Giovanni’s Room
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-07 09:55:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James Baldwin
- ISBN：0141032944
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar， he is swept into a passionate love affair。 But his girlfriend's return to Paris destroys everything。 Unable to admit to the truth， David pretends the liaison never happened – while Giovanni’s life descends into tragedy。 United by the theme of love， the writings in the Great Loves series span over two thousand years and vastly different worlds。 Readers will be introduced to love’s endlessly fascinating possibilities and extremities: romantic love， platonic love， erotic love， gay love， virginal love， adulterous love， parental love， filial love， nostalgic love， unrequited love， illicit love， not to mention lost love， twisted and obsessional love …
Reviews
Sophie
，
4。5⭐️
Laura
，
This is a brutal book， with a protagonist narrator full of self-loathing and prone to taking it out on others。 This book is cold and squalid and left me so sad， but I also could not put it down。
Matt Ney
，
What a dense， nuanced read。 Packed within its brief length are sensitive and heartrending examinations of sexuality， masculinity （toxic and otherwise）， gender， the destructive facets of love and self-denial。
Anya
，
This is a devastating book。 It is beautiful in its stylistic simplicity and thematic complexity。 Yet what stands out most is the tragedy of it all， the love， the hatred， the heartbreak， the shame。 The knowledge of the ultimate tragedy is bestowed on us from the very beginning， which from a weaker writer might cheapen the sorrow but which in this case only makes it more potent。 Perhaps it is a book about the horror of love。 How can you ever love somebody enough？ Can love ever lead to anything oth This is a devastating book。 It is beautiful in its stylistic simplicity and thematic complexity。 Yet what stands out most is the tragedy of it all， the love， the hatred， the heartbreak， the shame。 The knowledge of the ultimate tragedy is bestowed on us from the very beginning， which from a weaker writer might cheapen the sorrow but which in this case only makes it more potent。 Perhaps it is a book about the horror of love。 How can you ever love somebody enough？ Can love ever lead to anything other than agony， other than death？ But， really， I think it is a book about the absolute necessity of complete love: "'Love him，' said Jacques， with vehemence， 'love him and let him love you。 Do you think anything else under heaven really matters？ And how long， at the best， can it last？ since you are both men and still have everywhere to go？ Only five minutes， I assure you， only five minutes， and most of that， hélas！ in the dark。 And if you think of them as dirty， they will be dirty - they will be dirty because you will be giving nothing， you will be despising your flesh and his。 But you can make your time together anything but dirty; you can give each other something which will make both of you better - forever - if you will not be ashamed， if you will only not play it safe" （57）。And that， quite possibly， is it。 Because， cloaked in shame， David does not lose himself in the love he has for Giovanni。 He is so ashamed of himself， so horrified of himself， that he only allows for a certain amount of love before he cuts it off - the ultimate result being that he has neither the man he loves nor the woman he at the very least least can have beside him。 Of course， Baldwin's thematic exploration is not only concerned with love and shame。 This book is also about home， belonging， youth， masculinity， femininity， motherhood， national identity， class， and so much more。 But it is a love story （a tragic one， but a love story nonetheless） - one whose injustice and cruelty might just be impossible to recover from。 Why can't these two people have their love and keep it？ Why can't the world at least offer them peace with one another？ Why can't love be enough？ So I suppose that at the end of it all what it really inspires is rage， because the tragedy is so raw and so unjustifiable that there is nothing else to feel。 There's so much more to say which will probably materialize as I think about it more。 But this is just brilliant， I think。 。。。more
Vitoria
，
Tudo de ruim na vida de um personagem aconteceu com Giovanni。
Rick Herrera
，
I've not read a more beautifully written book。 I've not read a more beautifully written book。 。。。more
Amira Damji
，
This book is heart-wrenching and beautiful
Cat Reads
，
A classic， deeply haunting and beautiful。 <3
Reuben
，
If Norweigan Wood ignored death， focused on pain， and was good。 An incredible character study of a despicable person， as well as of the cycle of hate。 Not a perfect novel （mostly relating to Hella's character/David's thought process） but I don't think it was supposed to be--I'll elaborate on this in a longer review later on。Loved it， 5/5 If Norweigan Wood ignored death， focused on pain， and was good。 An incredible character study of a despicable person， as well as of the cycle of hate。 Not a perfect novel （mostly relating to Hella's character/David's thought process） but I don't think it was supposed to be--I'll elaborate on this in a longer review later on。Loved it， 5/5 。。。more
