Giovanni’s Room was one of the books I didn’t feel ready to read. I felt as if I wouldn’t be able to read anything for a few days after reading this book, I wouldn’t want to get out of its magic. After finishing this, I saw that I was right.
Giovanni’s Room is a novel by James Baldwin, set in Paris. He wrote about homosexuality, love, friendship, relationships, lack of money, and Paris. David is an American who has difficulty accepting his homosexuality. When his fiancee Hella leaves David and goes to Spain for a while, David meets Giovanni. Giovanni is so attractive that David couldn’t resist his charm, and together they begin to live in Giovanni’s room. But this is a relationship that will not last forever, and we know it from the start.
James Baldwin not only knows humanity genuinely, but he also knows how to put people on paper in an exquisite manner. Each character in the book is so beautiful that I admire them one by one. I’m sure any reader would feel the same. This is one of these books you just have to read. Enjoy!
About the book: Giovanni’s Room
When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend’s return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened – while Giovanni’s life descends into tragedy.
United by the theme of love, the writings in the Great Loves series span over two thousand years and vastly different worlds. Readers will be introduced to love’s endlessly fascinating possibilities and extremities: romantic love, platonic love, erotic love, gay love, virginal love, adulterous love, parental love, filial love, nostalgic love, unrequited love, illicit love, not to mention lost love, twisted and obsessional love…
About the author: James Baldwin
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, and activist. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son, explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
