but an atmospheric book,(1/n) 1y
See All 6 Comments
Vansa (2/n)and somehow it really,really works.I hadn't heard of it either!Stumbled across it in a used bookstore I frequent and it sounded really interesting, absolutely loved it!Inspired by your post I'm going to read Midnight in the garden now😀 1y
all_4_kb @Vansa and inspired by yours, I will read that one!!! Thank you!!! 1y
AvidReader25 @Vansa I read that one on a train to Venice and I loved it! 12mo
55 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
smalldogs_bigbooks2419
post image

Does anyone else feel compelled to buy certain books when you come across them, specifically because you remember seeing someone significant to you reading it years ago? I swear I remember seeing my mom read this when I was a fairly young child. I didn‘t even know what it was about until I found it on Pongo Books about a month ago, but I recognized the cover immediately when I saw it.

EvieBee That means your mom was the coolest! 1y
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 @EvieBee the older I get, the more I agree with that. She‘s absolutely where I got my love of reading and my favorite source of recommendations. 1y
43 likes2 comments
review
Jilly6183
post image
Pickpick

When I travel, I love to read books that take place in my destination. I managed to read the first half of this book on the flight to Savannah and the rest on the flight back. It set the perfect scene. Nonfiction has trouble keeping my attention but Berendt's writing is excellent. Highly recommend!

angieinwonderland I love reading books set in the place I am visiting. It really adds to the experience. 8mo
50 likes1 comment
blurb
WJCintron
post image
Eggs Love your photo format each day ❤️❤️ 1y
38 likes1 comment
blurb
IndoorDame
post image

This #story about Savanna has been on my TBR for so many years, but somehow it‘s never the thing I reach for. Do you all have titles like that? #evil #Scarathlon2022 #ScarathlonDailyPrompt #TeamMonsterMash @StayCurious @Clwojick #OminousOctober @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

BkClubCare Yep, more than I care to admit. (I *think* I‘ve read this one!) 1y
MaGoose Yup. Me too. A boatload of books that I've been meaning to read, but just never get around to them. And of course I am always buying new books to add to my massive TBR pile. 🤪🙄😄 1y
Kappadeemom One of my favorite books! 1y
See All 7 Comments
Eggs Nice choice! I do have lots of books that I “intend” to read… 1y
Ruthiella This book is totally one of those! I‘ve also had a copy for years. 1y
Palimpsest Awesome book. I‘ve been wanting to go to Savannah since I read this seven years ago! And yes, I just recently finished The Graveyard Book which was on my shelf for years which I also absolutely loved. 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes! This is one of the along with The Book Thief, A Little Hope, and so many others!! 1y
64 likes2 stack adds7 comments
blurb
KT1432
post image

Although the murder victim (or perhaps perpetrator?) in this #TrueCrime #Classic was shot to death, it does include a character who possesses an extremely potent bottle of poison. And it took me a week and a half, but I am now officially back on track! 😅

#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #PhotoChallenge Day 17: #Poison #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2022

b.elschie I need to try and get back into this one. I started it and fell off pretty hard :') 1y
KT1432 @b.elschie I need to try it again myself! 😅 I was reading it as a buddy read a few years ago and my library loan lapsed and I just never finished. 🙃 1y
22 likes2 comments
blurb
BarkingMadRead
post image
Sparklemn So jealous. I want to go to Savannah someday! 1y
BarkingMadRead @Sparklemn it‘s amazing, quickly becoming one of my fave places to go 1y
47 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
aperfectmjk
post image
Pickpick

More audiocrafting today. I still have a LONG way to go yet, but at least now I can see my vision coming together.

I finally finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I can't tell you how many times I came close to reading this one, but just never quite got there. It was excellently written. I can see why it's a must read.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks #Litsycrafters #audiocrafting #EricCarle #littlefreelibrary

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
Catsandbooks It's like right out of the storybook! 2y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Monica5
post image

Yes, I tagged the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I read it in my early 20's and still remember it.

Best part of the week, any day I get to read during the day, just not at night. Worst part of week, any day I am not able to read, due to being sick and brain not working so I can't concentrate.

Thanks @EadieB for the tag and @Eggs for doing this one today.

Want to play: @Clwojick @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego

EadieB You're welcome! 2y
14 likes1 comment
blurb
Kappadeemom
post image

Picking this book because I am born and raised in Georgia and it‘s about a murder that happened in Savannah and because it‘s a 5 star read @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks #AlphabetGame #LetterM

marleed I love this book. It‘s the best example I know of NF that reads like fiction. 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my shelf!! 2y
28 likes2 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
post image