Ian Young
，
A profoundly emotionally intense novel， that jerks into a state of ecstasy and just as quickly pulls a 180 on you， causing the knots in your stomach to churn。 We get a great insight into what it is like to have a sexuality that is not widely accepted in culture， which is refreshing for me as I’ve not read more novels covering LGBTQ+ topics。
Gillian
，
I don’t know what I expected from this story but it sure wasn’t THAT。 In a good way。
emma
，
"And this was perhaps the first time in my life that death occurred to me as a reality。 I thought of the people before me who had looked down at the river and gone to sleep beneath it。 I wondered about them。 I wondered how they had done it - it， the physical act。 I had thought of suicide when I was much younger， as， possibly， we all have， but then it would have been for revenge， it would have been my way of informing the world how awfully it had made me suffer。 But the silence of the evening， as "And this was perhaps the first time in my life that death occurred to me as a reality。 I thought of the people before me who had looked down at the river and gone to sleep beneath it。 I wondered about them。 I wondered how they had done it - it， the physical act。 I had thought of suicide when I was much younger， as， possibly， we all have， but then it would have been for revenge， it would have been my way of informing the world how awfully it had made me suffer。 But the silence of the evening， as I wandered home， had nothing to do with that storm， that far-off boy。 I simply wondered about the dead because their days had ended and I did not know how I would get through mine。"so。。。review to come / 4 stars but like kinda 4。5---------------"haunting and controversial"？ i'm in 。。。more
Chloe
，
Giovanni's Room is a drama painted achingly across the canvas of its protagonist's soul， and it is beautiful in just that haunting way the best tragedies can be。 Giovanni's Room is a drama painted achingly across the canvas of its protagonist's soul， and it is beautiful in just that haunting way the best tragedies can be。 。。。more
Griselda Ramirez
，
the writing！！ AMAZING
Fizz
，
"𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆， 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕， 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎。"Remember when Freddie Mercury belted out Too Much Love Will Kill You？ Well， too little might also do the trick。 Self-deception at it's best。 And it had me thinking， is the protagonist so unlikeable because one understands his thought process too little or a little too much？So， what I'm trying to say is - bloody brilliant book！（But do not go around manifesting Paris with this one lol。 We have Ratatouille for that。） "𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆， 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕， 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎。"Remember when Freddie Mercury belted out Too Much Love Will Kill You？ Well， too little might also do the trick。 Self-deception at it's best。 And it had me thinking， is the protagonist so unlikeable because one understands his thought process too little or a little too much？So， what I'm trying to say is - bloody brilliant book！（But do not go around manifesting Paris with this one lol。 We have Ratatouille for that。） 。。。more
Kobi
，
“Love him… love him， and let him love you。 Do you think anything else under heaven really matters？”I'm so glad to have finally gotten around to James Baldwin's fiction！ I have so much admiration for him as a writer of non-fiction， and I knew he absolutely wouldn't have disappointed me with his novels。 I think this was a really interesting character study， that just got better as I read on。 David is a really interesting protagonist to read from， and seeing his interpretation of who Giovanni is wa “Love him… love him， and let him love you。 Do you think anything else under heaven really matters？”I'm so glad to have finally gotten around to James Baldwin's fiction！ I have so much admiration for him as a writer of non-fiction， and I knew he absolutely wouldn't have disappointed me with his novels。 I think this was a really interesting character study， that just got better as I read on。 David is a really interesting protagonist to read from， and seeing his interpretation of who Giovanni is was fascinating。 I truly can't wait to pick up more of Baldwin's works。 I think it's safe to say he's one of my favourite writers now。 。。。more
Haymone Neto
，
