You know the old saying, “Save the best for last”? Well, that definitely applies to the reading list I made for The Bookworm Belle book club this semester! Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is without a doubt one of my favorite books ever. I know that’s not saying much since I have a lot of favorite books and have been reviewing books I’ve really enjoyed all semester, but this book is truly something you don’t want to miss!
Referred to as “The Book” throughout Savannah, Georgia, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil describes a sensational murder that occurred within Savannah’s elite historic district during the 1980s. The book perfectly combines nonfiction with a southern mystery story that you can’t help but continue to immerse yourself in page after page. As Berendt describes his time in Savannah, he flawlessly captures the essence of life in the town. You won’t be able to put it down thanks to the murder mystery plot, and you’ll continue to read because the beautiful language Berendt uses vividly describe his surroundings. Ultimately, he provides a literary destination for his readers.
If you haven’t been to Savannah yet, you should definitely consider going after reading this book! Only a 3.5-hour road trip from Gainesville, Savannah’s historic district offers the perfect combination of history and pleasure. You can even take a tour of the Mercer Williams House, where the events described in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil occurred. As I walked around the Mercer House and Whitfield Square, I felt like I had traveled through time! I absolutely love reading about a place and then visiting it.
The Bookworm Belle in front of the Mercer House
The library where the famed murder occurred
The Oglethorpe Club that’s discussed throughout Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Souvenir from the Carriage House at the Mercer House
Needless to say, I absolutely loved Savannah, and ever since my trip, Georgia has definitely been on my mind!
Why you should read it: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a beautifully written collection of moments. Although it does surround the events of a murder mystery, Berendt also artfully dissects the relationships of the Savannah elite in a book that perfectly emulates the old-south Savannah way of life. Alongside these descriptions lie the intertwined connections that develop into the murder mystery and the trial thereafter. You should read this book to feel yourself drift into another time and a slower way of life. In the same way that The Great Gatsby begs its reader to adapt to the roaring twenties, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil implores readers to feel attached to a story that happened decades ago but is still relevant today.
From the back cover: “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 is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic.”