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 is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written; this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic.
#61088 in Books Eric Hobsbawm 1996-02-13 1996-02-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.97 x 1.35 x 5.17l; 1.37 #File Name: 0679730052627 pagesThe Age of Extremes A History of the World 1914 1991
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. One of the most important reads of this century or the last.By Israel MartinezAwesome! Awesome! Awesome! This work is perhaps even more important than the author may have realized. We cannot grasp what lies ahead in the 21st century if we do not come to grips with the 20th. This work is called a "Short History of the Twentieth Century." The most impactful statement that stuck out to me--I paraphrase--In the 1950's 80% of the world's population came out of the Middle Ages. I never thought about it this way; but it is true. My parents did missionary work in the early 1960's in Latin America. My mother told me of driving 14 hours in a jeep through dirt trails and sometimes no trails to reach a mountain village in Colombia with no running water or electricity. It was a place nearly as remote as that described by the Colombian author; Gabriel Garcia Marquez in "100 Years of Solitude." That town now has a highway nearby and a website. This work is much more important than Fareed Zakaria's "A Post American World."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent tour through historyBy Al SinghThis is an excellent book; rich in insights and observations on "the Short Twentieth Century" (1914-1991). Nevertheless; like all historians; Hobsbawm has his quirks. He seems positively disappointed that capitalism did not destroy itself as the Marxists predicted it would; and he is clearly distrustful of free market forces. He believes the future well being of the world will require some sort of central planning and cannot be left up to laissez-faire policies. His history ends with 1991; so that he completely misses the most radical transformation of the last decade of the twentieth century; namely the computer revolution. And while he has studied history as deeply as any historian; he seems to have no understanding at all of what makes America special; he seems to regard the success of this country as a mere historical fluke. But this is nevertheless a fascinating tour through the last century; one which I highly recommend.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. bookBy ...Very detailed
