Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin

27 reviews

purplehulk713's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book only truly interested me at the very end when Giovanni is calling David out on all his bullshit. It felt so much like what people consider “literature” otherwise—clever and well-thought-out, but too dense and tedious to read to be of any real enjoyment to anyone who’s not an English scholar (and I’m speaking as university writing minor). But as a landmark in queer fiction, it does deserve praise. I just wish that it  didn’t make me want so much for it to be over while reading more than it made me enjoy its poetic prose and insights (David is so frustrating, and Jacques and Guillaume are disgusting). But facing the sincerity embodied in Giovanni’s room was a truly tantalizing subject.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

onmalsshelf's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Some of the best writing I’ve ever read in a classic, but with the most insufferable cast of characters. Oi with the misogyny already 

Also The Atlantic lied in their blurb, ‘Exciting…a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction’

Exciting? Where?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Classism, and Mental illness

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Minor: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Abandonment, Death, War, Transphobia, Violence, Classism, Bullying, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Child death, and Injury/injury detail

biblioghoul's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Outing, Infidelity, and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual content, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Classism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Death, Homophobia, and Infidelity

Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Classism, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Blood, Child death, and Pregnancy

Not sure how to tag it, but whether it's a reflection of the author's biases or an extension of the book's core themes, this book has a lot of negativity toward effeminate/GNC gay men.

andsoitgoes's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

3.0

I can see why this is a classic as the writing is artistic, and the emotions extracted by the subject matter are intense. However, the pace of the novel was not for me (very slow) and all of the characters seems a little more stereotypical than realistic. Not my cup of tea, but if you like emotionally intense books with an aura of mystery you'd probably like it. Please read trigger warnings before reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia

ashleyann's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death

Minor: Alcohol, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

Minor: Xenophobia and Emotional abuse

jeremie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Murder

thomasdj's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcoholism