Is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Worth Reading?
by John Berendt
Ada’s Score
John Berendt's account of the 1981 shooting of Danny Hansford by Savannah antiques dealer Jim Williams is as much a portrait of a city as it is a true-crime story. Over four trials spanning nearly a decade, Berendt immerses himself in Savannah's eccentric, magnolia-draped society — its drag performers, voodoo practitioners, and old-money aristocrats — to explore how a place can shape a crime and its consequences. The book blurs the line between journalism and literature with its immersive, novelistic style. It spent an extraordinary four years on the New York Times bestseller list.
Deep Dive“Atmospheric, addictive, and utterly bizarre. Berendt turns Savannah into a character more compelling than any suspect.”
Where the South's Secrets Go to Sweat and Shimmer
John Berendt arrived in Savannah for a visit and stayed four years — and honestly, I understand completely. This book is technically about a murder trial, but what it's really about is a city so layered, so eccentric, and so beautifully strange that the crime almost feels like a minor plot point. If you've ever wanted a book that feels like a slow, humid evening on a moss-draped porch, this is it.
Ada Brief
AI reading intelligence“Atmospheric, addictive, and utterly bizarre. Berendt turns Savannah into a character more compelling than any suspect.”
Where the South's Secrets Go to Sweat and Shimmer
John Berendt arrived in Savannah for a visit and stayed four years — and honestly, I understand completely. This book is technically about a murder trial, but what it's really about is a city so layered, so eccentric, and so beautifully strange that the crime almost feels like a minor plot point. If you've ever wanted a book that feels like a slow, humid evening on a moss-draped porch, this is it.
Book Details
- Publisher
- Recorded Books
- Published
- January 1, 1994
- Pages
- 391
- Language
- English
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Affiliate linksISBN: 9780679751526
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Ada’s Score
4.3
Ada’s editorial score — not an aggregate of reader reviews.
Common Questions About Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- Is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil worth reading?
- Atmospheric, addictive, and utterly bizarre. Berendt turns Savannah into a character more compelling than any suspect. Ada rates it 4.3 out of 5.
- How many pages is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is 391 pages long — around 7–8 hours at an average reading pace.
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