Reviews

Another Country by James Baldwin

Only show reviews with written explanations

jeannie_morgen's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

hank_moody's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

People don't have any mercy. They tear you limb from limb, in the name of love. Then, when you're dead, when they've killed you by what they made you go through, they say you didn't have any character. They weep big, bitter tears - not for you. For themselves, because they've lost their toy.
For James Baldwin, love is the only human possibility, terrifying, but nevertheless the only one we have and there is no law or person who can tell us who we should love. If we lie about it, we live in a lie, building an immaculate colored facade for society as chaos unfolds inside. Love is sometimes another country that we don't know about, as Baldwin so aptly put it.
Love, just like in [b:Giovanni's Room|406235|Giovanni's Room|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223664870l/406235._SY75_.jpg|814207], is the foundation of Baldwin's third novel, "Another Country", upon which he builds further topics he knew a great deal about, racism, class differences, and human relations. Through a group of friends and their connections, Baldwin shows to what extent he was a good observer, a connoisseur of people and, above all, how vast his knowledge was of the inner mechanism that animates us all.
Through the prism of sexuality and love Baldwin brings the story of Cass, a housewife in a seemingly perfect marriage whose illusion is shattered after she realizes she got into the relationship for the wrong reasons, that it was her ticket to leaving an environment where she didn’t feel at home; about Vivaldo, an unpublished writer struggling with his novel and his sexuality, a man who is in a toxic relationship with his best friend's sister because that's how he channels feelings for him, and guilt makes him believe in love, a feeling unknown to him; about Ida, a young African-American woman who carries with her resentment over the death of her brother, over the color of her skin and that of her lover, a girl who tries to get out of the mud of racism without choosing ways to do so; about Rufus, once a promising musician, now only a shadow of his former self wandering the streets of the city eaten away by guilt for his deeds because he was left without love due to repressed sexuality and became a monster he never wanted to be; about Eric, a fugitive and a returnee.
Each of these characters has their own story and a different idea of love, but none of them can say that they really know what true love is because they hide behind lies, behind marriage, behind sexuality, behind skin color. Suppressed feelings drive them to the edge of the abyss.
"Another Country" is not a geographical term, but a symbol of alienation due to the norms imposed by society, all that Baldwin went through in the 13 years he wrote that book. A novel that was a brave move at the time of its publication, but whose themes are still relevant today, 60 years after its publication, which speaks volumes about its quality.

liyonking's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring sad

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

thereaderintherye's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jeremymorrison's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Baldwin explores the tensions in mixed race couples and gay partners in the late 50s among people around the Jazz scene in NYC.

marvelissa1's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

My heart hurts after "Another Country", but James Baldwin is 100% one of the best writers who has ever put pen to page. I don't know the last time I read any book with such fantastic dialogue. This book will stay with me for a long time. James Baldwin understood so much about race, relationships, communities, sexuality, class, marriage, addiction, mental health, and what goes on in our private minds that doesn't get spoken out loud but drives how we interact with the world around us and each other. Not a light read, but easily in the top 3 best books I've ever read and I'm certain I will return to it. The lasting effects of the horrors of America's racial history and how that infiltrates our intimate relationships with others and ourselves (whether we are Black or white - if you want to take a deep dive into this subject, I found "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome" by Dr. Joy DeGruy eye-opening). "Another Country" is powerful, meaningful, often jarring, challenges the reader to look at themselves and their biases - because there isn't a single one Baldwin shies away from. It's a vitally important work of literature and just so beautifully, achingly written.