Scan barcode
A review by jessbasuthakur
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
This book should be required reading for high schoolers.
It's been a year since I've read a Baldwin novel and I forgot what I was missing. This book is truly a work of art. It's been a while since I've read a book that truly moved me and I am so glad I finally decided to pick this up. This book follows our main character David as he tries to navigate his relationship with his girlfriend he proposed to, Hella, and a boy he meets in a gay bar while she is away, Giovanni. Throughout the book, themes of masculinity, sexuality, patriarchy, foreignness, and isolation are explored with depth and ease in this short novel. And the prose!!!! The definition of lyrical yet substantive. My only real gripe with the book is the overt transphobic language when speaking of the trans community in and around the area of the bar, however I feel there is reason to look around this as the mindset is par for the course of the times (doesn't make it right at all though). One can also complain that all the characters in the story are white, but I find that Baldwin did well exploring the themes already presented in the novel that he didn't necessarily need to explore race. I also believe that just because he was a Black author, he is not obligated to speak on race in everyone of his works and he did plenty of exploration on life as a Black person that we can forgive this omission in the book. Overall, I really loved this book and has definitely made on my list of all time favorites.
It's been a year since I've read a Baldwin novel and I forgot what I was missing. This book is truly a work of art. It's been a while since I've read a book that truly moved me and I am so glad I finally decided to pick this up. This book follows our main character David as he tries to navigate his relationship with his girlfriend he proposed to, Hella, and a boy he meets in a gay bar while she is away, Giovanni. Throughout the book, themes of masculinity, sexuality, patriarchy, foreignness, and isolation are explored with depth and ease in this short novel. And the prose!!!! The definition of lyrical yet substantive. My only real gripe with the book is the overt transphobic language when speaking of the trans community in and around the area of the bar, however I feel there is reason to look around this as the mindset is par for the course of the times (doesn't make it right at all though). One can also complain that all the characters in the story are white, but I find that Baldwin did well exploring the themes already presented in the novel that he didn't necessarily need to explore race. I also believe that just because he was a Black author, he is not obligated to speak on race in everyone of his works and he did plenty of exploration on life as a Black person that we can forgive this omission in the book. Overall, I really loved this book and has definitely made on my list of all time favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Transphobia