#AlphabetGame A true crime mystery with the kookiest cast of characters you‘ll ever come across!‘ I couldn‘t put this book down ❤️

mrp27 Loved this one too and of course I just had to visit Savanah. I didn‘t get to experience any of its quirkiness but what a great little town and so beautiful. 2y
Cinfhen After finishing this book I felt like seeing Savanah for myself @mrp27 it‘s still on my #HopefullyOneDay list💜 2y
JenReadsAlot That was a good one! @mrp27 I also went to Savannah after reading this book! 2y
See All 11 Comments
mrp27 @Cinfhen Hope you make it there. Even without the book it‘s still great place to visit! 2y
mrp27 @JenReadsAlot Wasn‘t it great?! Did you get to visit their bookstore, E.Shaver? 2y
JenReadsAlot @mrp27 it was amazing, but no to the bookstore. 2y
Cinfhen And a great bookstore @mrp27 ??? Now I definitely want to go ☺️did you guys go in a certain season @JenReadsAlot is there a “good” time of year??? 2y
JenReadsAlot I think I went in May/June and it was getting humid in my opinion 🙃 2y
mrp27 Yes! It was over 20 years ago but I remember liking it. When I moved from California to New York I drove cross country and I was shocked that every state beyond Colorado was humid. So at the time I felt the weather was awful hot but I was a newbie to humidity at that time. 2y
Cinfhen Ha @mrp27 any east coaster knows about humidity!!!! Good to know @JenReadsAlot 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my shelf! 2y
54 likes11 comments
blurb
thecaffinatedreader
post image

Found this for 50 cents in a cardboard box at an outdoor thrift market (signed copy)

Anyone else read it and does it live up to the hype?

wanderinglynn I enjoyed it. It‘s so much better than the movie (if you watched it). 2y
Cvfrailing See I liked the movie better. 2y
25 likes2 comments
blurb
thecaffinatedreader
post image

My thrift haul…for a total of $1.75

marleed Fun haul! 2y
32 likes1 comment
review
SarahBookInterrupted
post image
Pickpick

I found this book interesting. At first I didn‘t like how I was waiting for the murder that never came but later on I loved that all the characters were well developed. I didn‘t realize this was a non-fiction until I was almost done. Which makes it even more fascinating. It reads like a fiction, especially the sheer amount of extremely eccentric characters. I have no desire to go to Savannah for so many social reasons but it made a good book.

review
Andrea4
post image
Pickpick

A pup so exhausted he went back to his crate.
Watched this movie a few times as a kid, realised it was a book. Did not know this was non fiction!! I really enjoyed these characters. Confused as to why half the book was done before the crime happened BUT it's worth it.
This does make me want to visit Savannah. Me and everyone else 🤣

blurb
Addison_Reads
post image

#SavvySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I watched this movie years before I finally read the book, but I thoroughly enjoyed them both. #Garden

vivastory Such weird characters. I really loved this one! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚👍🏻🙌🏻 2y
Eggs Cover Love 💗 2y
40 likes3 comments
blurb
Blueberry
post image
Eggs Perfection 🪦 2y
59 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
LisaLovesToRead
post image
Pickpick

It‘s been years since I have seen this movie, but I remember it was bizarre and great. The book did not disappoint! It was hard to put down. I‘m excited to rewatch the movie now.

LoverOfLearning I'm glad you enjoyed it! I got about 75% done and haven't picked it back up since. 2y
LisaLovesToRead @LoverOfLearning, did you ever watch the movie? I remembered it being very different, but I couldn‘t recall too many details. That helped pull me through. I loved the descriptions early on, but it did keep my attention throughout. 2y
LoverOfLearning @LisaLovesToRead no I havent actually seen it! But I should try and find it! 2y
20 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
vivastory
post image

I tagged this book, bc she seems like a character right out of it. I don't think I've ever laughed while reading an obituary
https://www.fayobserver.com/obituaries/m0028451

Suet624 This obit seems to be making the rounds. I keep wondering if it's real. 2y
vivastory @Suet624 I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt that it's real. Anyone can post an obituary, but it was in the Fayetteville Observer so I don't think that a random person made it up. Also, people are weird 🙃 (edited) 2y
MatchlessMarie I hope it‘s real. She sounds like a hoot! 2y
See All 14 Comments
EvieBee Wow, lol! She died in my hometown and I know where Vernon, TX is lol! It is indeed a cow sanctuary. 😂 2y
LeahBergen 😆😆 2y
Nute Well, the qualifies as the funniest obituary that I have ever read! Still laughing!🤣 2y
Bookzombie 😂 2y
Amandajoy That was awesome! 2y
MicheleinPhilly 🤣🤣🤣 2y
Sparklemn It‘s legit. NPR interviewed her son who wrote the obit. 😊 2y
Ladygodiva7 😂😂😂 2y
sarahbarnes This is amazing. 2y
sprainedbrain That‘s incredible. 😂 2y
marleed That‘s hilarious! 2y
63 likes1 stack add14 comments
blurb
Mitch
post image
RaeLovesToRead Page bookmarked. I have seen zero of these films and some look fab! 2y
Mitch @RaeLovesToRead they look a good alternate when you‘ve run out of Elf enthusiasm! 🤣 2y
merelybookish Fun list! I loved Go back when it came out. 2y
RaeLovesToRead I'm feeling more in the mood for some crime noir than some festive fun at the moment 😄 2y
62 likes4 comments
review
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
post image
Mehso-so

