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lynxpardinus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
4.75
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.kingcrookback's review against another edition
dark
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
I kept thinking about the conversation Baldwin had with Maya Angelou, where he said, in response to a question about being gay, "[...] all I know about human life is if I love you... I love you. And if I love you and duck it, I die." I've read some criticism--most of it recent and mostly from people who are too young to seriously consider what it must have been like to be gay/queer before the late '90s at the earliest--saying that Giovanni's Room contributes to the idea that gay/queer life is tragedy. I think such a viewpoint is informed by a pretty severe misunderstanding of the book. The misery that David feels and the end of Giovanni's story are not brought about purely by virtue of their being gay but rather they're proofs of Baldwin's thesis that denying the truth of who you love is a kind of death. It's David's internalized homophobia that stops him from admitting his love for Giovanni, which leads first to Giovanni's decline and eventual execution and second to Hella's unhappiness. But it isn't so simple as David making the decision to allow himself to love Giovanni; Baldwin is deliberate in portraying the factors that complicate David fully accepting the fact that he feels this love, very powerful forces that include internalized homophobia, notions of masculinity, compulsory heterosexuality, and class. Tied into the issue of class are the concepts of race, nationality, and culture, and how these concepts even further complicate ideas of manhood/masculinity and justice. Guillaume being a member of an old money French family and Giovanni being a poor Italian immigrant in Paris, it's difficult to fathom that class and nation didn't play significant roles in Giovanni's trial and, consequently, his fate. Thus, it's difficult to fathom that Baldwin didn't deliberately seek to depict how these broader ideas affect and complicate daily emotional life.
On the subject of race/nationality, if I recall correctly, there was also some criticism about the fact that Baldwin chose to write his protagonist as a white man rather than a Black one. However, I found that even though there were no Black characters present, the story was very aware of David's American-ness, if not exactly his whiteness. It's been said that people become more aware of how their homelands have impacted them once they travel abroad, and this is true for David. Though he becomes familiar enough with Paris to get around and have an understanding of the rhythms of the culture, he is never truly at home in Paris. Giovanni and the French characters alike speak of the differences they perceive between Americans and people of the Old World, and later, Giovanni speaks scornfully of the image of moneyed American tourists in his hometown. Rather than separating the subjects of race and homosexuality by writing a white protagonist, I believe Baldwin chose to examine them in conjunction with each other by focusing initially on white masculinity. Whiteness as a concept is irrevocably tied to a sense of superiority and supremacy, but David in the end finds that clinging to his idea of masculinity ultimately fails him, leaving him low.
On the subject of race/nationality, if I recall correctly, there was also some criticism about the fact that Baldwin chose to write his protagonist as a white man rather than a Black one. However, I found that even though there were no Black characters present, the story was very aware of David's American-ness, if not exactly his whiteness. It's been said that people become more aware of how their homelands have impacted them once they travel abroad, and this is true for David. Though he becomes familiar enough with Paris to get around and have an understanding of the rhythms of the culture, he is never truly at home in Paris. Giovanni and the French characters alike speak of the differences they perceive between Americans and people of the Old World, and later, Giovanni speaks scornfully of the image of moneyed American tourists in his hometown. Rather than separating the subjects of race and homosexuality by writing a white protagonist, I believe Baldwin chose to examine them in conjunction with each other by focusing initially on white masculinity. Whiteness as a concept is irrevocably tied to a sense of superiority and supremacy, but David in the end finds that clinging to his idea of masculinity ultimately fails him, leaving him low.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Murder, Misogyny, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
ashleyann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
rachelbug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death
poirot's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
b0ygenius's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, and Death of parent
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden.
A vivid and devastating piece of queer literature - both brave and important to portray the experiences of queer men, the struggles of coming to terms with their identity and the asphyxiating force of internal conflicts and prejudice within the historical context of its writing. I could not unpick the knot in my throat as I read through to the conclusion, seeing how the vulnerable budding romance soured into tragedy.
I can’t help feeling that I placed him in the shadow of the knife.
This was a fantastic read. However, while the power of the descriptive prose was evident and affecting, the long-winded, punctuation-ridden sentences were often confusing and convoluted. The metaphorical language was gorgeous, but also in some ways overdone in my opinion.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe this to be a must-read for fans of classics and queer literature.
A vivid and devastating piece of queer literature - both brave and important to portray the experiences of queer men, the struggles of coming to terms with their identity and the asphyxiating force of internal conflicts and prejudice within the historical context of its writing. I could not unpick the knot in my throat as I read through to the conclusion, seeing how the vulnerable budding romance soured into tragedy.
I can’t help feeling that I placed him in the shadow of the knife.
This was a fantastic read. However, while the power of the descriptive prose was evident and affecting, the long-winded, punctuation-ridden sentences were often confusing and convoluted. The metaphorical language was gorgeous, but also in some ways overdone in my opinion.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe this to be a must-read for fans of classics and queer literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
I honestly loved this book and I’ve been wanting to read it for a while! I finished it in about 3 days as an audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Child death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Biphobia
bubblyfemme's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A devastating story depicting the struggles of internalised homophobia and toxic masculinity. Tragically beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny
williamgideon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
5.0
I noticed with this book, Baldwin's writing made me forget I was reading a book, and made me feel like I was watching a movie. The way he seamlessly moves between scenes, describes the Parisian scenery and writes dialogue is just so effortless. The writing is so atmospheric and captivating, he sets the scene perfectly, to the point where I feel like I'm there myself. The main character sucks, but to write the emotions such a shitty character in such a detailed and complex way is merely a testament to Baldwin's skill.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Domestic abuse