Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

26 reviews

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

zara89's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Outing, Violence, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Homophobia, Car accident, and Child death

Minor: Death and Death of parent

miller8d's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

2.5

I like James Baldwin’s poetic language and poignant emotional description but

I found the ending of this book quite disappointing and I really wish there had been more plot to this book. It felt like nothing really happened in comparison to how much of the book was spent explaining— it was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, which isn’t bad, it’s just not my preference. James Baldwin is incredible and brilliant and this book is historically significant, but I did not enjoy it very much.

Note: I pictured James Baldwin as Giovanni, and Hugh Dennis as Jacques.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Classism, Outing, Sexual harassment, Violence, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Sexism

samarakroeger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

this book sucked me down into a black hole and wouldn't let me back out until I finished it (which didn't take me long -- I was captivated).  I can feel the book hangover coming.

a devastating, beautiful, and ultimately tragic look at one man's struggle with his intense internalized homophobia and his affair with another man in 1950s Paris.  David is a deeply unlikeable main character who is unable to come to terms with himself (to the detriment of those around him).  no one comes out a winner here, and it would be unrealistic if they did.  in weird ways, this book made me feel similar to how Stoner by John Williams made me feel -- simultaneously disgusted, heartbroken, and empty.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Misogyny, and Homophobia

onmalsshelf's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Some of the best writing I’ve ever read in a classic, but with the most insufferable cast of characters. Oi with the misogyny already 

Also The Atlantic lied in their blurb, ‘Exciting…a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction’

Exciting? Where?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Classism, and Mental illness

biblioghoul's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Outing, Infidelity, and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual content, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Classism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

orchidd's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

4.75

highlights: definition of woman—of gender—through sexuality, reveals of the complex interiority of other characters through dialogue, arguments, mirror scene in last chapter

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Outing

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Murder, Sexism, Child death, Misogyny, and Sexual content

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is one of those books I've been like, ah I gotta read it, forever. And I finally did it. This book did not disappoint. Beautiful, brutal, intricate, this short novel packs a huge punch, exploring internalized homophobia, xenophobia, classism, and systemic disenfranchisement, all within a contained story of a doomed romance between two men from wildly different backgrounds over several weeks in Paris in the late 1950s. Baldwin is also in peak form here, with his signature incisive social commentary delivered through characters with deep complexity and humanity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Homophobia, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Death, and Outing

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Death, Homophobia, and Infidelity

Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Classism, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Blood, Child death, and Pregnancy

Not sure how to tag it, but whether it's a reflection of the author's biases or an extension of the book's core themes, this book has a lot of negativity toward effeminate/GNC gay men.

maess's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Rape, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Murder, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Racism and Suicide