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A review by librocrone
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.75
Heart-breaking, soul-crushing, agonizing. The writing is beautiful and brings all of that up in you, while still compelling you to keep reading. The men in this book are complicated, and certainly good representations of men of their time (read: misogynists), but you care for them anyway. You can feel the weight of traditional masculinity and how it crushes men — especially men who cannot make themselves fit into it.
It’s hard to read the descriptions of women in this book without being put off the book in general, which is one of the main reasons I rated this so low. I honestly can’t say if I think it was “just the character’s perspective” or if Baldwin also felt that way about women. Very few women are discussed in any positive terms, and those who are don’t remain so for long. Is it because David is a misogynist? Well, yeah. He’s an American man in the 1950s, of course he’s a misogynist. Is Baldwin a misogynist? Hard to parse. I’d have to look more into his real life politics to come to a conclusion. But it’s not the first or last time a gay man might be a misogynist, if so.
This is a classic for a reason. And I’m so glad we have it as a depiction of queer life, especially before Stonewall. It’s a good story, if made difficult due to censorship and obscenity laws. I wonder what this story could have looked like if US publishing laws had allowed for a happier ending. If queer stories in the 50s didn’t have to end with misery and death. The book is enjoyable on its own, but thinking about it in context is unavoidable, because when David asks, “What kind of life could we have?,” well… we have better answers to that question now.
It’s hard to read the descriptions of women in this book without being put off the book in general, which is one of the main reasons I rated this so low. I honestly can’t say if I think it was “just the character’s perspective” or if Baldwin also felt that way about women. Very few women are discussed in any positive terms, and those who are don’t remain so for long. Is it because David is a misogynist? Well, yeah. He’s an American man in the 1950s, of course he’s a misogynist. Is Baldwin a misogynist? Hard to parse. I’d have to look more into his real life politics to come to a conclusion. But it’s not the first or last time a gay man might be a misogynist, if so.
This is a classic for a reason. And I’m so glad we have it as a depiction of queer life, especially before Stonewall. It’s a good story, if made difficult due to censorship and obscenity laws. I wonder what this story could have looked like if US publishing laws had allowed for a happier ending. If queer stories in the 50s didn’t have to end with misery and death. The book is enjoyable on its own, but thinking about it in context is unavoidable, because when David asks, “What kind of life could we have?,” well… we have better answers to that question now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder