Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

O Quarto de Giovanni by James Baldwin, Paulo Henriques Britto

73 reviews

izzthicc's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I hated almost every character in this book more than I liked them (except Hela) and even then, I loved this book. Baldwin’s writing is heartbreaking and intentional. Though David’s cynicism infects you throughout the pages, you can’t help but glimpse the slight hopefulness that I think is prevalent in the subtext. In the end,

David is still unlikeable, still running away from that which scares him, but he’s still changed in a way, though you can see that he has no plans to deviate from his habits.

I just really liked this book. It’s the first of Baldwin’s works that I’ve read and I’m now looking forward to reading some more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Infidelity, and Gun violence

marinapaso11's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Moderate: Murder and Death

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was such a stunning read. Baldwin sent me into the depths of the mind of the protagonist, David. It felt as though time disappeared because I was that immersed. Baldwin painted such incredible scenes that felt as though they were taken out of films, demonstrating his incredible show-but-don’t-tell talent. He crafted such complex characters and intimate settings, on top of exploring fascinating themes such as homosexuality/bisexuality, loneliness, (toxic) masculinity, among others. It’s amazing how much breadth and depth there was in such a short book.

In many ways, reading Giovanni’s Room felt as if I was in the titular character’s room as well, where, as David pointed out, hours and days had no meaning. I was in a room that encapsulated so much: claustrophobia, intimacy, sensuality, the sense of being unmoored—a room filled with complex desires and struggles.

And I absorbed every bit of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Homophobia

Moderate: Murder, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

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

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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

irisjb's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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

5.0

'You want to leave Giovanni because he makes you stink. You want to despise Giovanni because he is not afraid of the stink of love. You want to kill him in the name of all your lying little moralities. And you—you are immoral.’

don’t hmu i’m inconsolable

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Infidelity

Moderate: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Miscarriage, Murder, and Transphobia

li_reading's review against another edition

4.0

It was very good, and absolutely wretched

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Classism, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Alcoholism

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Child death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Biphobia

shimikonde's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad

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

5.0

Some of the most beautiful language I've ever read. The protagonist of the story is horrible and self-centered in a way that feels both humanizing and perfectly hateful, and the setting is colorful and interesting. It's a very critical book that feels, in a lot of ways, ahead of its time, particularly in regards to how it challenges Americanism, and the constructs of gender and sexuality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Infidelity, and Sexism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

lucykateburns's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, and Self harm

Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

abrose2001's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Transphobia