Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Savannah is the city of Southeast Georgia near the mouth of the Savannah River. James Ogelthorpe founded it in 1733, it is the oldest city in Georgia and has been a major port since the early 19th century (Soukhanov, p.1606). Savannah has been called that gently mannered city by the sea and indeed it is, with Spanish moss hanging from the huge oak trees and the shine of the moon reflecting off the pillars of Savannah’s grand mansions. Ones imagination can conjure up a simple setting where the clop of hooves on the cobblestone streets echo in the mind and sweat from the glass of a delicious madiera leaves a ring on the tabletop.I think that Jim Williams said it best. “You mustn’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias. There’s more to Savannah than that. Things can get very murky” (Berendt, p.11). The book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was written by John Berendt, it is his non-fiction account of the time he spent in Savannah. Berendt was sent from his home in New York to write a magazine article about Mr. Jim Williams grand Christmas parties in Savannah. Unbeknownst to Berendt, he had just stumbled into the middle of a much better story: the Hansford slaying and the subsequent legal battles of Williams. Berendt also met a host of eccentric, even preposterous Savannahians. Here, he realized, was the sort of local color that most novelists could only dream about (www.Savannahnow.com).How can quaint Savannahians be considered preposterous? As compelling as the murder story and the resulting trial are to Berendt’s tale, I believe it’s the magnificent portrayal of the history of Savannah and the cast of quirky almost unbelievable characters that populate the city. Let me tell you about some of these truly unique citizens of Savannah that John Berendt met during his stay there.Jim Williams, the owner of a Savannah antiques store, was...
