La habitación de Giovanni by James Baldwin

4.36 AVERAGE

emilyhare's profile picture

emilyhare's review against another edition

Gorgeous and heartbreaking, I wish I could read it again for the first time

mattwriggit's review against another edition

5.0
challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
Baldwin’s prose is so beautifully pointed. His sentences are so direct and hitting - his ability to portray such detail in so few words is something that scratched an itch in my brain so hard. I rarely feel transported by words but this served that for me in a mere 160 pages.
allysob's profile picture

allysob's review against another edition

5.0
dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
colleenmolsen24's profile picture

colleenmolsen24's review against another edition

3.75
emotional reflective sad medium-paced

greenkt's review against another edition

4.0
emotional reflective sad medium-paced

mmishn's review against another edition

4.0
emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
orb1tal's profile picture

orb1tal's review against another edition

5.0
a beautiful, heartbreaking, riveting book. james baldwin is absolutely one of the best authors i have read yet, and this story has made my heart grow and break in less than 200 pages.

joebs's review against another edition

4.25
The writing is so beautiful; I've never written down so many quotes. 

  • interesting exploration of the way homophobia alienates people from themselves and society 
  • Conversation with Jacques about desire: if you view your desire as dirty, you trap yourself and even when you indulge your desires you cannot be satisfied (25)
  • Poor Sue: wants love, also understands what she wants but also that it conflicts with what other people want from her
  • David's fantasy of a wife and kids is about safety but safety isn't enough
  • Hella is able to leave David (unlike Giovanni) and gives herself a chanceIntersection of class and sexuality involved in the murder of Guillaume by David, 
  • David selfish pursuit of respectability and safety: defaults to bulling his first crush, is repulsed by Giovanni's emotional outbursts, sex with Sue. 

"...not many people have ever died of love. But multitudes have perished, and are perishing every hour - and in the oddest of places!- for the lack of it (58). 

commander_cody15's review against another edition

4.0
reflective sad fast-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

harry_mcwhirter's review against another edition

4.0
emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes