Giovanni's Room: Amazon.ca: James Baldwin: Books

Product Description

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

"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

From the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

64 Reviews

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Contemporary subject matter, July 12 2004

By

James D Mcgee "Camper Dad" (Kleine Brogel, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Giovanni's Room (Paperback)

James Baldwin is masterful in conveying underlying motives. In his book, Giovanni's Room, he deals very tactfully with the moral pitfalls of sexual relationships. The hero, David, is torn between feelings of homosexuality and heterosexual relationships. Far from being the politically correct propoganda most likely to be published today, Baldwin shines the light of his craft on this subject with startling honesty. He shows great insight into the psyche underpinning moral choices. The character development for the main characters is good but could be better for the others. Yet for such a relatively short novel he does a good job. If you want to read a novel that seems to honestly deal with the realities of this subject, this is the one. He shies away from being hyper-critical in a moral sense, yet doesn't attempt to soften the harsh realities of living this lifestyle. Overall, an excellent read.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Simply emotional, Jun 3 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Giovanni's Room (Paperback)

This has undoubtedly become my favorite book. Never have I had the need to reread a book till I was brought to this book. I could write comments about this book greater in length than the book itself, so I won't say more. It's a book you feel. Like the embrace given to a grieving friend,indescribable.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Emotional, a must read!!, Feb 29 2004

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Shirley Li (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Giovanni's Room (Paperback)

It was just so beautiful. Incredaibly moving and emotional. Like Romeo and Juliet, right from the start you are told it's a tragdey, but that didn't stop me from going through the book hoping that it wouldn't be.

When I reached the end, I just sat there motionless. That was how deep the impression was.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Where have you been all my life?
One reviewer stated that it was a shame more young readers were not reading Baldwin. It has taken me almost 35 years to discover him. Read more

Published on Feb 6 2004 by Scott T.

5.0 out of 5 stars A true masterpiece
David is an American living in 1950's Paris. He has a finacée Hella, who recently left for Spain to make sure that she is ready to marry him. Read more