Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

By: John Berendt

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman, Will Damron, John Berendt

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city: “Elegant and wicked.... [This] might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime."—The New York Times Book Review

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 flows 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 listening experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this true-crime book has become a modern classic.

©1994 by John Berendt (P)1995 by Random House Audio Publishing, Inc., All Rights Reserved Under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions, Reproduced by Arrangement with Random House Audio Publishing, Inc.

Critic reviews

“John Berendt has written a gorgeous and haunting blend of travel book and murder mystery. It is enchanting and disturbing and deeply atmospheric.”—Michael Herr

“Forceful, clear, gripping, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is the best nonfiction novel since In Cold Blood and a lot more entertaining, since Berendt’s book has everything going for it—snobbism ruthless power, voodoo, local color, and a totally evil estheticism. I read it till dawn.”—Edmund White

“John Berendt has the ability to make the truth read like an exciting novel. This book is original, funny, and bleak—and it beckons quite alluringly to armchair adventurers who are as curious about human nature as about the nature of certain places. I finished reading it convinced that Savannah, may be the greatest performance artist of our day.”—Ann Beattie

Wow!

A unique and “delicious” novel that satisfied my selective taste for narrative audiobooks… Bravo to the author and narrator!

Become enraptured in the characters and stay

For the Story. I loved this story. Loved the details of the characters, the places and how the story unfolds. I love Savannah and this book takes you there and you can see all the people come alive. I couldn't put it down, and listened to it in my car in less than 5 days.

Best audiobook I’ve ever listened to

It’s that simple: the book is incredible and I’ve never heard a better narrator. I’m going to re-listen NOW.

Based on real events

I’ve seen the movie and finally decided to listen to the original book-I knew there would some differences as there always is between book and movie. 2/3 of the way through I was beginning to get a little bored but made myself finish listening-at the end there’s an interview with the author where I learned that almost every character is real and based on real events. Once I realized that, parts that annoyed me originally made more sense and I wasn’t frustrated anymore.

Fiction, Anyone?

Loved the book when it was first published. I’m originally from South Carolina and knew people who knew a few of the colorful characters. Loved equally listening to the Audible offering. Narration was super.

Perhaps I was asleep at the wheel when I first read the book decades ago. I was aware of the author’s creative flourish regarding chronology and placing himself in moments that in reality, saw not his presence. No big-ish deal to me.

But upon listening to the book and doing a bit more learning about the author’s embellishments, I’m troubled that the book is considered non-fiction.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Did I say I love this story!
Real life is better than fiction.
The characters in this story are such a treat.
Enjoy!

What took me so Long?

My first visit to Savannah was with a Savanian. He chastised me for not reading this book! 10 years later and after several trips to Savannah, I ask myself, what too me so long to read this book! Can't wait to return and find all.the locations in the book.

My second go around

…. With this quirky book. I enjoyed it the first time… And yes, I visited Savannah because of it… And some 25 years later enjoyed it a second time… And will probably revisit Savannah one more time. As a more seasoned criminal trial attorney on this subsequent reading, I believe I liked the mystery of the shooting and the trial nuances more than the characters.… Which I believe is a juxtaposition of my earlier appreciation. Nonetheless, the author is deserving of high praise for the story, the personalities and certainly for painting such an evocative image of a unique city. Unfortunately, the narration leaves much to be desired. I cannot believe that Jeff Woodman has anything more than a passing acquaintance with southern dialect and in particular that outrageous and scandalous delivery of “ Chablis“. Having practiced in the south, there is a certain delivery that cannot be emulated by the unpracticed or unfamiliar. The book would have done better with a minimum of two narrators. Much better.

Awesome!

Excellent reading, characters were well done. So much better than the film. Didn’t know it was non fiction!

Wonderful Reading!

An enjoyable, funny drama. Incredibly well read with a Southern tone that fit perfectly. Thanks!