20.4k reviews for:

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

4.36 AVERAGE

tom08's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

khushi__festus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

laura_ejm9's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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homosexuality in 1950s Paris 

maxakdh's review against another edition

4.0

reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

miayasmin's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad

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:(

lovemyshelf's review against another edition

4.5

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ames_95's review against another edition

5.0

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Read as part of my 30 books before 30 

Honestly this book was incredible! Took a moment to get into the space but it was utterly worth it. Hella speech about how women have to marry men and they could be stranger to you for 50 years.

For a woman… I think a man is always a stranger. 

 You play it safe long enough,’ he said, in a different tone, ‘and you’ll end up trapped in your own dirty body, forever and forever and forever—like me 

Honestly there was part of the book which was so morden in speaking and the way James Baldwin writes…. Is so so so so beautiful and incredible like this has changed what I read going forward and I want to get a physical copy so I can write all my gay marginalia and feelings on it LOVE LOVE LOVE 

mguan64's review against another edition

4.25

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Like many other reviews that I read before reading this book, Baldwin’s prose is very good and flows beautifully. He really makes you feel the anguish of the main character and makes Paris feel alive from his descriptions. We never really have an idea of what Giovanni’s room looks like from a specific description, but rather allusions to its appearance and how the main character feels when he is in it, and that’s probably the entire point. The main character feels trapped, in love with Giovanni, in his seemingly “filthy” room. 

swagisintheair's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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”if you cannot love me, i will die. before you came i wanted to die, i have told you many times. it is cruel to have made me want to live only to make my death more bloody.”

navyred's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes