Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Giovanni's Room

This is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. The ending was beautifully written. Everyone should read this. I have so many thoughts and a fully developed thesis about this book.

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vivianr28's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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localrancher's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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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asnecessaryasbread's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

James Baldwing writing style is absoluteñy beautiful and i love how the portrays issues of gender, sexuality and class, but boy oh boy did i want to punch the narrator in the face.
Went in thinking that an important part of this would be a queer love story, but I'd say this is rather an exploration of shame, gender and their manifestation in the body.

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fightingmarc's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Giovanni's Room has a similar feeling to the book I had just finished reading before, Yukio Mishima's Forbidden Colours, however the emotional payoff here has much more impact. Most queer people who read Giovanni's Room can see themselves in some way with the struggle of Giovanni, David and even Hella. Baldwin's writing is beautiful, and the last fifty pages of the story were weaved so intricately that the climax of the story, which you are warned about early on in the book, still manages a suckerpunch. This is a classic queer tragedy, and one that struck me with an intensity I haven't felt in a while.

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rynicolereads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

I didn't expect this to be such an emotional read. Baldwin's ability to pack so many feelings into such a small book speaks to his gift for writing. I'm going to keep this short, but between the lyrical prose and poignant storytelling, GIOVANNI'S ROOM is remarkable.

If emotional, reflective reads are your thing, you'll love this book.

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