Fiction

Giovanni's Room

Giovanni's Room

  • Downloads：3892
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-08 14:55:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：James Baldwin
  • ISBN：0141186356
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Summary

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here。

Baldwin's haunting and controversial second novel is his most sustained treatment of sexuality， and a classic of gay literature。 In a 1950s Paris swarming with expatriates and characterized by dangerous liaisons and hidden violence， an American finds himself unable to repress his impulses， despite his determination to live the conventional life he envisions for himself。 After meeting and proposing to a young woman， he falls into a lengthy affair with an Italian bartender and is confounded and tortured by his sexual identity as he oscillates between the two。

Examining the mystery of love and passion in an intensely imagined narrative， Baldwin creates a moving and complex story of death and desire that is revelatory in its insight。

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Reviews

Lauren Rohde ，

everyone in this book needs therapy and david was masc4masc before masc4masc was even a thing

Bonnie ，

"gaslighting？ that's a pretty big word， babe" - david to giovanni at some point， probably "gaslighting？ that's a pretty big word， babe" - david to giovanni at some point， probably 。。。more

Paul ，

Truly revolutionary for its time， the book follows the imaginary life of the narrator as he lives and hides in Paris in the 1950's。 It's not an easy read， but it's worth the effort。 I read it in an online course on James Baldwin， knowing little about the man。 There are many books by him， and a film called "I am not your Negro" considers his revolutionary writings。 Truly revolutionary for its time， the book follows the imaginary life of the narrator as he lives and hides in Paris in the 1950's。 It's not an easy read， but it's worth the effort。 I read it in an online course on James Baldwin， knowing little about the man。 There are many books by him， and a film called "I am not your Negro" considers his revolutionary writings。 。。。more

Klara ，

I understand why this is such a classic， beautiful writing of a haunting story about forbidden love and so much more。

Salvi ，

Beautiful， beautiful prose that is a testament to literature being above all an attempt to tap into the universality of human sentiments across divisions of society and identity。 As much as I try to avoid reading about protagonists who moonlight as narcissists， I was delightfully conflicted about David， on one hand finding myself unable to excuse his patriarchal privilege of choosing to remain emotionally stunted throughout， while also realising that it was perhaps the toxic ideas of heteronorma Beautiful， beautiful prose that is a testament to literature being above all an attempt to tap into the universality of human sentiments across divisions of society and identity。 As much as I try to avoid reading about protagonists who moonlight as narcissists， I was delightfully conflicted about David， on one hand finding myself unable to excuse his patriarchal privilege of choosing to remain emotionally stunted throughout， while also realising that it was perhaps the toxic ideas of heteronormativity upheld rigorously by the society he was and we are all a part of， that didn't allow him to do better by himself and those he claimed to love。 The complexity of the human psyche juxtaposed with such free-flowing imagery and freely invoked emotions made for some wonderful time spent reading。James Baldwin is someone who I deeply admire for being able to witness and express the fragility of humanness with great poetic flair， and balancing it with having a sensible activist head on his shoulders。 His fierce creativity fueled by his compassionate activism and I believe also the other way round， is something I hope to cultivate within myself。 He is in my eyes one of those remarkable people who succeed in extending rigorous empathy to individuals across all stages of morality， without reducing one as a caricature of their struggle as a minority or inflating another as an excessive sum of his privileges。 I love the grey area he seems so comfortable to inhabit and have his characters inhabit， I love the room that that allows one for learning better change。 For me， this philosophical poise has been evident across anything I have read by him and in his spoken interviews， and it was evident in 'Giovanni's Room' too。 。。。more

Spraying Bricks ，

Another beautifully written book with poetic rhythm written by Baldwin。 At the time this was published homosexuality was very much condemned by the media and shunned to the underground （unfortunately homosexuality is still marginalised to varying degrees across the globe） but in the fave of this as a black gay author Baldwin openly wrote this as a superbly dramatic coming out story。 The struggles of homosexual feelings and coming to terms with those feelings。。。are they right， are they wrong。。。in Another beautifully written book with poetic rhythm written by Baldwin。 At the time this was published homosexuality was very much condemned by the media and shunned to the underground （unfortunately homosexuality is still marginalised to varying degrees across the globe） but in the fave of this as a black gay author Baldwin openly wrote this as a superbly dramatic coming out story。 The struggles of homosexual feelings and coming to terms with those feelings。。。are they right， are they wrong。。。in a society with heavily influences heterosexual constructs。 。。。more

keira hinojosa ，

3。5 rounded up。 i didn’t feel super connected to the story until the end， but omg- THE WRITING IN THIS BOOK WAS STUNNING。 definitely will be rr at some point

