The Kingdoms of Savannah

by George Dawes Green
The Kingdoms of Savannah cover
Good Books rating 4.18
Technical:
  • ID: 211
  • Added: 2025-09-04
  • Updated: 2025-09-04
  • ISBN: 9781250767448
  • Published: 2022-07-19
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
Shiny New Books · 2025-09-04
engaging 4.00

The novel’s concise length belies its expansive feel, with rapid, natural dialogue and a captivating depiction of Savannah’s societal contrasts and family turmoil.

This review praises the book for feeling vast despite being under 300 pages, largely due to the author’s skillful use of dialogue that captures the rhythm and discursive nature of real conversations. It admires how the story balances the depiction of Savannah’s social extremes—from the homeless to the elite—while exploring the dysfunction within a family, making the novel rich and immersive without overstaying its welcome.

Quick quotes

    The Kingdoms of Savannah is a short novel, barely three hundred pages, but it feels vast, and in a good way.

    Green's dialogue is rapid and discursive in the way it captures conversation.

    The novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history.

BookBrowse · 2025-09-04
compelling 4.30

The book masterfully uncovers Savannah’s sinister history through a family-driven investigation, blending a dark mystery with a vivid portrayal of social divides and family complexities.

The review highlights the novel’s powerful contrast between the romanticized image of Savannah and the harsh realities beneath, revealed through a murder and disappearance that draw an unlikely detective and her family into a deep and unsettling investigation. It appreciates how the author captures the city’s social spectrum, from homeless encampments to elite stately homes, while exploring the dysfunction and secrets of a complex family, which ultimately challenges the city's power structure.

Quick quotes

    Savannah may appear to be 'some town out of a fable,' but look deeper and you'll uncover secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale.

    The family uncovers some terrifying truths—truths that will rock Savannah’s power structure to its core.

    Green's novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

Barnes & Noble · 2025-09-04
intriguing 4.25

The novel vividly portrays the dark underbelly of Savannah and the dysfunctional dynamics of a complex family, blending a gripping mystery with social commentary on the city’s hidden power struggles.

This review emphasizes how the novel moves between the homeless encampments and the affluent homes of Savannah, revealing the city's darker side beneath its picturesque surface. The main character, Morgana Musgrove, is an imperious and manipulative figure who draws her weary children into a family investigation that exposes terrifying truths about Savannah’s elite and their secrets. The review praises the author’s skill in intertwining a gripping mystery with a nuanced depiction of family dysfunction and social stratification.

Quick quotes

    Green's novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

    Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah's elite, Green’s novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history.

    Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes.

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