Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, John Berendt ISBN: 0-679-75152-1 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 28 June, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.04 (389 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The social tapestry of Savannah
Comment: I found this book in a consignment shop, oddly enough. The cover looked interesting and I heard the movie was pretty interesting as well, so I decided to buy it. It was a pretty good read. I felt like a Savannian after reading it. The string of characters seem over-embellished in some places, but they indeed hold your attention, and make you laugh. The turbulent Danny, the colorful transvestite Chablis, and the well-meaning conman Joe Odom provide an interesting opposition to the neutral, level-headed narrator, who justs goes along for the ride. I enjoyed how Berendt used the whole first half of the book ("Part One") to provide detailed biographies of many of the books' recurring characters, not even mentioning the crime until the beginning of "Part Two." This book is not simply a murder-mystery -- quite the opposite! It gives a diverse, rich view of the Savannian social tapestry. Definately read it.
Rating: 4
Summary: A riveting read....
Comment: I thought John Berendt did a very good job of weaving a rich tapestry of eccentric characters and a fascinating setting, into an original true crime story. The book is based on an actual murder that set the precedent for OJ Simpson's defense, that is challenging the police and Medical Examiner's handling of the crime scene evidence.
Berendt spent eight years in Savannah, researching the book that originally started out as an article and it shows! In fact, maybe it shows too much...that is, what I gather, most of his critics have a problem with - INFO DUMP. Berendt does give reams of background material, but I never found it slow going. After reading this book you could picture Savannah and Berendt spun the same kinds of word pictures of each character. You'd swear you knew them all after reading this book.
Jim Williams, a wealthy antiques and collectibles dealer, was charged with the murder of his live-in assistant (and part time male prostitute) Danny Hansford and the trial set off a local firestorm.
As in the OJ case there were no witnesses - Williams charged self-defense, the prosecutor charged murder and the case went to trial...FOUR TIMES!
The original sticking point was the total lack of gun powder residue on Danny Hansford's hands, indicating that he never fired a gun and that Williams may have simply murdered him. Throughout the trials, Williams maintains his innocence as the prosecutor builds more and more circumstantial evidence that shows increasing animosity between Williams and Hansford, Hansford's wild demeanor and bad temper.
In one trial, a single juror, a woman who'd had to defend herself against a violent ex-husband, held out for acquittal, resulting in another hung jury. The fourth trial was moved to Augusta, Georgia - "the heart of the Bible Belt," where the homosexual overtones where not expected to play very well. In Berendt's story, Jim Williams begins telling him how Danny grabbed a gun in which the firing pin had been filed down and Williams reached into his desk for his own gun and fired, fearing the younger man's rage. But Williams lawyer comes in with a blockbuster piece of evidence - neither the police at the scene, nor the hospital staff had bagged Danny Hansford's hands at the scene. In fact, they'd been bagged with plastic bags, which would allow any gun powder residue to be washed away by the condensation. Williams was off the hook!
The book is a fascinating murder mystery, set in a fascinating town, with an array of exotic characters. There's Minerva, the voodoo princess, who helps Jim Williams commune with Danny dead spirit. Joe Odom is the house squatting, local entrepreneur. Lady Chablis (Frank) is a black transvestite who puts on burlesque shows at some of the local venues. There's even a man who walks the leash of a dog that died years ago, in order to keep receiving the $25/week for walking his late bosses pet.
This book is certainly worth reading if only to see the way our legal process actually works. Just as in the OJ case, money appears to triumph over justice in the end. But what else is new? When or where has it been otherwise? After spending nearly two years on the hardcover bestseller list, I guess most folks have read this...if you haven't, by all means check it out. It's a very well crafted read.
Rating: 4
Summary: Certainly one of the strangest nonfictions I've read!
Comment: Everyone says that truth is stranger than fiction. This statement is certainly true in this book. The residents of Savanah provided fodder (whether they liked it or not) for this nonfiction story. Each chapter reads as a separate story, especially at first. I was not quite sure where Berendt was going with the various chapters on individuals, their idiosyncracies, their loves and dislikes even for each other, and the undercurrents of those tensions in this isolated city.
It only becomes apparent in the middle of the book that Berendt is setting the reader up for the main theme of the book that is actually about a murder that happened while the author was living among these very diverse group of inhabitants. Berendt actually met with both the suspect and the victim way before the murder occurred, and it is this information concerning the personalities and the backgrounds of the people involved (including the prosecutors and the defendant's lawyers) that provide such an interesting story.
I've always passed this book by, though I knew it was long on the bestsellers book, and I was always attracted by the jacket with the statue of the girl/woman holding two plates (which is kind of a virtual reminder of the statue of Justice who weighs good and evil). I suppose most little towns and cities like Savannah have good and evil sides. It should come of no surprise, especially since I read so much of Nazi Germany and bioethics and this information often involves the participation of entire towns in either assisting or ignoring what was happening to those with disabilities and differences under their very noses.
Berendt does an excellent job of portraying these people, and the snobberies. I'll bet this book did not sit well with the people of Savannah, but they should find comfort in the fact that though their city was used for exposing the underbelly of what happens, I am sure most other small towns and cities have equally strange characters, and crimes that occur that involve many and display the politics and other fiascos of our criminal system.
Karen Sadler
 |
Title:Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ASIN: 0790734702 Publisher: Warner Studios Pub. Date: 03 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $9.97 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $9.97 |
 |
Title: The Best Little Map of Savannah, GA. by Navigator Maps ISBN: 0783419201 Publisher: Navigator Maps Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
 |
Title: The Charleston, Savannah & Coastal Islands Book: A Complete Guide (Great Destinations Series) by Cecily McMillan ISBN: 1581570244 Publisher: Berkshire House Pub Pub. Date: September, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: Insiders' Guide to Savannah, 4th by Betty Darby, Rich Wittish ISBN: 0762710454 Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
 |
Title: Romantic Days and Nights in Savannah, 2nd: Romantic Diversions in and around the City by Georgia R. Byrd ISBN: 0762708417 Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
