alsoapples's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Murder and Death of parent
kingcrookback's review against another edition
dark
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
I kept thinking about the conversation Baldwin had with Maya Angelou, where he said, in response to a question about being gay, "[...] all I know about human life is if I love you... I love you. And if I love you and duck it, I die." I've read some criticism--most of it recent and mostly from people who are too young to seriously consider what it must have been like to be gay/queer before the late '90s at the earliest--saying that Giovanni's Room contributes to the idea that gay/queer life is tragedy. I think such a viewpoint is informed by a pretty severe misunderstanding of the book. The misery that David feels and the end of Giovanni's story are not brought about purely by virtue of their being gay but rather they're proofs of Baldwin's thesis that denying the truth of who you love is a kind of death. It's David's internalized homophobia that stops him from admitting his love for Giovanni, which leads first to Giovanni's decline and eventual execution and second to Hella's unhappiness. But it isn't so simple as David making the decision to allow himself to love Giovanni; Baldwin is deliberate in portraying the factors that complicate David fully accepting the fact that he feels this love, very powerful forces that include internalized homophobia, notions of masculinity, compulsory heterosexuality, and class. Tied into the issue of class are the concepts of race, nationality, and culture, and how these concepts even further complicate ideas of manhood/masculinity and justice.
On the subject of race/nationality, if I recall correctly, there was also some criticism about the fact that Baldwin chose to write his protagonist as a white man rather than a Black one. However, I found that even though there were no Black characters present, the story was very aware of David's American-ness, if not exactly his whiteness. It's been said that people become more aware of how their homelands have impacted them once they travel abroad, and this is true for David. Though he becomes familiar enough with Paris to get around and have an understanding of the rhythms of the culture, he is never truly at home in Paris. Giovanni and the French characters alike speak of the differences they perceive between Americans and people of the Old World, and later, Giovanni speaks scornfully of the image of moneyed American tourists in his hometown. Rather than separating the subjects of race and homosexuality by writing a white protagonist, I believe Baldwin chose to examine them in conjunction with each other by focusing initially on white masculinity. Whiteness as a concept is irrevocably tied to a sense of superiority and supremacy, but David in the end finds that clinging to his idea of masculinity ultimately fails him, leaving him low.
Spoiler
Guillaume being a member of an old money French family and Giovanni being a poor Italian immigrant in Paris, it's difficult to fathom that class and nation didn't play significant roles in Giovanni's trial and, consequently, his fate. Thus, it's difficult to fathom that Baldwin didn't deliberately seek to depict how these broader ideas affect and complicate daily emotional life.On the subject of race/nationality, if I recall correctly, there was also some criticism about the fact that Baldwin chose to write his protagonist as a white man rather than a Black one. However, I found that even though there were no Black characters present, the story was very aware of David's American-ness, if not exactly his whiteness. It's been said that people become more aware of how their homelands have impacted them once they travel abroad, and this is true for David. Though he becomes familiar enough with Paris to get around and have an understanding of the rhythms of the culture, he is never truly at home in Paris. Giovanni and the French characters alike speak of the differences they perceive between Americans and people of the Old World, and later, Giovanni speaks scornfully of the image of moneyed American tourists in his hometown. Rather than separating the subjects of race and homosexuality by writing a white protagonist, I believe Baldwin chose to examine them in conjunction with each other by focusing initially on white masculinity. Whiteness as a concept is irrevocably tied to a sense of superiority and supremacy, but David in the end finds that clinging to his idea of masculinity ultimately fails him, leaving him low.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Murder, Misogyny, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
fleebugs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Miscarriage
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent
poirot's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
b0ygenius's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, and Death of parent
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden.
A vivid and devastating piece of queer literature - both brave and important to portray the experiences of queer men, the struggles of coming to terms with their identity and the asphyxiating force of internal conflicts and prejudice within the historical context of its writing. I could not unpick the knot in my throat as I read through to the conclusion, seeing how the vulnerable budding romance soured into tragedy.
I can’t help feeling that I placed him in the shadow of the knife.
This was a fantastic read. However, while the power of the descriptive prose was evident and affecting, the long-winded, punctuation-ridden sentences were often confusing and convoluted. The metaphorical language was gorgeous, but also in some ways overdone in my opinion.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe this to be a must-read for fans of classics and queer literature.
A vivid and devastating piece of queer literature - both brave and important to portray the experiences of queer men, the struggles of coming to terms with their identity and the asphyxiating force of internal conflicts and prejudice within the historical context of its writing. I could not unpick the knot in my throat as I read through to the conclusion, seeing how the vulnerable budding romance soured into tragedy.
I can’t help feeling that I placed him in the shadow of the knife.
This was a fantastic read. However, while the power of the descriptive prose was evident and affecting, the long-winded, punctuation-ridden sentences were often confusing and convoluted. The metaphorical language was gorgeous, but also in some ways overdone in my opinion.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe this to be a must-read for fans of classics and queer literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
chloebethx_'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
James Baldwin really created a short masterpiece in this book, the emotions and struggles with sexual identity and finding your place in society were so well articulated and written out on the page that it took my breath away. Other reviews have put it in much better terms than I could, but this book is truly beautiful!
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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 just finished it and my mind is numb but god this is an absolute masterpiece
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
librocrone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Heart-breaking, soul-crushing, agonizing. The writing is beautiful and brings all of that up in you, while still compelling you to keep reading. The men in this book are complicated, and certainly good representations of men of their time (read: misogynists), but you care for them anyway. You can feel the weight of traditional masculinity and how it crushes men — especially men who cannot make themselves fit into it.
It’s hard to read the descriptions of women in this book without being put off the book in general, which is one of the main reasons I rated this so low. I honestly can’t say if I think it was “just the character’s perspective” or if Baldwin also felt that way about women. Very few women are discussed in any positive terms, and those who are don’t remain so for long. Is it because David is a misogynist? Well, yeah. He’s an American man in the 1950s, of course he’s a misogynist. Is Baldwin a misogynist? Hard to parse. I’d have to look more into his real life politics to come to a conclusion. But it’s not the first or last time a gay man might be a misogynist, if so.
This is a classic for a reason. And I’m so glad we have it as a depiction of queer life, especially before Stonewall. It’s a good story, if made difficult due to censorship and obscenity laws. I wonder what this story could have looked like if US publishing laws had allowed for a happier ending. If queer stories in the 50s didn’t have to end with misery and death. The book is enjoyable on its own, but thinking about it in context is unavoidable, because when David asks, “What kind of life could we have?,” well… we have better answers to that question now.
It’s hard to read the descriptions of women in this book without being put off the book in general, which is one of the main reasons I rated this so low. I honestly can’t say if I think it was “just the character’s perspective” or if Baldwin also felt that way about women. Very few women are discussed in any positive terms, and those who are don’t remain so for long. Is it because David is a misogynist? Well, yeah. He’s an American man in the 1950s, of course he’s a misogynist. Is Baldwin a misogynist? Hard to parse. I’d have to look more into his real life politics to come to a conclusion. But it’s not the first or last time a gay man might be a misogynist, if so.
This is a classic for a reason. And I’m so glad we have it as a depiction of queer life, especially before Stonewall. It’s a good story, if made difficult due to censorship and obscenity laws. I wonder what this story could have looked like if US publishing laws had allowed for a happier ending. If queer stories in the 50s didn’t have to end with misery and death. The book is enjoyable on its own, but thinking about it in context is unavoidable, because when David asks, “What kind of life could we have?,” well… we have better answers to that question now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder
iris_garden's review
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Transphobia