Savannah is the perfect setting for a good Ghost Story
I was initially interested in this book the moment I saw the preview and couldn't wait until it unlocked for the First Impression. After a trip to Savannah a couple years ago, I became enthralled with this mysterious, anachronistic, spooky city. The architecture is beautiful, the people are lovely and eccentric, the city squares are unique, and most of all there's a shared history that pervades the city. I read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and couldn't put it down. While that book is mostly a true story, the mystery and the eccentricity of the characters made me want to lap up more Savannah literature.
Then came "The Kingdoms of Savannah" by George Dawes Green. I had never read anything from Green before, but after this I'm pretty sure I'll be adding his previous works to my "To Be Read" list! In the first chapter, I'm already reliving the city as we walk through Lafayette Square, talking about the neighboohood ghosts on the way to the local bar. The main characters seem like so many you meet in Savannah, steeped in the cities unique....everything. Luke gets his money from modeling at the famous SCAD while Stony sleeps rough on the search for Georgia's famous Bolen Bevel arrowheads. We learn more about their situation: not lovers, just friends. Stony seems to have feelings for the young bartender Jaq, but seems to lean bi or pan. And, we begin to get more clues to the premise: There's a Kingdom, with a King and all the Kings men. They may be ghosts, or fairies, or homeless people...or none of those things. But before we can learn too much, things turn violent.
Turning from that, we get to meet another POV character, Ransom Musgrove. Ransom is old money, the kind that Old Savannah loves to talk about. But, he's a dreamer and is now living rough despite his families prominence and wealth. We learn more about his past, the struggles with his mother, the abandoned law practice, his father's old Private Investigation office. All this pieces together surrounding a murder trial (the murder of a man named Luke....could it be?). There's so much to unpack here but the first look only gives us this initial chapter.
I hope I get the opportunity to read the rest of Green's "The Kingdoms of Savannah". Savannah is an enchanting place with a mired history that is perfect for telling ghost stories, and I can already tell this title is going to be an excellent tale pairing for the setting. The cast of characters is already so unique and quintessentially Savannahian, the mystery behind the "Kingdoms" and ghosts is exciting and mystifying, and the writing is an expert mix of natural dialogue and imaginative scene setting. I can't wait to read the rest!
Then came "The Kingdoms of Savannah" by George Dawes Green. I had never read anything from Green before, but after this I'm pretty sure I'll be adding his previous works to my "To Be Read" list! In the first chapter, I'm already reliving the city as we walk through Lafayette Square, talking about the neighboohood ghosts on the way to the local bar. The main characters seem like so many you meet in Savannah, steeped in the cities unique....everything. Luke gets his money from modeling at the famous SCAD while Stony sleeps rough on the search for Georgia's famous Bolen Bevel arrowheads. We learn more about their situation: not lovers, just friends. Stony seems to have feelings for the young bartender Jaq, but seems to lean bi or pan. And, we begin to get more clues to the premise: There's a Kingdom, with a King and all the Kings men. They may be ghosts, or fairies, or homeless people...or none of those things. But before we can learn too much, things turn violent.
Turning from that, we get to meet another POV character, Ransom Musgrove. Ransom is old money, the kind that Old Savannah loves to talk about. But, he's a dreamer and is now living rough despite his families prominence and wealth. We learn more about his past, the struggles with his mother, the abandoned law practice, his father's old Private Investigation office. All this pieces together surrounding a murder trial (the murder of a man named Luke....could it be?). There's so much to unpack here but the first look only gives us this initial chapter.
I hope I get the opportunity to read the rest of Green's "The Kingdoms of Savannah". Savannah is an enchanting place with a mired history that is perfect for telling ghost stories, and I can already tell this title is going to be an excellent tale pairing for the setting. The cast of characters is already so unique and quintessentially Savannahian, the mystery behind the "Kingdoms" and ghosts is exciting and mystifying, and the writing is an expert mix of natural dialogue and imaginative scene setting. I can't wait to read the rest!