Reviews - Giovanni's Room | The StoryGraph

20.6k reviews for:

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

4.36 AVERAGE

polyp's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

maian's review against another edition

5.0

Much has been written of love turning to hatred, of the heart growing cold with the death of love.

charlottemichelle's review against another edition

4.75

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

nanastudies's review against another edition

5.0

The room as a constant theme and metaphor for the claustrophobic, inescapable world of closetedness. Within the cramped, suffocating walls, stripped of pretense, the characters are unable to hide from each other, or themselves. The room physically binds them together, while internalized shame distances them irreparably.

The quote, "I scarcely know how to describe that room. It became, in a way, every room I had ever been in and every room I find myself in hereafter will remind me of Giovanni’s room." confirms the realization that once you confront the essence of who you are as a person in this society, there’s no escape, no space untouched by that knowledge.

The brilliance of Baldwin's prose is undeniable. His command of language is both intimate and universal, drawing people into the depths of David's mind. The book is written in a way that makes me feel it in the most elemental parts of my being. To encounter Baldwin’s writing is to be captivated by his artistry and compelled to seek out every paper his pen has ever touched.