Wow. I loved this review. I read this last year and I still think about it frequently. I agree totally with what you say about imagery and Baldwin’s skill in encapsulating people. I was angry with David when I finished this book. I wanted him to be better, be more honest with himself but this was a different time when it wasn’t so easy. The more I thought about him though, the more I felt sorry for him. Baldwin’s words are so eloquent and so precise. It’s just beautiful. I find it interesting that it was criticised by the white community angry at Baldwin’s audacity at writing about white men’s sexuality and also criticised by the black community for writing about homosexuality at all. Loved your insightful review 😊
gotta admire baldwins courage and integrity for staying true to himself and writing this amazing novel when he knew he was gonna get criticism from every angle. dude was a genius. thank you so much for your comment ☺️
I read this in February. It's excellently written but leaves one sad and depressed. I can't wait to read more from James Baldwin. He was a remarkable writer. Interesting fact: The use of the guillotine continued in France well into the 20th century, diminishing during the 1960s and '70s, with only eight executions occurring between 1965 and the last one in 1977.
Great discussion. This was my favorite book from last year. I also was struck by the passage you quoted at the end and had even jotted it down in my notes when I read it at the time. Baldwin’s prose is lush and he really captures the human condition in this novel.
thanks so much! lush is the perfect word to describe his prose. it’s beautiful but in a comfy kind of way haha, it doesn’t get in the way of the message (something i’m struggling with in infinite jest right now haha)
I don’t remember exactly how I found this book, but it is one of my all time favorites. Such beautiful writing and so deeply felt. Thanks for your channel!!
I have not read Giovanni’s Room but wanted to hear your review. 😊 I don’t know much about James Baldwin, but I know he was important to American literature. Some people are afraid to confront their feelings because there are consequences for acknowledging them and then expressing them to other people. It’s hard for people to be vulnerable in general, and back then, it was much harder, especially in David’s circumstances. I’m intrigued after listening to your thoughts. Terrific review! 🎉
thank you for the nice comment ☺️ definitely take the time to read it! it’s pretty short and really potent… also if you have the chance check his nonfiction/interviews out because those are amazing as well
I just left a somewhat lengthy comment which has been removed. Not sure what happened...but I don't care to try to recreate it. I am only letting you know so that you know you may not be getting all your comments. If you took it down, my apologies for any offense I caused. thanks
i didn’t remove anything, i didn’t even get a notification that someone commented. i’m a bit bummed i didn’t get to read the comment :( sorry about the trouble, i’ll look into it
@@CallosumBooks No worries...I had explained my viewpoint (from a old gay guy)...because it does color how the story is perceived. And I agree that the writing is amazing...but I am not sure I am glad I read it because it was a gut-punch for days and days after reading One of the things I mentioned in my first comment is that sometimes I am frustrated that so much gay themed lit and gay themed cinema ends in tragedy...but I also know that to depict it accurately, I think it had to usually have an unhappy ending. Anyway, thanks for replying back..I was torn between being worried that I had offended you, and disappointed that you were not open to other viewpoints. Welcome to booktube...I know you felt you rambled, but I thought you expressed yourself well. Continued good luck for your growing channel
thank you for your insightful reply, these are the kinda replies and discussions that made me want to start this channel that makes total sense to me. i have to admit i haven’t read much LGBT literature, but have absolutely noticed that a lot of it ends in tragedy. may i ask when you originally read it? and do you have any books you would recommend that made you happier to read, or maybe that you enjoyed more? again, thanks for your patience. you didn’t have to leave another comment, so i appreciate the fact that you did
@@CallosumBooks When 2024 rolled around, I decided I would make it more of a priority to actually READ books instead of just watching videos about them on Booktube...So I have been reading up a storm the past few months Giovanni was on that list. Perhaps the fact that it has been so recently that I experienced it causes it to still be so raw. Let me ponder on a "happier read" in the LGBT realm. Most of the happy ending stuff tends to be YA books or romance (neither of which I am bashing, but probably not what you are looking for.) Are you familiar with EM Forster's "Maurice"? It was written in the early 20'th century (published in 1971 posthumously). Being written in that time period, you can imagine that it is not all sunshine and roses, but some folks find it satisfying.
