Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but it won't change your life
Review: Captivated by Savannah, the writer John Berendt decides to make the city his second home. He spends the first part of the book telling us about some local traditions, history, and characters. Some of those characters are so eccentric and uproarious that I have to suspect they were at least a little bit embellished - but who cares? Those characters are what makes the book worth reading. Then about halfway through the book, one of the main characters, a prominent socialite, kills another. Much of the remainder of the book is devoted to the four(!) trials which result from the killing. If you prefer books with a well-defined, focused theme, you might find this one a bit disorienting. The book is a portrait of Savannah, an account of the lives and personalities of some delightfully colorful characters, and a murder mystery (which, by the way, is never confidently solved). It's hard to say which of those three is the primary goal of the book. But for me, as well as many other reviewers here, it is the zany personalities of the the oddball characters which makes the book most memorable. In particular, you will never forget Chablis!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly entertaining and interesting
Review: This book was a wonderful surprise. I already knew it was an intriguing murder story but I was caught off-guard by all the wonderful peripheral characters who are all-the-more fascinating for being real. The whole tale moves along quickly but never feels rushed. It's as fun, wicked, and filled with wit as one of Jim Williams's Christmas parties probably was.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing portrait of Savannah and its wacky people.
Review: Clearly the work of a magazine writer (albeit a talented one), this book succeeds more as a collection of character sketches than it does as a non-fiction novel. The attraction here is Savannah's people, from which Berendt samples some of the most interesting and eccentric on which to base his work. Details of the four trials (condensed into one for the movie) are tedious, since the murder really only provides the framework for the author's facile skills of description and to showcase his wacky cast of characters. Don't let the movie prejeduce you against the book; it's definitely worth reading for yourself what all the fuss is about.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story of a Unique Southern City
Review: This book has become an industry, and deservedly so. It is one of the truly unique and interesting American books of the 20th century; people will be reading this classic for years to come. These are stories so bizarre that, if this were a work of fiction, you would have trouble believing them. Few books in modern literature so well describe a city and its people as this one. Read it, visit Savanah,then read the book again.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I have Ever Read
Review: I was recently asked to choose a book of which to write an extended English essay on and in a moment of panic, chose a book which my mother had read named Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Now, I can't put it down. It is the only book which I have ever read in which I was actually laughed out loud and gasped. I won't tell you where, you have to read it for yourself. Now, I have two copies. One with my notes and research in it and another which I keep clean should I want to read it for a ninth time. After reading a great deal of books I feel a little cheated and wish that I could just take the book back and get my money back - after all I probably won't read it again - I'm 16, but with this I was very amazed. It is by far the best book, in my opinion, which has even been printed onto paper. It would be a sin not to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, amazing, amazing!
Review: This is the best book I have read all year, and I have read about 70-odd so far! It is impossible to believe that the characters could be real live people, but if there is a real Lady Chablis, I suspect the others caould exist as well. What I love is the WAY the characters are shown to us. For the most part they just talk - they talk about themselves, and they talk about others in ways that reveal alot about themselves. They talk to the narrator who is a Yankee from New York come to write a book about Savannah. It is amazing how his presence heightens the humour of the confessions and gossip of the people of Savannah, although he doesn't really do very much except be there to be talked to and patronised. The writing is full of incredible energy - the first chapter could possibly be the best first chapter of a book I have ever read in my life - it gripped me by the gills and I was left gasping (reminds me about the story of the flourescent goldfish, wait till you read about that!)
Rating:
Summary: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Review: Though apprehensive about reading such a popular, trendy and gossipy book, I am glad I was persuaded to go with my initial approach! I believe that Berendt was a bit wordy at times, and the story seemed to drag a bit at certain points; but overall I found the book captivating and well-written. The amount and development of characters was inticing and led to the overall charm and appeal of the novel. I can definitley understand why it was made into a movie. Definitley a quick and easy read- excellent for summer reading. I can't wait to go to Savannah and look for the souls of Jim and his cronies (with the help of Minerva of course!)
Rating:
Summary: intoxicating
Review: I live just a good 4.5 hr drive from Savannah, and can vouch for its loveliness and seductiveness. Mr. Berendt's descriptions nearly capture its otherworldliness, and I can't imagine a better companion for your Savannah vacation. "Midnight" is a book about coastal southern quirkiness, fantastic beauty, murder, passion, and alcohol. Read it, if you haven't already. It reads swiftly and makes your heart ache that you don't live in a place like that.
Rating:
Summary: Berendt proves a great guide of Savannah and its citizens
Review: This is one bizarre town. That's the feeling I had after reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. John Berendt's bestseller is a portrait of a Southern city - Savannah, Georgia, that is populated by some very unique people, each with his or her own charm, and the murder and trial of one of those citizens. Berendt's writing truly takes the reader with him for this strange yet interesting tour, whether in the home of Jim Williams, the accused murderer, Minerva, the voodoo priestess, and oc course, the Lady Chablis (need I say more ?) The access that he received lets him paint detailed character studies, as well as a narrative that keeps the reader ready for more. A unique and fascinating book.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I read the book first
Review: This is one situation where I was so happy I read the book before seeing the film. Had I seen the film, I would likely not have been prompted to read it. The book is so full and rich, the film is almost a mockery of a beautifully written non-fiction tale of drama and intrigue with shocking events and equally shocking characters. Berendt's eye for detail draws the reader in before the completion of the first chapter. Each chapter thereafter is a gift to the reader, an introduction to one interesting character after another, not the least of which is the "character" of the city of Savannah, a central figure in herself. I picked the book up on a whim, dog-eared it myself and have lent it out many times over. It's captivating stories and richness were impossible to put down, without wanting to read "just one more chapter, then I'll really get dinner started..." Guaranteed not to disappoint, unlike the movie....
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