GIOVANNI'S ROOM

Jared. B

“Gay Existentialism.” These were the words my friend used to describe Giovanni’s Room that ignited my interest to dive into the pages of this book. If only I knew what a wild ride these words would drag me on. The plot of Giovanni’s Room wasn’t the most immediately captivating, but it piqued my interest enough to find myself lost in Baldwin’s incredible writing. From the narrator David’s nihilistic voice in the early exposition of the book to his shameful expressions in recollections of his past homosexual lovers, David’s emotional dynamics truly make this book a gripping read. But as the story goes on, it only builds and builds, bringing new heights of drama and tension with every new chapter. David is balancing on a thin wire between his romantic selfishness and his struggle to hold on to his sense of morality, and as he edges along this wire, he seems to pull every other character along with him. He’s trapped in a triangle between the perfect man and a former lover, coupled with a socially motivated need for conjugality. And the result is utterly captivating. But David’s self-destructive nature only becomes harder and harder to read about as it progresses, if only because the reader empathizes with him at first, only to reel back in disgust and Fremdscham (or vicarious embarrassment). But, like a car crash crumpled in flames on the side of the road, one simply cannot look away. And it only gets worse and worse. Ultimately, this self-destructive pain only makes for captivating characters and a spiraling story centered around common themes of human nature and desire, albeit with a twist. By applying these basic themes to the unique perspective of a homosexual-yet-engaged man in the 50’s, Giovanni’s Room creates an interesting analysis of what it means to be a homosexual in the times when such traits had to be completely surpressed, and forces an incredible new look at what makes people truly human. Giovanni’s Room’s unique use of voice and an unreliable narrator make this character-driven story truly something special, and I urge anyone with an interest in these themes to explore David’s nihilistic downfall.

Homosexuality, Infidelity, and that Boring Middle Part

Danielle F.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin is about exploring your identity and coming to terms with who you are. However, it’s not all that nice. On the first page, I was given this beautiful imagery that detailed the usual: the setting (Paris), look of the protagonist, and what that protagonist was about to do. Although the passage was very alluring, it included the statement that David “might be drunk by morning.” Here there was this great first page filled with stunningly delivered information, but it was stained by the inclusion of this detail. This is reflected throughout the rest of the book; David goes on this big metaphorical journey in order to discover his true self, but he does it by cheating on his fiancé (which is not a spoiler because you find out on page two).

David lies to himself for years because he’s scared of his true identity (being a gay man) and destroys some poor girl in the process (Hella). It’s not only the one guy though, that’s the real issue. He has a full-on affair with Giovanni, with whom he is actually in love, and then he goes and cheats on him too. His repeated infidelity is pretty gross to be honest.

SPOILER ALERT: (Kind of? I don’t know. If you want to read the book and don’t like spoilers, then don’t read this part.)

So, towards the end of the book, when his relationship with Hella is already kind of rocky, Hella catches him with another man, who isn’t Giovanni. Shocker, right? It’s so odd that she would find her fiancé in a gay bar with some random sailor. What woman would go searching for the man that she loves when he disappears for several days? She’s so crazy.

He puts Hella through hell(a) just because he can’t come to terms with himself. Then he goes and starts this whole relationship with Giovanni that he knows that he can’t really keep. Yeah, he tells Giovanni from the start that he has a fiancé and that she’ll return to Paris one day, but he doesn’t really say anything about what that means for their relationship. Then, when Hella arrives, he goes off with her and tells him nothing. He leaves Giovanni alone in his room with not the slightest idea what has happened to him. For all Giovanni knows, David is dead, while David is simply having fun living a lie with his fiancé. David should at least tell Giovanni

The book itself is very well written, and the beginning and end are very engaging. It took me about five pages to get hooked. My only real issue with it is that the entire middle chunk of the book was slow and boring. Usually the beginning is slow and the middle is fast-paced and enjoyable, but James Baldwin managed to write a slow middle. The same character does the same things with the same people over and over and over for about fifty pages of text. Why? I believe that this novel could have worked much better as a short story. The edition that I read was 169 pages long, but James Baldwin could have told the same exact story in 100 pages or so, without the boring disaster that was the middle.

Overall, I found the book to be very engaging, and I loved James Baldwin’s story. It touched on many themes that were, and still are for the most part, taboo at the time: Homosexuality, infidelity, and all that jazz. At the same time, there were many themes that related to what we have discussed in class: paradise, the Garden of Eden, and the forbidden fruit, to name a few. David’s Garden of Eden is, in a way, Giovanni’s bedroom because that is where they feel the safest and the most at peace. Despite his striking immorality, David is definitely a character who calls for attention and pulls the reader in.

A Review Showing That I Have No Appreciation for Boring But Well Written Books

Evelyn W.

To be completely honest, as I was choosing a personal choice book to read over winter break, I was looking for a short and fast paced book. I chose Giovanni’s room by James Baldwin. Set in the mid 1900s Paris, the story deals with a man, David, who has an affair with another man, Giovanni, while his girlfriend is travelling abroad. From the beginning of the story, the book deals primarily with David’s struggle with his sexuality and identity.

This book was not the plot driven free read I had originally been looking to read. Rather it was an eloquently written but drawn out narrative of the protagonist’s reflection on himself and his sexuality. I though the entire book could have been consolidated into a short story and still manage to get the same themes across. The beginning of the book captures the reader’s attention a introduces us to a very complex protagonist but as the book progresses there is little character development or plot. David retains the same attitude and personality during the entire book. I grew tired of the constant pessimistic tone carried throughout the book. But the book deals with themes that I found to be interesting, such as internal conflict, moral decisions, emotional repression, identity, and sexuality. Some of these themes (especially moral/internal conflict) reminded me a lot of the complex characters we read about this semester in English. The book seemed like one that would be more fitting to an English class discussion than a free choice book. Overall I thought Giovanni’s Room was very well written and dealt with a very interesting concept. But because I went into the book hoping for a fast paced read, I didn't enjoy reading the book very much.

Some Closeted Thoughts

Leelah K.

After picking up the book Giovanni’s Room and immediately getting thrown into the thrilling tale of a closeted affair with David and his fiancé Hella; it seemed as though there would be no surprises left. However, James Baldwin managed to fill the ending to the brim with unexpected twist while leaving the middle incredibly boring. Some interesting parts might have something to do with the fact that this book is about a gay man in 1950’s France but that’s really about it. Although, the willing openness of Jacques and Giovanni’s sexuality is so blatant throughout the book, James Baldwin makes a almost cliché main character who struggles with coming to terms with himself.

The majority of plot-based things happen at the end of the book, but throughout the story there is tons of character development. Hella, whose personality is just as feisty as her name; did not become introduced until the middle of part two, but once her character comes to light, the intensity and insanity of David’s life increases greatly. All the characters in this book, seem to be a random pairing of attributes, whether it be rich and eccentric, poor and even more eccentric, or just plain crazy.

Theme wise however, this book was pretty interesting. Normally, some story about identity might be considered mundane, but in Giovanni’s Room, David’s identity was so confusing that it became almost a mystery novel as well. 10/10 wouldn’t read.

This Book Will Try To Make You Cry

Sarah F.

James Baldwin’s melancholy novel Giovanni’s Room is definitely not the type of book that you would want to read when you’re having a bad day. Giovanni’s Room centers around a young man who, despite having just proposed to his girlfriend, falls in love with a man named Giovanni. Although I do not personally have much in common with David, his sadness felt very real and very relatable. David’s loss of innocence and exile from a Garden of Eden-like ignorance parallels Adam and Eve’s journey. My heart ached as David struggled through the events of the book, yet some of the plotlines felt undeveloped. The story, which begins with David revealing that Giovanni will be executed the next morning, flits between the present and the past as David narrates his life up until that day, and these changes did feel a little abrupt. Despite these issues, Baldwin weaves together a complex story about an equally complex man who does not feel as perfect and bland as some of today’s well-known protagonists. One of the main themes behind Baldwin’s novel is David’s loss of innocence as he comes to terms with his sexuality and realizes that he cannot lead a normal life. Its descriptive language can seem excessive, yet the mood set by Baldwin’s words fits perfectly with the story. His characters often speak partially in French, and although he often omits any translation, these frequent language switches left me feeling completely immersed in the Parisian atmosphere. The book’s language may have been pretty, but the combination of a sad story and a lot of descriptions had me wanting to pick up something livelier. Overall, this book may try to make you sad, but it could just make you bored.

Conor D.

Upon first opening this book, it immediately grabbed my attention. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, follows the story of an American man, living in Paris, who finds himself deciding between desire and typical morality. The novel explores themes of homosexuality, identity, and social alienation. The author opens with David, the main character, looking back on the events in his life, however closely focusing on his feelings and thoughts about his relations with men and women in his life. The story is narrated by David giving insight to his struggles throughout his whole life. From an early age, David has tried to mask these homosexual emotions and prove his masculinity. Although the novel can become predictable at times, the author has effectively written the story with David looking back on his life, not living it, adding to the complexity and depth to the story. In addition to the style of writing, which captivates the reader, the novel involves many different themes. These include, as mentioned above, homosexuality and bisexuality, identity, acceptance, and isolation. The serve as deeper implications in the plot which provide insight to the emotions and struggles of the characters, allowing the reader to relate. The themes found in the novel are very similar to the themes we have explored in class. Theme such as identity and acceptance which we have seen mainly in Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. I found this book interesting as it told a captivating story and explored various themes.

