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: 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: True to life Fiction-an Oxymoron that works
Review: To say that the filmed version of this book was a travesty is an understatement. The book, a classic in its genre, is mesmerizing. Although based on true events (the murder of the young lover of a prominent gay Savannah businessman), John Berendt admits to stretching the truth. Although, the characters he meets along the way in Savannah are stranger than fiction. The line drawn between them is very thin indeed.I found this book fascinating from start to finish. It wasn't so much a "whodunit" as a character study, a mystery, and an absolutely unique telling of events. People who have seen the movie must read the book. Those who have read the book will find the movie completely out of synch. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in this book. It is truly a page-turner. I don't think the finest fiction writer could come up with the characters that are portrayed here, or the events that transpire. It is impossible to put this book in any particular niche, as a gothic-modern mystery-thriller true-crime southern fable...or as something else? It is definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A legend is born.
Review: Truly one of the great true crime books of the last decade (or two). John Berendt has fashioned a wicked and mischievious book out of the sorded events surrounding the death of Danny Hansford at the hands of Jim Williams. Multi-layered and full of wonderfully eccentric characters, "Midnight in the Graden..." is that rare hybrid of literature and pulp. I only know one person who has read this book and didn't rave about it (which makes me wonder what else is wrong with him!). *One caveat: don't see the movie - or rather, don't NOT read the book because you saw the movie - as it is one of the worst adaptations of all-time. Just read the book.
Rating:
Summary: This could only happen in Savannah...
Review: What do a crooked party-animal lawyer, an African American drag queen, a wealthy homosexual antiques dealer, a piano player who knows 6000 songs, a Voodoo queen, and the Georgia bulldog mascot have in common? They are all characters in John Berendt's record setting bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Never has a work of nonfiction been so informative and so much fun. Not only are the characters eccentric, but the entire city of Savannah fits that description as well. This beautiful, antebellum hothouse of the Old South is more a state of mind than a destination. Savannahian's revere their history, worship their ancestors, are very status and race conscious, and love to party.
Berendt spent eight years in Savannah and the first part of this book is more of a travelogue-introducing us to the history of Savannah and the quirky characters that will play a big part in the story later on. I especially liked Berendt's comparisons of Savannah to her sister city, Charleston.
The bulk of Midnight deals with a murder "mystery." Jim Williams (the antique dealer) lives in the stunning Mercer Mansion, and kills an employee in the house. But was it murder or self-defense? How the story unfolds is as fascinating as it is entertaining. Midnight is definitely something that could only happen in Savannah.
Midnight is a huge book, and it has had a major impact on this small city. At first, many Savannahian's were aghast at "The Book" and especially, the way it portrayed their eccentricities. But many residents came around as tourism skyrocketed (and increase of over 46%) as readers flocked to Savannah. The Midnight Phenomenon has been a boon to the economy, and there are now tours, lectures, slide shows and even a gift shop based on The Book. Even the Bird Girl statue that graces the cover had to be moved to the museum for safekeeping.
I fell in love with Midnight when I first read it a number of years ago. My husband and I also listened to the unabridged book on a long drive to Savannah, which made it even more enjoyable. The movie version is an extremely poor and not very authentic adaptation of the book. But if you want to see shots of Savannah (especially the Mercer Mansion) or the real Lady Chablis (the drag queen who plays herself), it might be worth a look. Otherwise, stick to Berendt's wonderfully written book. Or at least, read the book first.
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