Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Giovannis Zimmer by James Baldwin

23 reviews

flapjackzs_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Outing, and Vomit

berthe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Outing, and Suicidal thoughts

zara89's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Outing, Violence, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Homophobia, Car accident, and Child death

Minor: Death and Death of parent

samcanuel's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

James Baldwin is an extremely talented writer and in this book he tackled many difficult themes. I truly disliked almost every character, but I still found myself completely invested in their stories. I really liked the structure of the plot itself, going back and forth between the current time and the flashbacks to give context. This story is heartbreaking, but Baldwin’s telling of it is perfection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Infidelity, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

iheartapolloxxi's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

Baldwin‘s effability to describe such a tumultuous relationship is admirable. The reader is put on the front lines of David‘s conflict-driven reality. The use of Giovanni‘s room as a metaphor for their doomed-from-the-start relationship is brilliant and truly could have only been pulled off by a legend like Baldwin. Amazing book, taught me a lot. Everyone should read this at least once in their lives. 💯

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Murder

kers_tin's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault, Child death, and Death of parent

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

itsgeesus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

I really enjoy Baldwin, I think his writing is fantastic and hooks you in no matter the story. Even though this was relatively a quick read, it was addictive, with the exploration of queerness feeling so real and gritty. The internalised homophobia David felt throughout is something that was especially poignant, given that it would have been something many American men would've felt pre-Stonewall. Some readers may even experience it today. Sure, it was often uncomfortable to read, but it felt genuine, and David's struggle to accept his love for Giovanni is something to be commended. The pressure of 'fitting in' with a heteronormative society was a theme I really enjoyed throughout because no matter what decade this would have been read in, it is still somehow relevant. 

I would say, however, that the way Hella was written in was fairly misogynistic, whether by accident or not. At times, it felt as if her absence was used by David to justify his affair with Giovanni, rather than David wanting to explore because he genuinely felt attracted to Giovanni. Even with Hella around, the way David spoke about her and other women felt weird, like even for 1956 society. The vibe I got was "men are superior, women are just mistresses". That was the only thing to have pulled me away from such a story.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

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

laurendenton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Alcohol, and Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, Violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

Minor: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, and Fatphobia