Giovanni's Room

‘Giovanni’s Room’ is an incredibly powerful, but heart-breaking, story. The quality of the writing is quite outstanding. The central character and narrator, David, is unable to be honest and ‘authentic’ with himself or others. He is bisexual, but is unable to accept his attraction to men, even when he moves in with the beautiful and vulnerable Giovanni. David’s inability to accept who he, and the shame he feels as a result, has devastating consequences for Giovanni, and painful disillusionment for Hella, his fiancée. I will admit that I shed a tear for Giovanni at the end of the story. That this book evoked such a powerful emotion in me, is a testament to the power of the writing. I thoroughly recommend this book. It is one of the best books I have ever read.

This book kept coming up as a source and a totem in other modern novels I was reading and so I wanted to see for myself why it held so much influence for other writers. The book is so evocative of a lost time and place in history, and the characters tormented by their position outside of 'normal' society, it is full of emotional turmoil and the loss of love in so many ways. David's character and actions are not condoned, but he is the main voice that comes across, whereas the somehow untold stories of Giovanni and Hella would be of real interest, as they are both distant and enigmatic, portrayed as unknown and unknowable characters from David's tormented perspective. Loved the angst and the despair of life that drips out of the book, it could only have been set in Paris.

James Baldwin's short novel "Giovanni's Room". It's about a young man struggling with his sexuality. Published in the 50s, and set in France.Although I am straight, and have never been remotely interested in men...I have a sympathy for anyone going through any kind of emotional turmoil.David, the narrator, has a sentience which is impossible to me, and every moment would be painful if I was that aware of my feelings...but it's Baldwin's psychological clarity which is the punch of the book. Its USP.David finds himself, loses himself, and breaks the continuity with his old life and American destiny in a grubby little room belonging to the charismatic Giovanni. In France, homosexuality was permissible, unlike in the UK, but people's dalliances and relationships were mostly clandestine and hidden away from the respectable veneer of society. Young men, knowing their life could never be accepted in the mainstream, find themselves at the mercy of poorly paid jobs, with no future. And many rely on the patronage of wealthy men, who prey on them in the shadows of Paris.That Baldwin was a black man, living in Paris, is notable. But despite the obvious struggles Baldwin must have faced in America and France with his ethnicity, there isn't a trace of that in the book. But there is an intensity to sexual politics. And the character of David's girlfriend, Hella, is drawn with sympathetic attention to her own struggles, both as a woman...and as someone who realises the person she loves, she didn't really know at all.

This is a relatively short book so it's easy to read in one sitting.I'd heard about James Baldwin on a BBC website article recommending this book. The fulsome praise they lavished on it seemed a bit over the top, but it really wasn't.His writing is incredible. Such wonderful nuance of expression and wonderful dialogue makes this book easy to "fall into."It's a bit of a cliché to say the writing brings the characters to life, but it really does.I wasn't totally convinced by the very ending though. It felt like there should have been a little more, but perhaps that's just me.Other than that I devoured every word. I'm astonished at how immersive this book was so I'll now be looking for other work from James Baldwin.

I need to stop buying books off Amazon as I have noticed that, more often than not, they come a little dog-eared/dented along the front or back covers. This book, however, was mostly without bumps or scratches and comes in a very thin/small book (small text size, too).As for the book itself- I really must look into more words from Baldwin- after seeing him on Morrissey's infamous merchandise, I decided to purchase this book. The story seemed like something I would enjoy- provoking, heart-wrenching and profound. It was exactly these things. Right from the beginning, the reader knows the fate of Giovanni- although it is only later revealed why he has been sentenced to the guillotine. Getting to know these unique characters, although the book undoubtedly weaves motifs of stereotypes throughout it, it is absolutely amazing as I am studying A-Level English Literature and this links nicely to the theme of 'Love throughout the ages'. I might even use it in my coursework.