Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

13 reviews

amy_q13's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Classism, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Sexual content, and Murder

savanha_reads's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Murder, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts

billie_visible's review

emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Miscarriage

im_eebee's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

1.75

Beautifully written, but I hate the main character with a burning passion. I need him to get over himself yesterday. All he does is hurt people. I don’t like books where the main character is so deeply unaware of how their actions affect others. Some people will find that as the highlight of this book, but I find it frustrating to read. I’ll definitely check out Baldwin’s other work because the writing style was the only part of this that I liked, but this was a miss for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Mental illness, Bullying, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Outing, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

florih's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The only reason this is not a 5🌟 for me is the obvious misogyny and sexism of the main character (alongside his internalised homophobia, which is the point of the plot)... to be fair he is absolutely despicable as a character. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Sexism, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

clarkg'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

5.0

 It's hard to find the language to describe the devastation that this book wrought upon me. Achingly beautiful. I miss James Baldwin. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Outing, Grief, Sexism, Homophobia, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and War

Minor: Body shaming and Xenophobia

ez_heath's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Death, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Murder

paddy_chh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A masterfully written story but I cannot truthfully say I enjoyed reading it. A book about how internalised homophobia can ruin your own and the people around you’s lives.  It was a poignant story and it was well told, but for someone like me who is tired of seeing queer stories end in heartbreak  it wasn’t at all what I wanted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

berthe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Outing, and Suicidal thoughts

theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I have tears in my eyes. That’s all I can say right now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence