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A review by thewordsdevourer
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
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
3.5
though i personally give giovanni's room 3.5 stars, in actuality the book circumvents any ratings, for it is so much bigger than me, is a work of staggering importance wholly unaffected by my opinion of it.
the story has an initially confusing but thereafter thought-provoking structure riddled w/ metaphors and symbolism, important themes of internalized homophobia, identity, self-denial and -hatred and their consequences, and giovanni is a beautiful, lovely character whose tragic fate makes the book all the more devastating (though its ruminations on women still confuse me).
reading this short, dense book took me nearly a week bc it was so much like helplessly waiting for the inevitable trainwreck to happen. will def read more analysis on this.
the story has an initially confusing but thereafter thought-provoking structure riddled w/ metaphors and symbolism, important themes of internalized homophobia, identity, self-denial and -hatred and their consequences, and giovanni is a beautiful, lovely character whose tragic fate makes the book all the more devastating (though its ruminations on women still confuse me).
reading this short, dense book took me nearly a week bc it was so much like helplessly waiting for the inevitable trainwreck to happen. will def read more analysis on this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse