Product Description

The best non-fiction novel since "In Cold Blood" is a true story of intrigue, murder, forgery and eccentricity set in the steamy, surreal atmosphere of Savannah, Georgia. The unpredictable twists and turns of a murder case are skilfully interwoven with a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12318 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
Steamy Savannah - and the almost unbelievable assortment of colorful eccentrics that the city seems to nurture - are minutely and wittily observed here. In the early 1980's, Berendt (former editor of New York Magazine) realized that for the price of a nouvelle cuisine meal, he could fly to just about any city in the US that intrigued him. In the course of these travels, he fell under the spell of Savannah, and moved there for a few years. Central to his story here is his acquaintance with Jim Williams, a Gatsby-like, newly moneyed antiques dealer, and Williams's sometime lover Danny Hansford, a "walking streak of sex" - a volatile, dangerous young hustler whose fatal shooting by Williams obsesses the city. Other notable characters include Chablis, a show-stealing black drag queen; Joe Odom, cheerfully amoral impresario and restaurateur; Luther Driggers, inventor of the flea collar, who likes it to be known that he has 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 and whom Williams hires to help deal with what the antiques dealer believes to be Hansford's vengeful ghost. Showing a talent for penetrating any social barrier, Berendt gets himself invited to the tony Married Women's Club; the rigidly proper Black Debutantes' Ball (which Chablis crashes); the inner sanctum of power-lawyer Sonny Seller; and one of Williams's fabled Christmas parties (the one for a mixed group; the author opts out of the following evening's "bachelors only" fete). The imprisonment and trial of Williams, and his surprising fate, form the narrative thread that stitches together this crazy quilt of oddballs, poseurs, snobs, sorceresses, and outlaws. Stylish, brilliant, hilarious, and coolhearted. (Kirkus Reviews)

Synopsis
The best non-fiction novel since "In Cold Blood" is a true story of intrigue, murder, forgery and eccentricity set in the steamy, surreal atmosphere of Savannah, Georgia. The unpredictable twists and turns of a murder case are skilfully interwoven with a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South.

From the Back Cover
The best non-fiction novel since In Cold Blood and a lot more entertaining' Edmund White
'John Berendt's enthralling new book is an exotic cocktail: two hearty measures of travel-book whimsy mixed with a slug of real-life murder, a dollop of old-world affluence and a sprinkling of off-centre sex... It's not hard to see why this has sent coachloads of tourists heading for the swampy Georgia coast' Robert Winder, Independent

'Berent - and the reader - are in travel-writer heaven... This is a book which leaves you amused, spooked and introduced to a new piece of America' Mark Lawson, Independent on Sunday

'388 pages of perfect story telling - wildly funny, occasionally alarming and utterly enthralling' Moira Shearer, Daily Telegraph

Customer Reviews

more good than evil
Thoroughly enjoyed this and you will too if you like an unpredictable novel with a slowish pace and strong characterization. The descriptions were so vivid I felt I knew Savannah by the time I'd finished (would love to go now). I think the slow pace at the beginning cleverly suggests the lazy and languid way of life in the south and is not meant as a criticism, stay with it the pace speeds up.

Just doesn't get any better
Loved this book. I had no idea what it was about since I hadn't seen the movie and had avoided the hype years ago. Now, reading it for the first time, I'm amazed. I wasn't too excited at first--the first half of the book is just okay; entertaining but nothing that great, but the second half took off and just flew! This book got me reading more southern American literature and I came across a fantastic book called "Bark of the Dogwood" by J.T.McCrae which was actually just as good as "Midnight."

"Midnight" is probably the only book on the bestseller list I've read that deserved to be there. Jim Williams is an amazing character, and a real person, or was. We will never know the real truth of what happened (don't want to give away the plot), but even so, it makes for one heck of an entertaining read. Would also recommend the books "Prince of Tides" by Conroy and "Bark of the Dogwood" for two other southern books that don't pull any punches.

Intense book
When I first encountered this book, I'd not read any reviews and the movie had not yet been made. So I was totally unaware of what was going to happen. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the writing and story really came alive for me in the second half. I'd half-way guessed something like this might be coming, and sure enough, Berendt confirmed it. Add this one to the "keeper" pile because you'll want to read it again and again.