What’s Going on in Giovanni’s Room?

Gianna B.

David, our narrator who enjoys drinking with his friends and has a thing for cheating on his fiance (SPOILER ALERT: yes, he does cheat on her multiple times), is our star-crossed lover of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. David has come to France while his fiance, Hella, is traveling in Spain, and during his stay he meets a man named Giovanni. David takes a particular interest in him when they first meet, and it’s obvious to say it was love at first sight. The events of the book take place over the course of a few months with most of it taking place inside Giovanni’s apartment. The book progresses from there with David’s feelings of infatuation, hatred, and confusion, and how he deals with his new found love.

I chose this book because it’s not just any ordinary romance novel. Immediately, I was intrigued by the first page. Although the plot wasn’t stated in bold, size 72 font, that’s what makes the opening page so interesting. You know David is in Paris, but you don’t know what he’s been doing, so immediately you want to learn more. As you go through the book, you learn a lot about David’s struggle to find his sexuality, making it a great book for people who are struggling with the same issue. The theme that we discussed in our class that connects with this book is self acceptance. In the books that we have read this semester, everyone has tried to be greater than a higher being than them has intended and upon trying to be greater, they’ve made their lives a lot harder or worse. In Giovanni’s Room, although he does not try to become greater, he lacks the ability to accept who he is, making his life a lot more difficult than it should. In addition, some themes that are also present are losing masculinity, sexual identity, and self acceptance. In the end, Giovanni’s Room is a fantastic book that almost anyone would enjoy reading, and it really tries to convince you that you should just be okay with who you are instead of trying to ignore or change who you really are.

I recently read Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. This is my review:

Pat N.

Giovanni’s Room, written in 1956, deals with the themes of homosexuallity, isolation, and repression. The book is told through the first person perspective of David, a secretly homosexual man. This first person perspective is one of the book's greatest parts. This book is not so much about the events of the story as it is about David’s thoughts and reflections on the story. Perhaps this was was why Baldwin set the narration after the events, so we can hear David’s reactions both now and then. Another advantage of the first person narrative is that it allows the writer to hide information that wouldn’t be possible with the perspective of an omnipotent narrator. This lack of disclosure, caused by David’s own repression of his sexuality, allows the reader to understand the mind of David. In fact, the story is very much a simple one, and the simplicity allows for the reader to focus of David more than any events in the story.

On the other hand, some of the supporting characters in the novel lack clarity and development. While this could be due to either the first person narrative (as in the characters are imprecise because they are being represented through the unreliable narration of David) or because these characters merely seem weak in comparison to David’s character, it would have been nice to see more. Specifically, I would have liked to see more development in David’s family. While the lack of clarity for the mother is understandable due to her death early in David’s life, it would have been interesting to learn more about both the father and aunt. I thought originally James Baldwin may have been doing a clever subversion of the stereotype of gay men lacking a strong father figure and only receiving the feminine aspects of their mothers early in life, but it later seemed to just introduce the idea the David had a bad family life. I also believe the later reappearance of the father in the form of a letter sent by him to David could have been altered. It seemed out of place, especially in the story that seemed to try and focus on the struggle David had between the two loves of his life.

Overall, Giovanni’s Room is a book with a strong center, and only requires some shaving around the edges. I rate it: 4.5 stars out of 5.

From Outside Giovanni’s Room

Victoria R.

James Baldwin's’ Giovanni’s Room is a must-read or the new generation. It shines light on the inner thoughts of someone who is struggling with their sexuality. The main plot revolves around the main character, David, making a choice between his fiancee, Hella, and his vibrant, young lover Giovanni. Throughout the novel, David tosses and turns between marrying a beautiful woman or being involved with a beautiful man. Meanwhile, Hella tries to come to terms with being a man’s property, which I think could have been better worded, #feminism. Basically, the overriding theme is that society dictates the choices they make and affects their consciousness of themselves. Giovanni is comfortable with having the term “gay” describing him, but David does not want to deal with the Parisians snobby looks on the way to the cafe in the morning. Similar to The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde, the restrictions of society prevent the main characters to be who they truly feel they are.

