John Berendt

John Berendt, what a genius! He makes his nonfiction more compelling than the vast majority of novels! Here Berendt takes us on a visit to Venice — not the Venice of gawking tourists but the Venice of residents whose Venetian bona fides go back centuries. The story begins in 1996, when Venice’s renowned opera house La Fenice burns down. The book ends in 2003 when La Fenice arises from the ashes like its namesake phoenix. In between, readers are treated to an insider’s view to a city show more where almost nothing resembles the tourist’s version of Venice. I wish I could give it more than five stars! show less

I can see why this is a best seller - Its full of well written, quirky characters, a never ending murder trial, everything needed to grab the attention of a reader.

Set in Savannah, Georgia, John Berendt uses a murder mystery to tie together different communities of Savannah, from the Drag Queens to the social elite. The community is small enough that everybody knows of everybody and opinions abound. This is also a very segregated world, blacks and whites, low and upper class are very show more separate. The author alluded to this, but I'm not sure if he captured how this affected the poorer communities.

The setting of Savannah is really well done, from the architecture, the gothic cemetery from the street plans.

This is a book that is equal parts murder mystery, character driven, and setting, all put together into something that is fun to read. show less

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a splendid piece of nonfiction. Part true crime, part Savannah guidebook, it reaches beyond both of these to become a captivating character study. John Berendt effortlessly captures the voices of both the people he meets and the city of Savannah, itself. And yet, though his impressions and experiences shape the narrative, he remains an understated presence in the book, offering what he sees and hears with minimal commentary, and leaving us, the show more readers, with the sense that it is we who are in fact meeting these people and this place. As their new acquaintances, moreover, we're free and welcome to come to our own conclusions about the quality of their characters, and so we, too, become drawn into the book's singular series of events. Deftly rendered with elegant and evocative prose, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a funny, insightful, and often touching glimpse into Savannah's charming, mysterious heart. show less

Murder, gullah, drag queens--oh my! (These are a few of my favorite things . . .) There's probably not much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said, but that won't stop me. I saw the movie when it first came out and loved it, but just never got around to reading the book. I thought that the entire book would be about the murder trial of Jim Williams, the prominent Savannah antiques dealer accused of murdering Danny Hansford (with whom it was rumored he was having a sexual show more relationship). While a generous portion of the book is dedicated to the details of Williams' four trials, the book is much more than that. This is a collection of stories about the people and history of Savannah--some of it true, some of it embellished, and some of it flat-out fabricated. The characters are eccentric, but likable (particularly The Lady Chablis--the foul mouthed drag queen who has labeled herself "The Grand Empress of Savannah." She's by far my favorite character of the novel, followed by Minerva, the fascinating practitioner of voodoo). And, while I knew he was probably a scoundrel, I also liked Jim Williams, who insisted on continuing to live in Savannah because "it pisses off all the right people."

There was a lot of discussion at book club as to whether this should be classified as fiction or non-fiction. Here's my verdict: who cares? If the story is entertaining and well told, whether or not it's 100% factual shouldn't make a whit of difference to anyone who is looking to be entertained.

It should also be said that the cover art for the book is perfect. The bird girl of Bonaventure Cemetery stands there like Savannah itself, prim and old-fashioned, holding out both good and evil--head cocked in curiosity to see from which bowl her citizens will take. show less