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Chargement... Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (original 1994; édition 1994)par John Berendt (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreMinuit Dans Le Jardin Du Bien Et Du Mal / Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil par John Berendt (Author) (1994)
Southern Fiction (14) » 15 plus Chargement...
Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. This novel is a work of non-fiction. A journalist lives in Savannah for several years, observing and writing about its quirky citizens and the famous murder trial of one of its most prominent citizens. I can't help but feeling that many characters were greatly embellished as they read like comical charactiatures more than people. The author did capture something essential about the "Old South" though-- something that has faded nearly everywhere but still held strong in 1980s Savannah. Not just its pretense of honor and chivalry, but also its unexpected acceptance of depraved debauchery. Strange book. I liked some of it a lot but wasn't ultra-compelled by it. I ran across a news article about 2024 being the 30th anniversary of this book and giving some detail about it. Shortly after that a copy appeared in our Little Free Library, and some friends highly recommended it as well. Of course I had heard of the hype over it some years back, but had never gotten around to reading it. So I decided it was finally time to do that. It did not meet my expectations, which admittedly, were probably a bit higher than they should have been. The book was alright and while I didn't find it riveting, it was somewhat entertaining, or informative at least. As all sources had indicated, it was truly more of a memoir of a particular period in Savannah society and a few of the upper crust and those who were involved with them. In covering the murder case of a troubled young man and his accused murderer, a high end antiques dealer; it managed to paint a portrait for us of Savannah in the 1970's and 80's. The writing style was adequate and straightforward, with no frills. As the author had written magazine articles for many years, this makes perfectly good sense. That style is just what we find in the book, as well. Events, details and descriptions were laid out matter of factly, with no pretense at suspense or complex story lines. And so the story of Jim Williams, Danny Hansford and 8 years of jury trials, with descriptions of Savannah, and some if its inhabitants woven in, unfolds for us to its denouement.
Elegant and wicked.... Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 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. Fait l'objet d'une adaptation dansEst en version abrégée dansContient un commentaire de texte dePrix et récompensesDistinctionsListes notables
History.
True Crime.
Nonfiction.
HTML:Read John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in Large Print. * All Random House Large Print editions are published in a 16-point typeface 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: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresAucun genre Classification décimale de Melvil (CDD)975.8724History and Geography North America Southeastern U.S. Georgia Southeast Georgia Chatham/Effingham Counties Chatham County/Savannah (Georgia)Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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The book is labeled as a non-fiction novel, because it reads like a novel. The characters in the story are real, though, as are the events that unfold in the book.
My chief complaint is that the book moves far too slowly. It's lovely writing; it just didn't *hook* me like I'd have wanted it to do. ( )