Rating: 
Summary: funny;entertaining; Berendt dishes out Savannah's dirt...
Review: If you like character analysis, you'll love "Midnight...". Berendt takes a character and shows his/her true colors. You wonder just how the folks in Savannah feel about having their lives displayed inside out. "Midnight..." brings out the true flavor of Savannah and all of its intrique. Berendt is open and honest in telling this true life story. He adds his opinions and reactions to the story, making you feel like you're experiencing Savannah right by his side. If you're curious about what life is like for a vodoo priestess, a transvestite, a gay antiques dealer, southern ladies and gentlemen, and Savanahans in general, you'll love "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Rating: 
Summary: Spellbinding.
Review: This book is too good to be non-fiction. If you read it, you will compare it to any gothic novel you have ever read and will find they all come out second best
Rating:
Summary: Berendt brought characters of Savannah to life in this book.
Review: I'm a Low-country native (Allendale,SC), so I love to read stories about the region. In addition, Berendt is an excellent storyteller. His style is so clear and engaging that he makes you feel like you are walking with him on the streets of Savannah. I loved Chablis. I know many of her sisters:-
Rating:
Summary: It's Midnight---do you know where your children are?
Review: This book is like two others that I've read in the past few years. The first was "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" by Dunne, and the other was "The Bark of the Dogwood." These two, along with "Midnight" are excellently paced, gossipy, accessible, and great reads. But of the three, "Midnight is by far my favorite. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is really two books - the first half is a present day snapshot of Savannah, Georgia, an old-style Southern city with plenty of grace and charm. The second half is the story of the murder trial(s) of Jim Williams, one of Savannah's most interesting residents. The second half is much more interesting than the first. Perhaps that is because every time Williams makes an appearance, things turn interesting very quickly. (Having seen the movie, I can't picture Williams without thinking of the remarkable Kevin Spacey). One character who draws a lot of attention in both the book and the movie is the Lady Chablis. In the movie she occupies far too much screen time - her role in the book is much more reasonable. I suppose the popularity of the Lady is due to her "exotic" nature as a drag queen, but I find her character to be pretty unremarkable - it seems faintly ridiculous to complain that she could be any ol' drag queen, but realistically, she adds nothing to the story of any substance. I wish more attention had been paid to the "occult" aspects of the story - the title seems to invite this scrutiny. The fact that an extrememly wealthy Southern man on trial for murder puts more stock in voodoo than his defense lawyers is remarkable. I found myself wishing Berendt would have questioned Williams at length as to the reasons he chose to believe in these supernatural powers. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil does a great job of transplanting the reader into "Old South" Georgia with enough colorful characters to keep the interest level high; it's just a shame none of us will ever get invited to one of Jim Williams' Christmas Parties. Would also recommend "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" and "Bark of the Dogwood."
Rating:
Summary: Understand the comparisons
Review: I understand the comparisons being made to Capote's "In Cold Blood" what with
the hybrid genre thing going on, but for me,
"Midnight" was more like "Bark of the Dogwood" than "In Cold Blood."
Nevertheless, this John Berendt
thriller (not in the gaudy commercial sense) is one
of the best-written books of the last century.
Truly. I avoided this for years because of the hype
and the awful movie that was made of it, but
when I did finally read it I found an almost perfect book.
My question is this: Where is Mr. Berendt now and WHERE'S his next book? We're all waiting!
Rating:
Summary: Yes, Savannah is that strange....
Review: This story is a good read about some of the wild and wealthy who lived and died in Savannah in the 1980's. My parents live in Savannah, if you have ever spent anytime in that area you would know that it is a dead on account of the people who live there... Everything from the kooky insect guy (Driggers) to the Voo Doo which goes on "religiously" just over the Savannah river in South Carolina. As usual the book and movie share the same name and thats about it (read: the movie stinks the book doesn't).
Rating:
Summary: Long confusing title but still a great book
Review: Some books just have that "It" - charm, humor, style and all the quirks that help make a story memorable. Non-fiction has never been more fun - in fact I had to contiously had to remind myself that this is actually a true story! You wonder how this cast of characters could all exist in one city!
The actual story revolves around a murder and if or if not it was committed. The accuses was prosecuted and convicted several times before he is finally freed. However, the true star of the story is the city of Savannah and all of the quirks that makes this city so unique.
I highly recommend "Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil" to anyone who enjoys well written books. This is not your typical drug store paper back written for the masses - so if that is what you are looking for you may want to skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: A spell-binding account of yet another injustice in America
Review: This book was a gift to me from an organization whose conference I spoke at in Savannah, GA. At first glance, I thought it was fiction. It wasn't. I had to keep reminding myself of this as I read. What a fascinating story! Imagine being tried for murder four times--for the same killing. That's what Jim Williams endured for nearly a decade--including eight years of prison until his final trial.
The characters in this account of a landmark murder case are real, but most are so eccentric that they seem like actors in a Monty Python skit. Berendt caught all the colorful details for the reader. As usual in America, justice is hard to get. In Williams' case, his personal proclivities made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Savannah.
The personalities include a black pre-op transexual drag queen (who later went on to become a minor celebrity), a young redneck testosterone-soaked bisexual gigolo (who was murdered), a voodoo priestess, a piano-playing con artist attorney who doesn't pay his bills, a glory-seeking political schemer, a grossly incompetent and dishonest District Attorney, and other people who aren't exactly normal.
You can think of this book as a "true crime" story--with much of the crime actually being in the legal system. It's a riveting, and sometimes hilarious, page-turner. It takes you inside the various hidden agendas, secret attacks, oddball alliances, and crafty schemes that occupy the minds of people in a town where secrets are well-known and everyone knows everyone else's business.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic !
Review: This is one of those books that you read the first time and enjoy.Read it the second time and enjoy it even more!..I Loved this Story being a Southern Girl I could relate to these characters..This book has everything!True Crime,Humour,Lady Chablis makes the book a riot! Wonderful Job!Well Done!Keep em coming!
Rating:
Summary: Great Story - and true
Review: If you enjoy the southern charm of Savannah and the eccentricity of the people who live there, you will love this book. It contains the story of many people and institutions in this lovely city, told in a fascinating and riveting manner. It truly is one of those books that you can't put down.
Berendt spent time there and shares the extremely interesting facts of the architecture, culture, daily life in this amazing city. Though there are many stories told in the book, the main one is about Savannah antique dealer Jim Williams and the death of a young man in Williams home, Mercer House. It goes into detail about Williams life and the events that lead up to the murder.
If you have seen and enjoyed the film then that is great, but the book goes into much more detail and is better.
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