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Giovanni's Room (Vintage International)
From one of the most brilliant and provocative literary figures of the past century comes a groundbreaking novel set among the bohemian bars and nightclubs of 1950s Paris, about love and the fear of love—“a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction” (The Atlantic).
One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years
In the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.
David is a young American expatriate who has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Hella. While she is away on a trip, David meets a bartender named Giovanni to whom he is drawn in spite of himself. Soon the two are spending the night in Giovanni’s curtainless room, which he keeps dark to protect their privacy. But Hella’s return to Paris brings the affair to a crisis, one that rapidly spirals into tragedy.
David struggles for self-knowledge during one long, dark night—“the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life.” With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin's now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a deeply moving story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.
One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years
In the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.
David is a young American expatriate who has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Hella. While she is away on a trip, David meets a bartender named Giovanni to whom he is drawn in spite of himself. Soon the two are spending the night in Giovanni’s curtainless room, which he keeps dark to protect their privacy. But Hella’s return to Paris brings the affair to a crisis, one that rapidly spirals into tragedy.
David struggles for self-knowledge during one long, dark night—“the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life.” With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin's now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a deeply moving story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.
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Community Reviews
This was an emotional read. It touched on themes of love, betrayal, anger, and sorrow. I thought it was nice overall.
I have read this book several times, and each time I see it new. A tragic story of shame and trying to love when the world forbids that love.
James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room is a raw, unflinching exploration of the human condition, steeped in shame, fear, and the complex lies we tell ourselves to navigate a world that demands conformity. The main character, David, struggles between his true desires and the expectations society puts on him, which labels those desires as wrong. Baldwin's sharp and honest writing really makes you feel the heavy burden of David’s internal shame—how it messes with his identity and pushes him to make choices that hurt both himself and the people he cares about. The novel highlights how fear of judgment, rejection, and not facing our own truth can control our lives in really painful ways.
It also takes a hard look at what we consider right or wrong, making us question who actually gets to set those moral standards. Instead of giving us clear answers, the story pulls us into the emotional struggles of characters dealing with these tough issues. The relationship between David and Giovanni is shown in all its beautiful yet fleeting moments, revealing how societal pressures can turn something sacred into something shameful. The emotional power of Giovanni’s Room lies in its ability to lay bare the anguish of those who dare to live authentically in a world unwilling to accept them. It’s a powerful and deeply relatable story that sticks with you.
I’ve always been a big fan of James Baldwin, but up till now, all I’d read from him were non-fiction and short fiction. Seemed like about time that I check out some of his longer fiction. I wish I hadn’t.
The story here is OK, though honestly, all the characters other than the narrator are pretty one-dimensional. And the writing, I’m sorry, is awful. Long sections are really overwritten, trying to stage a lot of philosophical and psychological ideas behind a masquerade of fiction. It doesn’t work. Baldwin is usually such a skilled, commanding writer; I was surprised how much I did not enjoy reading this.
I was also pretty taken aback by the misogyny at work in the last section. But most of the book is populated exclusively by men, so I can’t say that had a huge impact.
Overall, I just really don’t recommend reading this—even if you are a real Baldwin fan. Re-read his short fiction or something, but I wouldn’t read this. I may be willing to check out Go Tell It on the Mountain or Beale Street, but not any time soon.
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Edit: I've since read Go Tell It on the Mountain, and loved it.
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