Dhivya ，

This book picks up pace in the very first page， and straight up launches you into an emotional roller-coaster ride that doesn't stop until the very end。 You get to witness the depths of human nature in all its glory -- with its ambiguous ethics， morally grey actions， exploitative relationships， self-hatred， and of course questions of sexual identity。 This book picks up pace in the very first page， and straight up launches you into an emotional roller-coaster ride that doesn't stop until the very end。 You get to witness the depths of human nature in all its glory -- with its ambiguous ethics， morally grey actions， exploitative relationships， self-hatred， and of course questions of sexual identity。 。。。more

Nikola ，

knjiga kojoj ću definitivno ponovo da se vraćam！

Hanna ，

This must be the most beautifully written piece of literature I have ever read。。。

Jules ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *3。5 starsGeez the characters are annoying; they all have SO much work to do on themselves。 Least of all Hella， who is the only woman character， is used as a growing tool for David towards his own internalized homophobia。 I hate that trope。 Don't。 use。 people。 for。 your。 own。 growth。 They have feelings and lives too！I love Baldwin's writing， his sprawling sentences。 There were some cheesy， gross moments， particularly about sex that made me stick my tongue out of disgust， but upon reflection， the *3。5 starsGeez the characters are annoying; they all have SO much work to do on themselves。 Least of all Hella， who is the only woman character， is used as a growing tool for David towards his own internalized homophobia。 I hate that trope。 Don't。 use。 people。 for。 your。 own。 growth。 They have feelings and lives too！I love Baldwin's writing， his sprawling sentences。 There were some cheesy， gross moments， particularly about sex that made me stick my tongue out of disgust， but upon reflection， they were probably that way because David only knows what he's been told about being with women; he doesn't truly feel overcome with passion and resorts to using overused imagery。The time in this book is interesting。 All in the past， David reflecting back， but parts are him commenting about the present day。 The mystery of what happened to Giovanni in the present is a driving force to continue reading。 Baldwin also writes David imagining scenes， which I thought was an interesting way to fill in details。 He never explains what actually happened， but the imagery is so detailed and plausible that the imaginings don't feel contrived。 Cool technique。 。。。more

Chloe Newman ，

4。5*wow wow wow

kenedy ，

this book is so contorting and tragic。 giovanni is so enthralled in david and it makes my heart ache at how it all went down。 the writing was breathtaking and i will definitely be revisiting the world in the future。 may the love between them long outlive their lives。

Matilde Linhas ，

Quero mesmo voltar a ler este livro porque sinto que ao lê-lo em português perdi imenso da experiência por não ler o original。 Porém contudo， é um livro incrivel， que seria incrivel em 2021 mas que é espantoso ter sido escrito nos anos 50。 É um livro para quem quer sentir muito e apreciar o caminho。

Timothy ，

Fuck this shitty book。

Sarah ，

This book is insane。Growing up watching tv in the 90's I was served the same thing in different packages。 And all along there was an art form， literature， telling stories from voices that tv land still hasn't caught up with。This book was published in 1956。 1956！The character study in this。 The complexity of David far out reaches his homosexuality/bisexuality。This book makes me so thankful to Oprah。 Her book club introduced me to novels I would have never read and ultimately lead me to this book。 This book is insane。Growing up watching tv in the 90's I was served the same thing in different packages。 And all along there was an art form， literature， telling stories from voices that tv land still hasn't caught up with。This book was published in 1956。 1956！The character study in this。 The complexity of David far out reaches his homosexuality/bisexuality。This book makes me so thankful to Oprah。 Her book club introduced me to novels I would have never read and ultimately lead me to this book。 。。。more

Tomasz Jarosz ，

James Baldwin'owi udało się stworzyć bardzo "gęsty" i niepowtarzalny klimat Paryża z dymem papierosów， ciężarem nocy， refleksami Sekwany i żigolakami przez zastosowanie tylu zdań złożonych i świetnej obserwacji。 Historia Dawida jest przedstawiona ciekawie， ale prawdziwą perłą jest to jak Baldwinowi udaje się uchwycić bardzo skomplikowane emocje， których się nie da nazwać jednym słowem， na twarzach i głowach głównych bohaterów， kiedy przechodzą swoje problemy， rozmawiają czy poprostu myślą。 Histo James Baldwin'owi udało się stworzyć bardzo "gęsty" i niepowtarzalny klimat Paryża z dymem papierosów， ciężarem nocy， refleksami Sekwany i żigolakami przez zastosowanie tylu zdań złożonych i świetnej obserwacji。 Historia Dawida jest przedstawiona ciekawie， ale prawdziwą perłą jest to jak Baldwinowi udaje się uchwycić bardzo skomplikowane emocje， których się nie da nazwać jednym słowem， na twarzach i głowach głównych bohaterów， kiedy przechodzą swoje problemy， rozmawiają czy poprostu myślą。 Historia jest przedstawiona w dawniejszych latach， ale dla mnie wciąż aktualna， psychika ludzi się nie zmieniła tylko okoliczności， dalej ludzie popełniają podobne błędy bohaterów książki i żyją w kłamstwach。 。。。more

mar ，

it is probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read so far it is probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read so far 。。。more