Acho que o tema central do livro é o desamparo dos três personagens principais。 A prosa de Baldwin， aqui na tradução de Paulo Henriques Britto， é limpa e envolvente， cheia de reflexões duras e poéticas sobre a vida。 Os diálogos são talvez o ponto alto do livro， em especial no do momento em que David e Giovanni se conhecem。 Leio este livro como uma reflexão sobre o tornar-se adulto， sair da aldeia de origem （uma vila italiana， Nova York， tanto faz）， num mundo em reconstrução depois da guerra。 Os Acho que o tema central do livro é o desamparo dos três personagens principais。 A prosa de Baldwin， aqui na tradução de Paulo Henriques Britto， é limpa e envolvente， cheia de reflexões duras e poéticas sobre a vida。 Os diálogos são talvez o ponto alto do livro， em especial no do momento em que David e Giovanni se conhecem。 Leio este livro como uma reflexão sobre o tornar-se adulto， sair da aldeia de origem （uma vila italiana， Nova York， tanto faz）， num mundo em reconstrução depois da guerra。 Os modelos de vida existentes já não dão conta das subjetividades que emergem com este novo mundo， ainda velho a ponto de ter guilhotinas。 É por isso que esses personagens estão perdidos。 Por outro lado， entendo o quarto de Giovanni como esta entidade atemporal， ao mesmo tempo êxtase e prisão， que surge em nossas vidas nestes momentos de desamparo。 Um livro apaixonante， da linhagem de Jean Genet， Jack Kerouac e tantos outros， que me colocou para pensar e dificilmente vai sair da minha cabeça。 Escrevi mais sobre ele em http://papelorioblog。wordpress。com 。。。more
Eduard
，
A very moving and powerful story but the writing was a bit drab at times。 Feels like a classic — something you should read but not because you necessarily love everything about it。
Omnia
，
غرفة جيوفاني حيث يجتمع الفقر ، طيش الشباب ، قذارة الجنس وطهارة الحب 。 الغرفة التي جردت بطلنا ديفيد من كينونته وجعلته يراجع ميولة وحياته 。 رواية اثارت السخط في زمانها ومازالت مرتبطة بواقعنا اليوم ！ اعجبتني للاسئله التي اثارتها والمبادىء التي تركتني اصارعها 。 تنويه : الشذوذ الجنسي ركيزه الروايه الرئيسيه
Nikki McClaran
，
"[Giovanni's Room is] not so much about homosexuality， it is what happens if you are so afraid that you finally cannot love anybody"Others have summarized this much better than I have so I'm not even going to try。 "[Giovanni's Room is] not so much about homosexuality， it is what happens if you are so afraid that you finally cannot love anybody"Others have summarized this much better than I have so I'm not even going to try。 。。。more
Corinne Register
，
Giovanni's Room leaves you feeling just as much despair as the characters do， and it's beautifully heartbreaking。 All of the poor decisions the characters make or the flaws they may possess， you know you can't question why because you know why: they're grappling with coming to terms with themselves， or they're trying to suppress it as deeply as they can。 What makes it such a dismal read is that the love， good times， and the light is mainly glimpsed at before the vast darkness the main character Giovanni's Room leaves you feeling just as much despair as the characters do， and it's beautifully heartbreaking。 All of the poor decisions the characters make or the flaws they may possess， you know you can't question why because you know why: they're grappling with coming to terms with themselves， or they're trying to suppress it as deeply as they can。 What makes it such a dismal read is that the love， good times， and the light is mainly glimpsed at before the vast darkness the main character experiences washes over the story， like dappled light beneath a tree as the night approaches。 It's James Baldwin so needless to say， his writing is as captivating and stellar as ever。 This is one of those stories you don't easily forget。 。。。more
Nicolas
，
U loved the story and the writing style。 I just don’t know how to process the misogyny in the book。
Sivapriya Subramaniam
，
I wrote an entry in my journal today， detailing how I believe I sometimes share similarities with the protagonist in this story。 Anyhow， this book was brilliant。 The therapeutic prose and French/Italian backdrop reminded me a little of Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman， but it still held an identity unique to itself nevertheless。I wished we had the privilege to peek at David and Giovanni's happier moments。 Self-deception shattered their beautiful bond all too quickly。 "If dirty words frighten I wrote an entry in my journal today， detailing how I believe I sometimes share similarities with the protagonist in this story。 Anyhow， this book was brilliant。 The therapeutic prose and French/Italian backdrop reminded me a little of Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman， but it still held an identity unique to itself nevertheless。I wished we had the privilege to peek at David and Giovanni's happier moments。 Self-deception shattered their beautiful bond all too quickly。 "If dirty words frighten you，" said Giovanni， "I really do not know how you managed to live so long。 People are full of dirty words。 The only time they do not use them， most people I mean， is when they are describing something dirty。" 。。。more
Julia Weber
，
Undoubtably one of the most beautiful books I've ever read。 Undoubtably one of the most beautiful books I've ever read。 。。。more
Lena
，
