Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

70 reviews

purplehulk713's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

This book only truly interested me at the very end when Giovanni is calling David out on all his bullshit. It felt so much like what people consider “literature” otherwise—clever and well-thought-out, but too dense and tedious to read to be of any real enjoyment to anyone who’s not an English scholar (and I’m speaking as university writing minor). But as a landmark in queer fiction, it does deserve praise. I just wish that it  didn’t make me want so much for it to be over while reading more than it made me enjoy its poetic prose and insights (David is so frustrating, and Jacques and Guillaume are disgusting). But facing the sincerity embodied in Giovanni’s room was a truly tantalizing subject.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

itsgeesus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

I really enjoy Baldwin, I think his writing is fantastic and hooks you in no matter the story. Even though this was relatively a quick read, it was addictive, with the exploration of queerness feeling so real and gritty. The internalised homophobia David felt throughout is something that was especially poignant, given that it would have been something many American men would've felt pre-Stonewall. Some readers may even experience it today. Sure, it was often uncomfortable to read, but it felt genuine, and David's struggle to accept his love for Giovanni is something to be commended. The pressure of 'fitting in' with a heteronormative society was a theme I really enjoyed throughout because no matter what decade this would have been read in, it is still somehow relevant. 

I would say, however, that the way Hella was written in was fairly misogynistic, whether by accident or not. At times, it felt as if her absence was used by David to justify his affair with Giovanni, rather than David wanting to explore because he genuinely felt attracted to Giovanni. Even with Hella around, the way David spoke about her and other women felt weird, like even for 1956 society. The vibe I got was "men are superior, women are just mistresses". That was the only thing to have pulled me away from such a story.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Minor: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Abandonment, Death, War, Transphobia, Violence, Classism, Bullying, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

rachelsuzuko's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual content

yasmin_raev's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Alcohol

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual content

Minor: Child death

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

addyruth17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Grief, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Cursing, and Miscarriage

laurendenton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Alcohol, and Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, Violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

Minor: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

crowdenks's review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Miscarriage

jem_carstairs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

First Read 3.75⭐️
The writing was beautiful and the story was sad, but I couldn’t bring myself to give enough of a shit about any of the characters to get hugely invested in the story

Second Read 5⭐️
Well I think the fact that I didn’t previously love this book was 100% a me problem. 
Because on rereading for uni, I have absolutely zero notes. Except maybe a request for him to fund my therapy :)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual content