Book

Berendt, John, 1939-

Midnight in the garden of good and evil : a Savannah story / John Berendt.

First edition.

New York : Random House, [1994]

©1994

388 pages ; 25 cm

"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."--BOOK JACKET.

An Evening in Mercer House -- Destination Unknown -- The Sentimental Gentleman -- Settling In -- The Inventor -- The Lady of Six Thousand Songs -- The Grand Empress of Savannah -- Sweet Georgia Brown's -- A Walking Streak of Sex -- It Ain't Braggin' If Y'Really Done It -- News Flash -- Gunplay -- Checks and Balances -- The Party of the Year -- Civic Duty -- Trial -- A Hole in the Floor -- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -- Lafayette Square, We Are Here -- Sonny -- Notes on a Rerun -- The Pod -- Lunch -- Black Minuet -- Talk of the Town -- Another Story -- Lucky Number -- Glory -- And the Angels Sing.

Accelerated Reader UG 6.2 21 21 19791

Lambda Literary Award, 1994

Williams, Jim, 1931-1990.

Trials (Murder) -- Georgia -- Savannah.

Savannah (Ga.) -- Social life and customs.

Savannah (Ga.) -- History.

Contributor biographical information

Sample text

Publisher description

93003955

0679429220

9780679429227

0679643419

9780679643418

27975809

28

0

775601