F*cking Brilliant

n  n    If you go to Atlanta, the first question people ask you is, "What's your business?" In Macon, they ask, "Where do you go to church?" In Augusta, they ask your grandmother's maiden name. But in Savannah, the first question people ask you is "What would you like to drink?”n  n

If you had told me a year ago that I would enjoy a nonfiction story based in Savannah Georgia, I would flat out laugh in your face


n  nn  n

The book was an expected force that literally sucked me in and introduced me to a genre I swore I would never attempt. Surprisingly, the true crime part of this book starts at the halfway mark, so before you set your mind on only that part I would urge to slow down and enjoy the secluded city of Savanah

n  “For me, Savannah's resistance to change was its saving grace. The city looked inward, sealed off from the noises and distractions of the world at large. It grew inward, too, and in such a way that its people flourished like hothouse plants tended by an indulgent gardener. The ordinary became extraordinary. Eccentrics thrived. Every nuance and quirk of personality achieved greater brilliance in that lush enclosure than would have been possible anywhere else in the world.” n

The book carries the weight of so many stunning characters that paired well with John Berendt's atmospheric writing. He manages to make the reader feel like they are on a tour guide and by the end of the book, the reader feels like they are part of the small outsourced town.
The basic plot of the narrative is a murder that takes place in one of the illites house and it blows up into this whole media fest that rarely happens in Savanah but this book as stated before is much more than that...

It is an exploration of the history of the town's impact on American History, the study of societal differences and class segregation. It touches on some gender/sexuality from the perspective of a black trans character and the issues of race. The corruption and flawed justice system and the elite influence on the slow growth of the town due to suspicion of the outsider investors. The writing doesn't feel dry or convoluted it flows so effortlessly that it blurs the line between real life and fiction and I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to dip their toes in nonfiction because believe me it can seem very intimidating.
If you are looking to visit the town of Savanah and the voodoo magic, elegant over the top parties, conspiracies and just dang good time, pick this one up.

Have you read this one? and can you recommend me more engaging nonfiction?

Como le comentaba a mi amiga Irma, este libro es como el ¡Hola! siniestro: tanto te comenta el interior de la mansión Mercer como te lleva a hacer brujería al cementerio de Bonaventure. Cotilleos malvados y jugositos. Ou llea.

Este libro lo he empezado dos veces, ambas para algún reto que pedía que estuviera basado en un crimen real... y lo dejé en ambas ocasiones; ya que me esperaba una novela negra o policíaca, y me parecía más un libro costumbrista, por lo que lo abandonaba a las pocas páginas.
Ya dicen que a la tercera va la vencida... y esta vez, me ha atrapado, quizás porque ya sabía a que atenerme.
El libro nos narra las vivencias de un periodista neoyorquino que se siente fascinado por la ciudad de Savannah y decide escribir un libro sobre ella, instalándose allí por temporadas. Este periodista, del que no llegamos a conocer el nombre, es el narrador de la historia.
Hay dos partes muy diferenciadas (incluso en el índice).
La primera, es una descripción detallada de la ciudad y de sus habitantes más destacados, ya sea por su riqueza, como por cualquier otro motivo. El narrador es bien recibido en los distintos estamentos de la sociedad, tanto en las mansiones majestuosas como en los garitos nocturnos. Conocemos infinidad de personajes, todos ellos muy interesantes. Entre ellos, un travestido negro, un rico anticuario blanco, un anodino funcionario del que se cree puede envenenar el agua de la ciudad, una antigua estrella, un pianista que vive “okupando” las mansiones cuando sus dueños viajan...
En la segunda parte, es donde se desarrolla la vertiente criminal, con un homicidio y el consiguiente juicio, aderezado por las relaciones entre los personajes que hemos conocido a lo largo de la primera parte.
Ambientado en los años 80, nos presenta una ciudad que se ha quedado estancada en sus años dorados, donde la clase alta ha impedido algunos avances e intentado preservar su forma de vida. Al mismo tiempo, nos muestra que, pese a no parecerlo, aún impera un cierto racismo; aunque no de forma violenta, sino a una segregación casi natural, aceptada por ambas razas.
Muy recomendable.

