Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Giovanni's Room

Also on Snow White Hates Apples.

If there is a list of must-read books that carry within its pages endless, gorgeous prose prostrating themselves before the tender mercies of love, then Giovanni’s Room must be on it.

This little modern classic is an eloquent reflection of a young man caught between love and hatred, life and death, desire and morality. It is a tragic tale of queerness, of alienation and identity. Every failing, every affection, the internal and external conflicts this young man faces, along with the results of his every action and inaction are all laid bare on paper, expressed through elegant prose that amplifies how much of a sucker punch to the solar plexus this book is.

My only qualm is the emotional distance created by the very same beautiful prose I cannot stop waxing lyrical about. I could, on a more surface level, sympathise and empathise with the characters but the narrative was still too cold to evoke deeper reactions from me. Nevertheless, this remains a beautiful book and I fully recommend reading it.

Content Warnings

sorkka's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

The good

Ok I understand the hype. This book is beautifully written. I loved the French language interwoven through out, it really transplanted me into David’s world. Despite the main character, David, being so morally inept it was highly enjoyable in fact his inner conflict is what made it so interesting!

The bad

I know that we can’t really judge a book written 70 years ago by today’s social rules. However the writing of the dialogue of the only talking female character, Hella, is painfully sexist. I wonder whether this is a reflection of the sentiment of some American women at the time or whether the author, as a gay American man of the 1950s, just had poor insight into the female perspective. I would have given the book a higher rating if I hadn’t been so thrown by what Hella says.

There is a lot of French words used throughout the book and while none of it needs to be understood to follow the story it would make it frustrating to read for people that don’t know French.

Content Warnings

bridgedeebookish95's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A revolutionary novel. Truly. Baldwin’s words are timeless. This felt almost cinematic or theatrical in the way the dialogue flowed. I enjoyed it a lot. Equal parts devastating and frustrating. Beautifully written narrative about class, identity, and the ways in which one is conditioned to hide themselves from not only strangers and those closest to them, but themselves as well.

Content Warnings

sarapriz's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

vaguelyredhead's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

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