Scan barcode
A review by booksgurrsandpurrs
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I remember that life in that room seemed to be occurring beneath the sea. Time flowed passed indifferently above us; hours and days had no meaning. In the beginning, our life together held joy and amazement which was newborn every day. Beneath the joy of course, was anguish and beneath the amazement was fear, but they did not work themselves to the beginning until our high beginning was aloes on our tongues." pg 75
Running away from falling into his father's footsteps, David is an American expat living in 1950's Paris where he meets Giovanni, a bartender at a local pub. David and Giovanni fall deep into tumultuous love, lust and dependency, turning their lives upside down, leading to grave consequences.
Giovanni's Room delves into internalized homophobia, violence, sexism, gender roles, national & sexual identity, self acceptance, love, guilt, shame, and the meaning of home. Now that I'm done with this book, I'm going to wrap myself into a blanket burrito and a chocolate bar.
Running away from falling into his father's footsteps, David is an American expat living in 1950's Paris where he meets Giovanni, a bartender at a local pub. David and Giovanni fall deep into tumultuous love, lust and dependency, turning their lives upside down, leading to grave consequences.
Giovanni's Room delves into internalized homophobia, violence, sexism, gender roles, national & sexual identity, self acceptance, love, guilt, shame, and the meaning of home. Now that I'm done with this book, I'm going to wrap myself into a blanket burrito and a chocolate bar.