Giovanni's Room
Books | Fiction / Literary
4.2
(2.6K)
James Baldwin
One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his timeDavid, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his true nature, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man. His decision eventually brings tragedy. Filled with passion, regret and longing, this story of a fated love triangle has become a landmark of gay writing. James Baldwin caused outrage as a black author writing about white homosexuals, yet for him the issues of race, sexuality and personal freedom were eternally intertwined.'Exquisite... a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian'Excruciating beauty' San Francisco Chronicle 'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips
Lgbtq+
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
James Baldwin
Pages
176
Publisher
Penguin Books Limited
Published Date
2001-10-04
ISBN
0141903988 9780141903989
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Really good "
Gabriela Reitz
"9.5/10
Beautiful, emotional, loaded with incredible imagery and sensory descriptions- thought the ending was a little bland but overall so good"
L.N.
"this is seriously maybe my favorite book now "
Sam Llanillo
"Literally took my breathe away. An all time fav. But anything by Baldwin is a masterpiece to be honest"
Anna Nicole
"I understand why this is a part of the gay literary canon. It’s so well written but I wish it didn’t have to end so tragically. The way Giovanni never felt proper love before David breaks my heart! He deserves all the love. But him then going and killing Guillome because instead of comforting him, Guillome is a creep who comes onto Giovanni and tells him all the reasons why he can’t give him his job back. The book is full of shame and pride in the same breath. This book is so important to us as a community! So much history "
Finn Hughes
"I think this book is for everyone! I wish i would’ve read this book earlier in my life, i think it is a necessity in the world of narrative. "
D H
Davon Hogan
"the DRAMA of it all. intense, gripping, and forlorn. "
Lee Rice
"Absolutely beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever related to a book character as much as I’ve related to David before. I am him, and he is me. I wish I could go back and read the book for the first time again. You got me James Baldwin. "
chris
"i loved this but maybe didn’t love it as much other people did or as much as i felt i should have. james baldwin is obviously a very talented and prolific writer and that is very clear here, i just didn’t connect with the book as much as previous novels i’ve read in the last two years. that may be because i was so slow to read it, or because of a lag in the middle of the book where it failed to catch my interest for a few segments, but these are more likely faults of my own as a reader. still very beautiful and thoughtful and intimate and captivating, just not as much so for me as other reading experiences i’ve had. i’m excited to read more from baldwin in the future, i already have a few of his books on my shelf !"
Joseph
"He's written several great essays...short books beat describe them. I suggest "The Fire Next Door." That one made me look deeper into who Baldwin was."
Joseph Washington
Similar Books
4.2
3.8
4.2
3.9
4.5
4.2
4.1
4.3
4.4
4.4
3.9
4.1
4
3
3.7
4.2
4.1
4.8
4.5
3.3