Check out my review of this book (and the movie) on Booktube!

Oh, child!

Это не просто текстовая кунсткамера замечательных людей, но и захватывающий судебный триллер. Я по роду специальности не жалую юридические драмы, но тут все настолько прекрасно, что я не нашёл ни процессуальной дичи, ни повода поклевать носом, ни причины громко фыркнуть (как будто в свои худшие дни я какая-то лошадь).

Тепер хочется купить много экземпляров этой книги и раздарить всем друзьям на ближайшие праздники. В голове такой же весёлый карнавал, как от «Праха Анджелы» в прошлом году — воодушевляющий восторг и ощущение, что прикоснулся к чему-то важному и великому.

Savannah, Georgia is the oldest city in the Deep South; beautiful and unique it is full of neat squares, shaded cobblestone streets, parks, and historic buildings. But in the 1980’s the city was gripped by the events that happened in Savannah's grandest mansion very late one night. Was the death of Danny Hansford, a male prostitute, murder or self-defence?

In this narrative, Berendt introduces us to the place that is Savannah, as well as the characters of the time that made this such an entertaining place to live. We meet the Lady Chablis, a transgender drag queen and dancer, Minerva the voodoo priestess, the well-heeled ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club and the man at the focus of the story, Jim Williams. He was tried four times for the murder of Hansford, three times in the city before the final trial elsewhere in the state. Berendt builds a picture of the city as much as the people, and you get a sense of the magnificence of the houses and the people. He builds the tension magnificently, bringing to life the society that really didn’t know what to believe as the trials were underway. He highlights the undercurrent of tension between black and white, this is the deep south after all, and how Williams was able to move at all levels of society.

It is very well written and even though it isn’t far short of 400 pages, took very little time to read. I liked the way he wrote about the characters and made the city feel so real, but there were flaws. But even though it was non-fiction, I felt that there were too many embellishments and it felt more like fiction at times. It has made me want to visit the city though as it feels very atmospheric.

I found this a unique and unusual read. In part, it's a travelogue of the author's time spent in Savannah, with interesting descriptions of the city's older, high end neighborhoods, their history and and the social customs of their wealthy residents. It's also a memoir of sorts of the many quirky and memorable individuals the author came to know during his residence in the city. Finally, the book is also a true crime investigation that delves into a murder committed by one of Savannah's high profile personalities, the investigation of the crime and the numerous trials and appeals that took place before the case was finally resolved. The book is known as a true crime work of non fiction but it reads more like fiction and at least a third of the text seems to have little connection with the true crime element of the book. I found the writing style a mix of travel magazine journalism, society page news, gossip column innuendo and true crime narrative. It's an odd combination of styles that may not appeal to some of the more serious true crime fans.

Many describe it as a "true crime" but I believe it to be more the account of a journalist that was living in Savannah- and writing a book about the experience and all the quirky characters he kept meeting- when a murder involving one of the most prominent citizens took place.

Recognising the oportunity, he embarked on a series of interviews designed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together that, after reaching a plausible conclusion, he included in the text he was already writing. The result? A very interesting book about moving to the city of Savannah, about some unique citizens and a character driven inquest and trial, writen by someone that had to work hard to uncover the truth below what everyone chose to show.

Murder, gullah, drag queens (these are a few of my favorite things . . .) There's probably not much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said, but that won't stop me. I saw the movie when it first came out and loved it, but just never got around to reading the book. I thought that the entire book would be about the murder trial of Jim Williams, the prominent Savannah antiques dealer accused of murdering Danny Hansford (with whom it was rumored he was having a sexual relationship). While a generous portion of the book is dedicated to the details of Williams's four trials, the book is much more than that. This is a collection of stories about the people and history of Savannah--some of it true, some of it embellished, and some of it flat-out fabricated. The characters are eccentric, but likable (particularly The Lady Chablis--the foul mouthed drag queen who has labeled herself "The Grand Empress of Savannah;" she's by far my favorite character, followed by Minerva, the fascinating practitioner of voodoo). And, while I knew he was probably a scoundrel, I also liked Jim Williams, who insisted on continuing to live in Savannah because "it pisses off all the right people."