@@musicroom7185 I am familiar with EM forster, but I don't know of Maurice. i will definitely check it out - thanks so much for the recommendation! i can definitely see why giovanni's room may not have been the most fun read. it was tough for me, and i've had a totally different life experience... it bummed me out so much that it made me switch my next read to something way more light hearted lol. i hope you have been enjoying your reading binge and have been able to find it fulfilling for the most part at least ☺
Wow. I loved this review. I read this last year and I still think about it frequently. I agree totally with what you say about imagery and Baldwin’s skill in encapsulating people. I was angry with David when I finished this book. I wanted him to be better, be more honest with himself but this was a different time when it wasn’t so easy. The more I thought about him though, the more I felt sorry for him. Baldwin’s words are so eloquent and so precise. It’s just beautiful. I find it interesting that it was criticised by the white community angry at Baldwin’s audacity at writing about white men’s sexuality and also criticised by the black community for writing about homosexuality at all. Loved your insightful review 😊
gotta admire baldwins courage and integrity for staying true to himself and writing this amazing novel when he knew he was gonna get criticism from every angle. dude was a genius. thank you so much for your comment ☺️
I read this in February. It's excellently written but leaves one sad and depressed. I can't wait to read more from James Baldwin. He was a remarkable writer. Interesting fact: The use of the guillotine continued in France well into the 20th century, diminishing during the 1960s and '70s, with only eight executions occurring between 1965 and the last one in 1977.
Great discussion. This was my favorite book from last year. I also was struck by the passage you quoted at the end and had even jotted it down in my notes when I read it at the time. Baldwin’s prose is lush and he really captures the human condition in this novel.
thanks so much! lush is the perfect word to describe his prose. it’s beautiful but in a comfy kind of way haha, it doesn’t get in the way of the message (something i’m struggling with in infinite jest right now haha)
Just finished this novel. Stunningly good.
I don’t remember exactly how I found this book, but it is one of my all time favorites. Such beautiful writing and so deeply felt. Thanks for your channel!!
I have not read Giovanni’s Room but wanted to hear your review. 😊 I don’t know much about James Baldwin, but I know he was important to American literature. Some people are afraid to confront their feelings because there are consequences for acknowledging them and then expressing them to other people. It’s hard for people to be vulnerable in general, and back then, it was much harder, especially in David’s circumstances. I’m intrigued after listening to your thoughts. Terrific review! 🎉
thank you for the nice comment ☺️
definitely take the time to read it! it’s pretty short and really potent… also if you have the chance check his nonfiction/interviews out because those are amazing as well
@@CallosumBooks Of course! A nice review deserves a nice comment. 😊 Thanks for the reccommendations.
I ordered the book a few weeks ago and I'm excited to read it lol my first classic queer novel
It's really only coincidentally queer. :)
I just left a somewhat lengthy comment which has been removed. Not sure what happened...but I don't care to try to recreate it. I am only letting you know so that you know you may not be getting all your comments. If you took it down, my apologies for any offense I caused. thanks
i didn’t remove anything, i didn’t even get a notification that someone commented. i’m a bit bummed i didn’t get to read the comment :( sorry about the trouble, i’ll look into it
@@CallosumBooks No worries...I had explained my viewpoint (from a old gay guy)...because it does color how the story is perceived. And I agree that the writing is amazing...but I am not sure I am glad I read it because it was a gut-punch for days and days after reading One of the things I mentioned in my first comment is that sometimes I am frustrated that so much gay themed lit and gay themed cinema ends in tragedy...but I also know that to depict it accurately, I think it had to usually have an unhappy ending. Anyway, thanks for replying back..I was torn between being worried that I had offended you, and disappointed that you were not open to other viewpoints. Welcome to booktube...I know you felt you rambled, but I thought you expressed yourself well. Continued good luck for your growing channel
thank you for your insightful reply, these are the kinda replies and discussions that made me want to start this channel
that makes total sense to me. i have to admit i haven’t read much LGBT literature, but have absolutely noticed that a lot of it ends in tragedy. may i ask when you originally read it? and do you have any books you would recommend that made you happier to read, or maybe that you enjoyed more?
again, thanks for your patience. you didn’t have to leave another comment, so i appreciate the fact that you did
@@CallosumBooks When 2024 rolled around, I decided I would make it more of a priority to actually READ books instead of just watching videos about them on Booktube...So I have been reading up a storm the past few months Giovanni was on that list. Perhaps the fact that it has been so recently that I experienced it causes it to still be so raw.
Let me ponder on a "happier read" in the LGBT realm. Most of the happy ending stuff tends to be YA books or romance (neither of which I am bashing, but probably not what you are looking for.) Are you familiar with EM Forster's "Maurice"? It was written in the early 20'th century (published in 1971 posthumously). Being written in that time period, you can imagine that it is not all sunshine and roses, but some folks find it satisfying.
@@musicroom7185 I am familiar with EM forster, but I don't know of Maurice. i will definitely check it out - thanks so much for the recommendation! i can definitely see why giovanni's room may not have been the most fun read. it was tough for me, and i've had a totally different life experience... it bummed me out so much that it made me switch my next read to something way more light hearted lol. i hope you have been enjoying your reading binge and have been able to find it fulfilling for the most part at least ☺