The enormously engaging account of life and death in secluded and hauntingly beautiful Savannah, Georgia, continues to take America by storm. "Mr. Berendt's writing is elegant and wickedly funny, and his eye for telling details is superb."--"The New York Times Book Review."
Read More
The enormously engaging account of life and death in secluded and hauntingly beautiful Savannah, Georgia, continues to take America by storm. "Mr. Berendt's writing is elegant and wickedly funny, and his eye for telling details is superb."--"The New York Times Book Review."
Read Less
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $0.99, very good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by Vintage Books USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $4.98, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by Vintage Books USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Modern Library to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2005 by Random House Inc.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by Vintage Books USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $4.99, good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by Vintage Books USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $5.01, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by Vintage Books USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Modern Library to cart. $5.15, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2005 by Random House Inc.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to cart. $7.82, very good condition, Sold by The Guru Bookshop rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1994 by Chatto & Windus.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Random House.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping.
BINDING BROKEN AWAY FROM PAGES MAKES FOR VERY HARD READING
lorax
Jan 10, 2009
Rich story and satisfying read
An appropriately titled book really pleases me. The title of this book is excellent, poetically and in the context of the story. It originated from a perfect scene, which was located in the perfect spot in the book: not too close to the beginning (I really don?t care how close to the end the reasoning is revealed, so long as it is eventually made clear in some way).
The author tells the story from his perspective: he observes and earns the trust of a man who is being tried for murder. We follow the subject of the murder investigation through several trials and appeal processes. At one point, he contracts the services of a voodoo priestess to help him curse his enemies (the crown attorney and key witnesses), and lift off a little of the bad luck he had been having.
Depending on your opinion of the effectiveness of voodoo spirituality, Minerva could have been an expendable character: a sidenote with no effect on the action of the story in any way. However, by naming the book after one of Minerva?s rituals, the author and John Berendt emphasizes what was significant about her contribution. The graveyard scene highlights the high cost of the the murder suspect?s pride, his focus on money, and his moral shallowness. Most notably, however, Minerva uncovers his unwillingness to forgive. Despite the man's memories of his victim?s quintessential need for affection, he is unable to qualify him as anything more than scum. This quality foreshadows the revelation of the murderer's character that we get at the end of the book, when he trust's Berendt enough to tell him a secret that never comes out in court.
This revelation of William?s character is consistent with what Berendt saw as the primary quality of Savannah: preservation. Their passion was remaining the same, and they reject any outside interest that could come at the expense of their regular habits. This fierce self-preservation motivated Williams, too.
Is a masterful title a literary device? If so, Berendt uses this one to its utmost effect. The way it emphasizes themes and lessons is reminiscent of novel-writing. Non-fiction attempts to grasp the same universal values that fiction does, but isn?t allowed the same literary tricks. Did Berendt employ one trick too many? The way everything fits together so nicely seems to suggest he did. The liberties he took were one of the greatest criticisms of the book, and perhaps what cost him the Pulitzer Prize.
In this book about Savannah, Berendt talks about the mystique of the city inspiring him to spend more and more time there. The opening chapter places Berendt in a conversation between Jim Williams, the protagonist of the book, and Danny Williams, who is eventually killed by Williams. Berendt never witnessed that scene. The first 170 pages of the book wander by like a good conversation, peppered with gossip, anecdote and character. A reader who had skipped the dust jacket would not know what the book was about until the end of chapter 11, when we find out that Williams is arrested for the murder of Danny Hansford.
However, the collection of data that Berendt engaged in was hardly so aimless. His first visit to Savannah was more than a year after Hansford?s death. Not only did he not witness the scene between Danny and Jim Williams, his associations with the other characters were not exactly the way he described them. They all knew about the crime before he started visiting with them, hearing their stories, or watching them interact.
Berendt put the murder in the middle of the book, "which I think made it much better,? he said in a New York Times story, ?because you knew Savannah before all this happened."
I think I agree with his logic. I greatly enjoyed the book, and Jim Williams was in no way the main reason I did. I did not find him to be worthy of a huge amount of attention. Of all, he seems to be the most unpleasant character. He shared secrets with the author, but it was mostly gossip about his neighbours and enemies in town. We learn very little about him, except what comes out through his murder trials.
The strong sense of setting helped the story. A lot of emphasis is put into describing the town, and as I moved through it, following the different stories, I understood where I was perfectly. Although I was aware that the author was messing with the timeline of events while I was reading, it didn?t matter because as a reader, I was content to be so forcefully rooted in the setting, I didn?t need a strong consciousness of the sequence of events, as well. The graveyard is central; it makes repeat appearances in the narrative. The jacket photo and the reference to the ?garden of good and evil? emphasize this. The whole story seems haunted by the dead, and a town so fanatical about self-preservation can afford to remember that everybody ends up underground. Minerva?s efforts to engage the dead into affecting the events of reality fail, but her reminders to those still alive are what are most valuable. Berendt succeeds in conveying this lesson.
cherokeerose
Oct 27, 2007
how evil-ey delicious...
this is a deliciously evil book...totally shows the sad, decaying, reality undertow of savannah georgia...but dont get me wrong..i would still LOVE to go there...both the movie(which stays fair enough true to the book) and the movie keep me riveted every single time i read/see them...i always take this book down and re read when i want a story to occupy my mind...straightforward and twisted all at once...i still havent figured out if it is a fictional/true biography/autobiography of john berendt...love it..