Larry ，

Baldwin at his best， I felt the conflicted characters。 Beautifully written

Barbara ，

Initial thoughts: I really have a love hate relationship with this one。 Saying the writing is beautiful would not do it justice， I was completely and utterly bewitched。 However。 Fucking never again am I reading this。 It made me angry and full of hate （and not in a good way）。 Also someone please republish this without all the spelling and grammar mistakes in French they drive me completely fucking mad。Upon reflection， this book still makes me want to die。 While I’m usually a fan of unlikeable cha Initial thoughts: I really have a love hate relationship with this one。 Saying the writing is beautiful would not do it justice， I was completely and utterly bewitched。 However。 Fucking never again am I reading this。 It made me angry and full of hate （and not in a good way）。 Also someone please republish this without all the spelling and grammar mistakes in French they drive me completely fucking mad。Upon reflection， this book still makes me want to die。 While I’m usually a fan of unlikeable characters， this was just too much。 The narrator was the most detestable of all， Giovanni - who we should be sympathetic toward - was almost as despicable （though in a different way）。 Of course I understand why it was done this way， but I wish there had been at least a few redeeming qualities / joyful moments， as I think it would have driven the point of the book home much more effectively。 Toxic relationships are very real but everyone has a bit of good in them， and I think this book could have done better in terms of making the characters more realistic。 I knew I had hit an all time low when David’s father was one of the more likable characters。 Overall this covers some very interesting themes and certainly made me think。 Though I will never read this again， I definitely look forward to reading more of James Baldwin’s work。 。。。more

Bianca Almeida ，

Eu precisava muito ler esse livro porque eu já li algumas obras que citam não so o Baldwin， mas esse livro específico。 É um livro sentimental e lento， apesar de curto。 Eu demorei bastante pra ler esse livro porque pra mim era muito sofrido acompanhar toda a alegria de uma relação sabendo seu fim trágico， que fica bem claro logo nas primeiras páginas。 Ao mesmo tempo， eu gosto muito da tragédia do amor na literatura então eu não queria abandonar， então eu fui lendo quando eu queria。 Recomendo muit Eu precisava muito ler esse livro porque eu já li algumas obras que citam não so o Baldwin， mas esse livro específico。 É um livro sentimental e lento， apesar de curto。 Eu demorei bastante pra ler esse livro porque pra mim era muito sofrido acompanhar toda a alegria de uma relação sabendo seu fim trágico， que fica bem claro logo nas primeiras páginas。 Ao mesmo tempo， eu gosto muito da tragédia do amor na literatura então eu não queria abandonar， então eu fui lendo quando eu queria。 Recomendo muito esse livro， acho que livros assim são sempre bons para nos advertir da culpa cristã que qualquer sexualidade não normativa carrega。 As palavras de Baldwin no entanto， são uma cereja do bolo。 。。。more

João Victor Arêas ，

4。5*

Romanița ，

“Sometimes， in the days which are coming—God grant me the grace to live them—in the glare of the grey morning， sourmouthed， eyelids raw and red， hair tangled and damp from my stormy sleep， facing， over coffee and cigarette smoke， last night’s impenetrable， meaningless boy who will shortly rise and vanish like the smoke， I will see Giovanni again， as he was that night， so vivid， so winning， all of the light of that gloomy tunnel trapped around his head。”

Bernarda Carranza ，

Broke my heart into little pieces。 But it was magnificent。

Sam ，

I may be influenced by outside opinion about this book but it was simply beautifully tragic。 The passages about David's relationship with his father， how he reacted to Hella's return， and Giovanni speaking of his death being made "more bloody" particularly resonated with me。。。 the way these issues of what love is and means are explored compels you to look inside yourself at how you have experienced them in the past。 I may be influenced by outside opinion about this book but it was simply beautifully tragic。 The passages about David's relationship with his father， how he reacted to Hella's return， and Giovanni speaking of his death being made "more bloody" particularly resonated with me。。。 the way these issues of what love is and means are explored compels you to look inside yourself at how you have experienced them in the past。 。。。more