There was a lot of discussion at book club as to whether this should be classified as fiction or non-fiction. Here's my verdict: who cares? If the story is entertaining and well told, whether or not it's 100% factual shouldn't make a whit of difference to anyone who is looking to be entertained.

It should also be said that the cover art for the book is perfect. The bird girl of Bonaventure Cemetery stands there like Savannah itself, prim and old-fashioned, holding out both good and evil--head cocked in curiosity to see from which bowl her citizens will take.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder

A book about murder they said...

20 pages in: A few characters are being introduced.
50 pages in: Alright even more characters, murder must be soon.
75 pages in: This is a murder mystery...right?
100 pages in: If they mention one more character I swear to...
120 pages in: What is this witchcraft?! Where in the bloody hell is the murder?! Someone get stabbed for the love of God.

This book. First off, if anything takes more than 120 pages to get to the actual story line, I am out. The book mentioned a lot of characters, and although some of them were entertaining to read about, not all of them were part of the crime or investigation, and played no part in the story. Even worse, the investigation itself was glossed over and not a lot of details were given. Plus, the murder suspect had to go to trial, not once, not twice, but FOUR times. Spear me.

All in all, I was not a fan.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4


B is for Berendt


So I just realized that I totally forgot to review this one.....idiot moment #85749

n  

For me, Savannah's resistance to change was its saving grace. The city looked inward, sealed of from the noises and distractions of the world at large. It grew inward, too, and in such a way that its people flourished like hothouse plants tended by an indulgent gardner. The ordinary became extraordinary. Eccentrics thrived. Every nuance and quirk of personality achieved greater brilliance in that lush enclosure than would have been possible anywhere else in the world.

n

This is probably one of the best nonfiction tales I've read in quite awhile. In fact, many times I felt like I was reading a novel. Berendt's writing style is comfortable, approachable, and conversational; everything I want in a narrative nonfiction book. The characters were so interesting and dynamic, and the setting is SAVANNAH for crying out loud. Each idiosyncratic and vivid identity depicted within these pages seems like something out of a novel, so I loved loved loved that they all are, in fact, real, living, breathing human beings who lived in Savannah when this book was written.

From an eccentric gay antique dealer who may or may not have murdered his young, redneck, playboy lover in cold blood to a beautiful trash-talking drag queen (my personal favorite of the bunch) to a mysterious and slightly loony voodoo priestess to a penniless womanizing philanderer, these characters were all extremely memorable and were my favorite part of this book. The setting of Savannah, a character in itself, was perfect and made me want to plan a trip there soon.

Where this book lost me a bit was the long and detailed murder trial of Jim Williams. It was oddly thrown in halfway through, and while I enjoyed knowing what would happen, it was written as the principal story among all the other stories, and the one I found the least interesting. So I was a little disappointed that it took up the most real-estate. I needed more of Chablis and her fierce attitude, Joe Odom and his pretty but naive fiancee, Mandy, and Minerva's voodoo. I would have taken 300 more pages of their stories.

The real bits, the pieces of factual information I gained about Savannah's culture and history were an added bonus to the story, but the magic of this is in the characters. Read this book for them. They are better than most fictionalized people you will ever meet.

Published in 1994 and set in Savannah Georgia in the 1980s, this book is non-fiction focused on the local colorful characters who lived there at the time and the multiple murder trials of Jim Williams. The victim was a male prostitute, and the book examines the biases that may have been introduced into the jury’s processes due to homophobia. The author moved from New York to live in Savannah and write the story. He admits to changing the timeline, such that the alleged murder takes place in the middle of the book. This change bothered me a bit, but I am a purist when it comes to non-fiction. There are other discrepancies, too, so, I recommend reading this book as an entertaining story, with a good dose of truth embedded in it.