Play Book Tag discussion

Earlier this year my sister and I spent a week in Savannah, Georgia. Probably one of the most iconic tourist attractions is the Bird Girl statue from best selling book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. The statue was originally located in Bonaventure Cemetery, but due to concerns about theft and vandalism, is now on on display at the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah. I intended to read the book during my vacation but just couldn't fit it in at the time.

Jim Williams was a gay antiques dealer who lived in Mercer House, one of the city’s finest houses and moved among Savannah’s elite. Danny Hansford was a young, volatile, lower class hustler who worked his way into Jim Williams’ life. Late one night, Jim shoots and kills Danny. Was it murder or self-defense? It will take four trials to finally come to a resolution.

This book is a fascinating mix of a true crime story, and a wonderful display of the eccentricities and legends of a grand, historic city going to seed. There are so many notable characters including Chablis, a show-stealing black drag queen; Joe Odom, amoral showman and restaurateur; Luther Driggers, inventor of the flea collar, who let it be known that he had a supply of poison so lethal that he could wipe out every person in the city if he chose to slip it into the water supply; and Minerva, a black occultist who works with roots.

Because I had just been there, I felt like the descriptions of Savannah’s architecture, history, and character were so vivid and realistic. Despite the racist, classist, and sexist underbelly of the characters in this book, not to mention all the drugs, sex, and voodoo grit, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" has been credited with raising tourist revenue up 46% after its publication.

While this is a nonfiction book it's sometimes referred to as a "non-fiction novel.". Berendt eventually acknowledges, in an afterword, that he fabricated some characters and rearranged the sequence of events to make the book read better.

I found a lot of the book to be slow and overly descriptive but engaging at the same time. I think I would have given it 3 Stars if I hadn't so recently fallen under the spell of Savannah myself.

A great review for a grand city - my second home.

It has been a long time since I read this, your review brought it all back to mind. A 4 star that is a favorite

Thanks, John. I really think I would never have read it without having been to Savannah. You are lucky to have it as your second home.

I read this book a long time ago and enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the movie.

Dosha.....It's so great to see you back! I know we've been friends since Shelfari days. I look forward to your reviews again.

Thanks! It is great to be among friends again. Now I am trying to figure out how to drive the technology for this group. I am reading the posts and hopefully a light will come on. I just finished Never Let Me Go, but cannot seem to get my review at the right place on this site. I am learning. It is all good because I feel like I am at a reunion 😎

That's a great feeling Dosha. There are plenty of people here to help.

I read this book in the 1990s before the movie and still remember bits of it.
Because I liked this book so much I read his The City of Falling Angels, which was also very good. It is set in Venice.

Booknblues wrote: "I read this book in the 1990s before the movie and still remember bits of it.
Because I liked this book so much I read his The City of Falling Angels, which was also very good. It is s..."

Thanks B&B. It looks good so I added it to my Leaning Tower of TBR.

I have this book at home and have been dying to get to it. Living in Georgia, I have traveled to Savannah many times. I look forward to reading it. Thank-you for your review. I am glad you liked Savannah.