Giovanni's Room

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Brilliant, and painful - Rated
This is an excellent novel, I could not put it down, in spite of the fact that, knowing that it would all go terribly bad, I was always scared of what could happen. It is a sad story, and yet so true, in the way it portrays a city, a historical period, and the realisation (and denial) of one's homosexuality. Yes, the main character is a coward, and yet Baldwin does not push the reader into hating him. We don't like him, we would not behave like him, still we can understand.

Beautiful, emotional and tragic. Worthy of 'classic' - Rated
The book set in Paris, and is about an American who due to marry his fiancé upon her return from travelling Spain, but the problem is he is a man who has repressed his homosexual desires the majority of his life. That is, until he meets the irresistible Giovanni, an Italian barman who left his homeland and wife because of a family tragedy. From the start of the book, you are alerted to the Giovanni’s impending doom. That’s not normally something I like in book, I want there to be surprise and shock, but it works well here. As you learn more about Giovanni, and the relationship with the two men, you don’t want the tragedy to occur, there is a constant sense of dread as you yourself fall in love with and empathise with Giovanni’s character. I won’t write more for fear of giving too much away, but suffice to say, the book is beautifully written, very moving, and I was unable to put it down.

flawless - Rated
What can one say about such a book? It's absorbing, lyrical, interesting, entertaining, intelligent, beautiful, and revealing which confirms it's standing as a work of art.

Historical context - Rated
The best of this pile of cheap pockets I bought. Dodgy cover, but good story about a man who has a homosexual affair while his fiancee is travelling. Given the time and country this was published (States early fifties), it must have been a controversial book at the time. But it was a good read, doesn't ever get seedy, nor predictable. I can recommend this one for anyone.

My all time favorite book - Rated
If you've never read any James Baldwin before I urge you do so. He is a writer of great power, able to take you into the world of the characers and able to empathise with those characters and understand how they would react to the circumstances in which he places them. As a gay black man in America at the time of the black rights movement he was victimised on both fronts, hence his characters are often black, or gay, or both.

Giovanni's Room remains the best book I have ever read. I have recommended it to many friends, all have whom have loved it, many have been moved by it. If you read this I strongly suspect you will want to read more by this man.