Giovanni's Room - Review （🇬🇧， 🇩🇪 unten）A drama with a love story in Paris， poverty， shame， beautiful language， gender roles and a LGBTQ+ classic ✨ I recommend this if you want to visit the Paris of the 1950s， are drawn to beautiful language and are not afraid to read a dramatic but strong love story。Quote: ‚Somebody'， said Jaques， ‚your father or mine， should have told us that not many people have ever died of love。 But multitudes have perished - for the lack of it。'📃 This book is as beautiful a Giovanni's Room - Review （🇬🇧， 🇩🇪 unten）A drama with a love story in Paris， poverty， shame， beautiful language， gender roles and a LGBTQ+ classic ✨ I recommend this if you want to visit the Paris of the 1950s， are drawn to beautiful language and are not afraid to read a dramatic but strong love story。Quote: ‚Somebody'， said Jaques， ‚your father or mine， should have told us that not many people have ever died of love。 But multitudes have perished - for the lack of it。'📃 This book is as beautiful as it is tragic。 It pulled my heartstrings in every direction。 Early on there is a lot of foreshadowing， so it is no spoiler if I say this: Do not expect a happily ever after romance novel - it is not。 But it is SO worth the read， I’m impressed。 It’s my second but definitely not my last book by the author。For me， 4 of 5 ⭐️___________🇩🇪 Giovannis Zimmer - Eine dramatische Liebesgeschichte in Paris， Armut， wunderschöne Sprache， Geschlechterrollen und ein LGBTQ+ Klassiker！✨ Ich empfehle das Buch wenn du das Paris der 1950er Jahre besuchen möchtest， wunderschöne Sprache liebst und keine Angst hast， eine dramatische und zugleich starke Liebesgeschichte zu lesen。📃 Dieses Buch ist so schön wie es tragisch ist - es hat mich sehr bewegt beim Lesen。 Sehr früh schon wird das Ende der Geschichte offenbart， es ist also kein Spoiler wenn ich rate， keine rosarote Love Story zu erwarten。 Aber es ist ein so wunderschönes Drama！ Ich bin beeindruckt。 Es war mein zweites aber sicher nicht mein letztes Buch von Baldwin。Für mich 4 von 5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Matthew Kerber
，
This is the best book I've read in a long time。 By the end， my heart was honest 2 goodness aching for every single character。 Favorite I've read of JB so far。 This is the best book I've read in a long time。 By the end， my heart was honest 2 goodness aching for every single character。 Favorite I've read of JB so far。 。。。more
Tiernan Wright
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Baldwin’s writing is intoxicatingly beautiful， almost as intoxicatingly tragic as his storytelling is。 The imagery of Giovanni being dragged to the guillotine and clutching onto the cross woven through the pages as David realises he will never be able to recover from his days in Paris with Giovanni will haunt me for days to come。 The book is listed under ‘The Great Lovers’ but it’s no more a love story than it is a story of hate， spite， ruination and death。
Maha
，
fav。
Mari
，
È un libro estremamente interessante la narrazione è molto curata e ti fa immedesimare nei personaggi mi ha anche distrutto emotivamente。
Emma Bone
，
“Where Giovanni had been there would be nothing， nothing forever。”I’m ashamed to say this is my first James Baldwin novel。 It was， as I already knew it would be， extraordinary。I tend to cherish love stories that are doomed from the beginning。 It definitely makes the happiest moments seem bleak but they way they hit…。。 it’s all the more powerful and memorable。 I love this book， i love this title。 I love that David’s search for his identity isn’t confined within the four walls of Giovanni’s room。 “Where Giovanni had been there would be nothing， nothing forever。”I’m ashamed to say this is my first James Baldwin novel。 It was， as I already knew it would be， extraordinary。I tend to cherish love stories that are doomed from the beginning。 It definitely makes the happiest moments seem bleak but they way they hit…。。 it’s all the more powerful and memorable。 I love this book， i love this title。 I love that David’s search for his identity isn’t confined within the four walls of Giovanni’s room。 It’s always devastating to read a character battling with their self but oh so so good。 Here’s another quote I loved:“And yet - when one begins to search for the crucial， the definitive moment， the moment which changed all others， one finds oneself pressing， in great pain， through a maze of false signals and abruptly locking doors。 My flight may， indeed have begun that summer - which does not tell me where to find the germ of the dilemma which resolved itself， that summer， into flight。 Of course， it is somewhere before me， locked in that reflection I am watching in the window as the night comes down outside。 It is trapped in the room with me， always has been， and always will be， and it is yet more foreign to me than those foreign hills outside。” 🥺 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Giovanni’s Room
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Giovanni’s Room&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Giovanni’s Room&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0