Rating: 
Summary: disturbing, unpleasant, but what a read!
Review: Although this was a book I read in one stretch, I had mixed feelings about the story after the last page. One of the striking things about the book was how recognisable the characters still are. The story is written in 1956, about the Paris gay scene of 1953. The story I read was about Amsterdam 1999. The main thing that bothered me was the main character. David is a guy who has the power to transmit to everyone around him a sense of defeat and purposelessness. He is an emotional parasite, who flourishes by draining out of Giovanni and Hella the vitality that both are trying to preserve with difficulty. In a certain way, I feel that the story should not have been told the way we read it. David (the main character) is a writer. He emotionally destroyed the two people closest to him. And instead of hiding out in shame, he tells us every nasty detail of it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece! Classic & Timeless
Review: James Baldwin's novel is a timeless, classic work. Everytime I read this novel I find new things and I fall in love with the book all over again. It is my favorite novel, period. For me the Paris that Baldwin writes about is not that far away from contemporary gay society. It is amazing how much has changed for the community while men (although not all) have remain mostly the same. There are certain parts of this book that will always remain with me, the shift in the narrative from present day to past memory, cental character, David's experimentation and later rejection of his friend Joey, David's first meeting with Giovanni, and the white, paint smeared window in Giovanni's room that separated two men in love from world that was not yet beginning to understand. In closing, I can't say enough how much I recommend this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A book you can't put down
Review: This book was so different from the other books I have read in my time. Baldwin really impressed me with his mysterious, and at times, dark imagery. There was so much passion, hope, and fear in the plot. I became a fan of Baldwin right away especially because of the daring dialogue among the characters' dealing with sexuality. I also admired the fact that Giovanni's Room is uncoventional in detailing David's (a man) love and interest in another man. I recommend that one read this book because Baldwin is an extremely passionate story teller.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling !
Review: This is a story that maybe a little controvercial to some, but nevertheless it is such an EXCELLENT book!
The story takes place in paris during a time when most blacks were in the US and few vendured outside the US. The twists and turns of the sexuallity context is handeled BEAUTIFULLY by means of letting the reader know but not know. The character ultimately is drawn between the woman and the man in his life and is frankly confused.
Without giving too much away, the book just keeps your attention and has you drawn in so much that you want to complete the book in one sitting....Now that's what a book should do!
Rating:
Summary: dark story, dark self consciousness
Review: JAMES BALDWIN WROTE A NOVEL HERE, THAT JUST HAD ME THINKING ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS PEOPLE HAVE AND WHY. IT MAKES YOU TAKE A STRONG LOOK AT YOUR OWN JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE AND THE CHOICES YOU MAKE. I FELT THAT THE ENDING LEFT YOU WONDERING AS TO WHAT CHOICES THIS CHARACTER WILL MAKE NOW THAT HE HAS HAD THIS SELF-DISCOVERY. A GOOD BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO HAS A EAGERNESS TO FIND SELF.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books of last century
Review: What I believe to be one of the most surprising and ground breaking novels of the twentieth century. Everything from Baldwin's style to his plot to his rivetting characters makes this book an intoxication. There is so much energy in this book, so much suspense, and so much stuggle. This book I find the most intriguing of Baldwin's books second only to Another Country. A Must Read.
Rating:
Summary: Another James Baldwin Classic
Review: This is one of James Baldwin's best novel. The young man's struggle with his sexuality and the person who loves and ultimately pays the price for his struggle will make you cry and keep reading through your tears. Buy the book and everything else James Baldwin has written.
Rating:
Summary: A fictional masterpiece!
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best literary works I have ever read! "Giovanni's Room" is all about a young American expatriate named David who finds himself torn between his fiancee Hella and an Italian bartender named Giovanni. They carry on a love affair but when Hella returns from a trip in Spain, everything starts spiraling out of control in a whirlwind of powerful and excruciating emotion. James Baldwin does an excellent job of presenting this passionate yet painful story in the form of a narrative. The character development is superb, so much so that one believes the characters really do exist. This is a poignant and compelling story that will definitely leave an impression on you. Reading this novel, one really experiences the pleasure, the pain, the loneliness and the suffering these characters experience and endure. This is a powerful work of literary art that gives the readers insight into the emotions that come with being in love and the struggle to find one's identity amidst confusion and self-loathing. The story takes place in 1950's Paris and you'll really feel like you're there as James Baldwin's writing is so descriptive you'll be able to see all the little nuances and minute details. "Giovanni's Room" is a solid testament to James Baldwin's remarkable talent and profound insight. This story would make an excellent addition to any library! Also a great place to start if you're just discovering the genius of James Baldwin. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: More like ten stars!
Review: Everything about this book made my mind spin in awe. The story, uniquely told through fluid "flashbacks"; the characters, especially the narrator; and the prose, that sang like poetry (and I am not a poetry person) were all placed perfectly in place. This is the first novel from Baldwin I have read, and it will definately not be the last. I can't remember ever reading a book where it is told not through flashbacks, but through memories tempted by anticipation of an event yet to come. I love that. It's not just a cold recollection, it's as though each scene was tinted with David's emotions about himself and about what will happen to Giovanni. At first, I was waiting for Hella's part to become apparent, but then I saw that she isn't what David is thinking about as he awaits the dawn. (Hey, sometimes I'm a little slow.) This could have easily been just a long inner monologue within one character, but it contributes the fascination and entertainment of a story. Wonderful. This is how I would like to be able to write when I grow up.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful prose, haunting story, one of the true classics
Review: Baldwin opens this, his second novel, with this quote from Whitman: "I am the man, I suffered, I was there." Indeed, Baldwin was the man and he did suffer. Baldwin was a double threat, both black and gay, and brave enough to write about what it was to be both, in a time when it wasn't fashionable to be either. A novelist, playwright, short story writer, and essayist, Baldwin wrote uncompromisingly of an America largely unrepresented in our literature. "Giovanni's Room," is simply one of the most beautifully written works of fiction produced in the last century. It deals with a young man's conflicts over his homosexuality, his feelings of isolation, despair and grudging acceptance. That it reveals emotions and sentiments which have subsquently become all to familiar in our literature and yet remains as potent as when it was published forty-five years ago, is a tribute to the genius of Baldwin. Five stars are not be enough for this cherished work. God bless you Jimmy.
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