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is well loved by a lot of readers. While I really enjoyed the descriptions of Savannah and its residents, I was disappointed to learn all the liberties the author took. It should be advertised as a "faction," a mix of facts and fiction.

review
Bookwormjillk
post image
Pickpick

I‘m not even sure what I just read, but I enjoyed it, and I really want to travel to Savannah. This was billed as true crime. If even half of it is true it‘s a great story. #NonFictionNovember #NFN21

Scochrane26 Savannah is a beautiful city. 2y
AmyK1 I‘m going to Savannah this weekend with friends! 2y
marleed I loved this book. It really does read like fiction. When I visited Savannah years ago, that book and miniature statues were abundantly gift shops. 2y
61 likes4 comments
blurb
Bookwormjillk
post image

Yesterday I listened to another episode of Pantsuit Politics on my walk. It was a beautiful day and I even have time to swing by a Little Free Library and drop off some books.

Today I learned: It‘s be 15 years since I visited Savannah and I really want to go back. (Listening to the tagged book and while it‘s very entertaining it‘s not really a learning type book 😜)

tracey38 I love Savannah! 2y
Bookwormjillk @tracey38 it‘s been way too long. A really long drive for me but worth it. 2y
tracey38 @Bookwormjillk I could walk around historic downtown Savannah all the time. It's sp worth it! 2y
40 likes3 comments
review
ElleMNOpe
post image
Pickpick

Reads like a novel, despite being (slightly artistically styled) nonfiction. The characters are quirky & colorful paired with a fantastically written atmosphere. The entire thing plays like a crazy acid trip, but it's magnificent...especially when you stop to realize that these people actually exist(ed). I will admit that the ending in the book is not as powerful as its movie version. Still, life is stranger than fiction. And this is a doozy.

review
Michellesibs
post image
Pickpick

This is a non fiction true crime story on the shooting of Danny Hansford by his employer and the subsequent four trials. I hadnt heard of this before so I went in without any prior knowledge at all.
The cast of characters are electric. A Drag Queen, a Witch, an Antiques Dealer, a piano playing lawyer. There's an abundance of alcohol, gossip and ambition in a town with an unwillingness to change.
A slow start but in the end a great read!

smalldogs_bigbooks2419 Idk why, but I remember a lot of the books my mom red when I was a kid. (She always set an example and read in front of us when she could.) This is one of the book covers I remember seeing, but I had no idea what it was about. 2y
Cortg I read this book and loved it. Then, I listened to it. Got my sister and her boyfriend intrigued on vacation and they read it. My sister's boyfriend, being from Savannah, gave me his “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil“ tour on a visit. I also found out a friend of mine from high school works for the same law firm from the book.
For fun, check out the tagged book. Interesting story.
2y
Michellesibs @smalldogs_bigbooks2419 Its a really unique cover isn't it so I'm not surprised it stood out to you! X 2y
Michellesibs @Cortg That's fantastic, I want a tour now 🤣❤ 2y
66 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
Justine_Mar
post image

Finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil just in time for a trip to Savannah. First stop, Mercer Williams House.

Cathythoughts Exciting 👍🏻 2y
11 likes1 comment
quote
Justine_Mar
post image

"We have a saying: If you go to Atlanta, the first question people ask you is, 'What's your business?' In Macon they ask, 'Where do you go to church?' In Augusta they ask your grandmother's maiden name. But in Savannah the first question people ask you is 'What would you like to drink' " ?

marleed This book is so well written! 2y
10 likes1 comment
review
BookLove4Ever
post image
Pickpick

I listened to this on audiobook and found the narrator enjoyable. A nice true crime story that I listened to because of my trip to Savannah. My favorite person was Joe Odom. How that guy skated by and skirted the law was unlike any I‘d ever heard of. The voodoo was creepy. I would have loved to see all of Jim William‘s antiques. 😁 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

review
Ny_Fergie
Pickpick

This was fun. Take a classic southern city (Savannah) and layer in some voodoo, some rich folks, some crazy folks, a sprinkle of murder, a smidge of con artists and a drag Queen I would love to meet. This kept my interest on a well paced adventure.

blurb
Valhalla
post image

7 likes1 stack add
blurb
radelyn

Y'all, as someone raised in the lowcountry of Beaufort, SC, and intimately familiar with Savanah, this was like a trip back home. Berendt captured the lurid gossip and socialite mentality with its balanced sense of practicality well enough for me, and his picture of each character was perfectly imagined.
#AtoZchallenge

lynneamch I think reading the book before I visited Savannah really enhanced my enjoyment of the city. I bought this one while I was there. 3y
9 likes1 comment
blurb
tjwill
post image
52 likes1 stack add