Product Description

Set in the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin's now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33179 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-13
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From Library Journal
Baldwin's 1956 novel, his second, was daring for its time, depicting a young man deep into Paris's second expatriate movement following World War II as he grapples with his sexual identity. He is drawn both to his fianc?e and to a male Italian bartender with whom he begins an affair.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"If Van Gogh was our 19th-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our 20th-century one."
--Michael Ondaatje

"A young American involved with both a woman and a man...Baldwin writes of these matters with unusual candor and yet with such dignity and intensity."
--The New York Times

"Absorbing...[with] immediate emotional impact."
--The Washington Post

"Mr. Baldwin has taken a very special theme and treated it with great artistry and restraint."
--Saturday Review

"Exciting...a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction."
--The Atlantic

"Violent, excruciating beauty."
--San Francisco Chronicle -- Review

Review
"If Van Gogh was our 19th-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our 20th-century one."
--Michael Ondaatje

"A young American involved with both a woman and a man...Baldwin writes of these matters with unusual candor and yet with such dignity and intensity."
--The New York Times

"Absorbing...[with] immediate emotional impact."
--The Washington Post

"Mr. Baldwin has taken a very special theme and treated it with great artistry and restraint."
--Saturday Review

"Exciting...a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction."
--The Atlantic

"Violent, excruciating beauty."
--San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews

Read it... but not for the plot.
No assistance or convincing is required for one to acknowledge that Baldwin is indeed a very gifted writer. However, in GIOVANNI'S ROOM, it is less evident as to whether or not he is a great novelist. While his ability to describe complex emotions and deeply depict the political nature of courting and romance is superior, the plot suffers as the book progresses. Giovanni is an incredibly charming and likeable character upon his introduction; however, as soon as he forms a relationship with David, the protagonist, there seems to be a shift in the development of his character (or is it a regression of his character?), after which he remains rather unlikable and someone for whom you do not feel empathy.

As a result, the romance between Giovanni and David suffers throughout the book - and the capriciousness of David's sexuality calls into question the legitimacy of his love for Giovanni. This is disappointing to readers who are looking for a love story - even a tragic one. For who wants to read a love story where the love isn't assured? I think the plot needed more time to allow the reader to fully accept and digest the magnitude that these two men, supposedly, feel for each other.

The ending of the book, including the crime that Giovanni commits, seems irrelevant and forced - as if Baldwin was merely trying to come up with a legitimate way to end the story. This is perhaps my biggest complaint with the book. Again, the plot moves too quickly while characters change dramatically, all of which lead the reader to feel as though the plot is implausible.

Finally, the book is littered with various French phrases and short sentences which add no substance to the book, but seem to exist merely as a way for Baldwin to flex his knowledge of the language - as if somehow this will give the story's setting extra legitimacy (which it didn't need). I have a background in French and was able to understand most of this superfluousness, yet still found it rather annoying and distracting.

Many have suggested that David is rather unlikable; personally, I find his character to be the most honest and authentic, as well someone to whom I can relate. Through David, Baldwin hits the nail on the head when depicting the complexity and despair homosexuals feel when they are simultaneously involved with partners of both sexes. And while the honesty of David's emotions, with respect to both Giovanni and Hella, may be unattractive to some readers - it's clarity and accuracy cannot be ignored.

The book is certainly worth a read, and its impact and value must be measured in the context in which it was written. It is/was an overwhelmingly progressive novel, and no doubt a contribution to `gay' literature (if that's how you wish you classify the novel; I do not). However, this book being published today would hardly turn an eye. Read it to understand Baldwin, read it to understand the timeframe, read it for a glimpse into the complexity of homosexual relationships, read it to enjoy Baldwin's outstanding writing abilities - but don't read it for the plot.

James!
Giovanni's Room
By James Baldwin

James Baldwin! For me, writing his name sends joy and awe straight to my heart. I have loved him since I was a teenager and found him on a library bookshelf. I devoured as many of his novels as I could find and each was more than satisfying but when I found Giovanni's Room, I found what I had been searching for in my constant reading. A few pages into it and I felt that stab in the gut, that overwhelming rush that one gets when hearing an absolutely perfect piece of music or falling heart-first into a work of art. I know that it was the elegance of Baldwin's writing in this particularly elegant short novel that sent me head over heels in love with words.

Giovanni's Room is a painful story of a young man in Paris who is uncertain and uncomfortable with his sexuality. Baldwin presents a complex series of events with an understated, brilliant use of character and dialogue that lead to the destruction of several characters. Baldwin wrote so very well (or I am so very dense) that it took several readings for me to understand that it was not merely a tale of repressed desires but also a cautionary tale of the cost to others of random, casual acts of selfishness and unkindness. I re-read it every few years. Baldwin died of cancer in December of 1987. I miss him, I really do. Each Christmas I choose a few friends and gift them with Giovanni's Room. It is a deep pleasure to hear their reactions to this author's soulful genius and it is my small way of sending my loving gratitude to James Baldwin.
Sherry Harvey Podobnik

Excellent
A deeply felt and personal short novel about an American ex-patriot who falls in love with another man in Paris. Baldwin establishes an undeniable tension between David's desire for Giovanni and his desire to live a normal life with his fiancee. There are many quiet and subtle moments in 'Giovanni's Room' that are as good as the best sections in early Hemingway. In a way this novel is more personal and reflective than Baldwin's much esteemed 'Go Tell it On the Mountain,' though it clearly does not have the same political involvement with race relations as the latter does. As always, Baldwin's dialogue is largely impeccable, weaving seamlessly from colloquial interactions, to French, to formal and reserved English. Truly a fine literary achievement.