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A review by readingoverbreathing
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was simply beautiful. I enjoyed If Beale Street Could Talk, but this was an entirely other experience for me, sad, tragic, yet so very tender.
It's frustrating that this story is crafted to inevitably end in tragedy, and that frustration, as well as the general disregard for the very few female characters, that dropped this a star for me. I also found it quite difficult to really sympathize with David. Living in an entirely different time, under complex societal pressures I can excuse, but a lot of his suffering really was of his own making, his self-destructive tendency to distance and even extract himself from those he loved most.
But overall, this truly is a beautiful book, so richly evocative of Paris and interior spaces, of human body language and emotion. This is canonical reading that is not to be missed.
It's frustrating that this story is crafted to inevitably end in tragedy, and that frustration, as well as the general disregard for the very few female characters, that dropped this a star for me. I also found it quite difficult to really sympathize with David. Living in an entirely different time, under complex societal pressures I can excuse, but a lot of his suffering really was of his own making, his self-destructive tendency to distance and even extract himself from those he loved most.
But overall, this truly is a beautiful book, so richly evocative of Paris and interior spaces, of human body language and emotion. This is canonical reading that is not to be missed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Murder