However, between the excitement of the first time they meet and Giovanni’s impending doom, there are some dull moments. Baldwin’s writing style makes up for it though. With any book that starts off with such a depressing sentence, you just know that at some point you are going to be curled up in the corner of your room, rocking back and forth, forcing yourself not to feel emotions. Even if you are not dealing with the same struggles that David or even Hella is, there are some impactful lines that hit appeal to your emotions and hit you hard no matter what. Giovanni’s Room is a chaotic whirlwind of love, hate, and choice.

This Book is Gay (but No Homo, Bro)

Allison O.

In a half-asleep stupor, I started reading James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room one night around ten-thirty. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading simply because there’s nothing better than losing touch with reality and existing in a fictional world for three hundred or so pages. But initially, I was not looking forward to completing the assignment of reading an entire novel over winter break. I was still exhausted from the hellish week before break in which every single teacher throughout all of the Academy decided they were going to assign papers and huge tests. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down to read a school-assigned book. This mindset changed as soon as I got past the first three pages. Giovanni’s Room is addictively good.

David is the main character and the narrator of this novel, and when I tell you everything about his story will break your heart, I am not kidding. The stories depicted of David’s childhood, particularly those in which he loses innocence in a world-shattering type of way, will draw you in. You will become attached to David, and probably forget that he is simply a character in a book, as opposed to an actual, struggling person. And then, James Baldwin introduces Giovanni, the man who becomes David’s ‘mistress’, which is From a very young age, David struggles to accept his homosexuality. This man knows he is gay all his life. He did not need to engage in those ‘extracurricular activities’ with his former-friend Joey to figure this out. David refuses to accept his sexuality, so he proposes to Hella. Hella is deflection in human form- he doesn’t love her in the way he loves Giovanni. Hella only exists in David’s life to assuage his guilt and self-loathing persona. To me, is the saddest part of this all. I cannot imagine living a life where I have to lie to everyone around me, and to myself, about the one I love. Not only is that depressing, but it would limit me from being able to have so many opportunities. Although David and I do not have any of the same problems, thank God, and although I will never experience what he experiences, it still breaks my heart that some people have to go through their entire lives being as sad as David.

I’m done ranting about David’s emotional problems now. I just want it to be known that I love Giovanni’s Room, and I strongly recommend it to anyone a sucker for messy love triangles and gay-existential crises. You’ll cry a little bit for sure, but it’ll totally be worth it.

This Book is Gay

Katie K.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin is an honest and thought-provoking journey through sexuality and identity. The entire story is focused around David, an engaged American living in 1950s Paris, who struggles to understand, know, and live with himself as he falls for an Italian bartender by the name of Giovanni. I began reading this book with no idea as to what was going to happen. I was actually a little confused in the beginning because of the unexpected French words (we’ll address that more later) and because the context of the situation is only revealed later as a flashback. I also thought the big twist was going to be the discovery that David was gay, but you literally find out on the third or fourth page. From there, you watch his self-destructive manner destroy everything he cares about. But as someone who enjoys drama, internal conflicts, and destruction, this book crushed any doubts I had about my life. I mean, watching David fall apart is heartbreaking, but it honestly made me feel more put-together. If you’re the kind of person who reads sad books to alleviate yourself, I suggest reading Giovanni’s Room.

But, I must warn you of a few things if you are going to read this novel. For one thing, James Baldwin throws in a lot of French. It’s rather unnecessary, but he does it anyways. If you’re not willing to look up the definition, then you might be a little confused, but it’s never anything that takes away from the book. Secondly, this book does include some sexual themes and suggestion, so be wary if you are sensitive to PG-13 content. And lastly, the dialogue can seem a little… pointless. But, I suggest you read a little deeper because Baldwin’s use of dialogue is specifically meant to reveal more about the characters and their relationships.

If you’re the kind of person who is easily offended by gay relationships, then obviously this book is not for you. I mean, this book is gay–seriously it’s an esteemed piece of gay fiction due to its personal historical significance. (The author, James Baldwin, had relations with a man, married a woman, and spent time in Paris, so you can clearly see the correlation between his life and David’s.) But in reality, David and Giovanni’s relationship is like any other. David struggles with acting out of his own needs or acting out of the needs of others just like anybody else in a relationship (it is a little harder when you’re engaged to a woman and seeing a man, though). But above all, this book is a quest for self-acceptance and self-love that will teach you how to live more comfortably and happily regardless of whether or not you can relate to being in a same-sex relationship. We all struggle to accept ourselves, and I think a fictional character like David can help us all understand that denying yourself of happiness and love is ultimately detrimental.