Faith Kemoi ，

Okay，First of all ，I am inlove with James Baldwin's seamless form of writing。In less than 150 pages， Baldwin had captured everything a reader would yearn for。This book is a classic of gay literature about failure of Love。So raw，poignant and deeply sad。If you have ever felt isolated， confined by convention，in search of loving someone freely，or burdened by regrets，then this book is for you。I dare say， that encompasses nearly everyone。 Okay，First of all ，I am inlove with James Baldwin's seamless form of writing。In less than 150 pages， Baldwin had captured everything a reader would yearn for。This book is a classic of gay literature about failure of Love。So raw，poignant and deeply sad。If you have ever felt isolated， confined by convention，in search of loving someone freely，or burdened by regrets，then this book is for you。I dare say， that encompasses nearly everyone。 。。。more

Erin ，

This book is well written and the story really moves。。。。 it is also incredibly depressing and I just do not like depressing books！

whisperofthewind ，

Actual rating 4。5 starsBeautiful absolutely worth the read， especially if you’re a fan of romance tragedies。 I love a bit of melancholy。 I loved the language and imagery the writer used。 Particularly liked his use of pathetic fallacy and changing the mood with the use of weather。 This often ends up sounding cliche to me but I really liked the way Baldwin made use of it。 The story feels very real， almost as if Im not reading fiction at all。 The storyline itself is refreshing and the way the write Actual rating 4。5 starsBeautiful absolutely worth the read， especially if you’re a fan of romance tragedies。 I love a bit of melancholy。 I loved the language and imagery the writer used。 Particularly liked his use of pathetic fallacy and changing the mood with the use of weather。 This often ends up sounding cliche to me but I really liked the way Baldwin made use of it。 The story feels very real， almost as if Im not reading fiction at all。 The storyline itself is refreshing and the way the writer could depict the character’s feelings and put them into words so well was outstanding in my opinion。 I haven’t read any of his other work but I do very much enjoy his style of writing。 Honestly the only aspect I can complain about （and the reason for me taking that half a star away） is that， being a particularly visual person， I’d like more physical descriptions of the characters themselves。 I think their personalities are painted out beautifully but with little specific physical description， I find it hard to imagine and distinguish each character。 I didn’t manage to form a strong enough emotional connection to the characters to have my heart shattered by the ending， like I did with Song of Achilles or call me by your name。 Although I’m struggling to point out any other flaw， the book is written beautifully I guess I simply wish the characters were a little more colourful。 This is of course a minor inconvenience which wouldn’t matter to many other people。 。。。more

Manos ，

Μια εξαιρετική νουβέλα απώλειας και συμφιλίωσης με αυτήν από τον Baldwin που έζησε κι αυτός ως ένας Αμερικανός στο Παρίσι τα 50s。 Δεν είναι μόνο η νεωτερική δομή στις χρονικές μεταφορές και η ακαταμάχητη πρόζα του， δεν είναι μόνο η θεματολογία κλασική πλέον στην γκέι λογοτεχνία γραμμένη σε εποχή που τέτοια ήταν ανύπαρκτη， είναι η μοναδική διεισδυτική του ματιά στους χαρακτήρες του。 Ο Ντέιβιντ， ο Τζιοβάνι， η Χέλα και ο Ζακ αναδεικνύουν τόσο αβίαστα τις μύχιες σκέψεις τους και τα αντικρουόμενα συν Μια εξαιρετική νουβέλα απώλειας και συμφιλίωσης με αυτήν από τον Baldwin που έζησε κι αυτός ως ένας Αμερικανός στο Παρίσι τα 50s。 Δεν είναι μόνο η νεωτερική δομή στις χρονικές μεταφορές και η ακαταμάχητη πρόζα του， δεν είναι μόνο η θεματολογία κλασική πλέον στην γκέι λογοτεχνία γραμμένη σε εποχή που τέτοια ήταν ανύπαρκτη， είναι η μοναδική διεισδυτική του ματιά στους χαρακτήρες του。 Ο Ντέιβιντ， ο Τζιοβάνι， η Χέλα και ο Ζακ αναδεικνύουν τόσο αβίαστα τις μύχιες σκέψεις τους και τα αντικρουόμενα συναισθήματά τους που πραγματικά συγκλονίζουν。 Όπως βέβαια και το νυχτερινό， υγρό， πολύβουο αλλά και μοναχικό Παρίσι。 。。。more

Andrew Corsini ，

Another fantastic Baldwin book。 I'd never read this one before， even though it is perhaps his most famous work。 It is short but sweet and wonderful。 Another fantastic Baldwin book。 I'd never read this one before， even though it is perhaps his most famous work。 It is short but sweet and wonderful。 。。。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