Name: Giovanni's Room
ISBN: 9780141186351

James Baldwin

First published in 1957, this book attempts to tackle the conflict between homosexual and heterosexual love. It tells of David, a young man awakening to his true homosexual nature, through a relationship with a barman named Giovanni, as he awaits his fiancee's arrival from Spain.

Giovanni's Room

kari <33

Giovanni looked at me. And this look made me feel that no one in my life had ever looked at me directly before. 

Victoria

Macy HB

Aleksandra Kljajevic

Much has been written of love turning to hatred, of the heart growing cold with the death of love. It is a remarkable process. It is far more terrible than anything I have ever read about it, more terrible than anything I will ever be able to say.

ㅤrizki

kemi

I was guilty and irritated and full of love and pain. I wanted to kick him and I wanted to take him in my arms.

nica

Time is just common, it’s like water for a fish. Everybody’s in this water, nobody gets out of it, or if he does the same thing happens to him that happens to the fish, he dies. And you know what happens in this water, time? The big fish eat the little fish. That’s all. The big fish eat the little fish and the ocean doesn’t care.

lulu

Daniel Bower

Sarah Christine Gill

I stand at the window of this great house in the south of France as night falls, the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my ife. I have a drink in my hand, there is a bottle at my elbow. I watch my reflection in the darkening gleam of the window pane. My reflection is tall, perhaps rather like an arrow, my blond hair gleams. My face is like a face you have seen many times. My ancestors conquered a continent, pushing across death-laden plains, until they came to an ocean which faced away from Europe into a darker past.

I was thinking, no doubt, of our nights in bed, of the peculiar innocence and confidence which will never come again which had made those nights so delightful, so unrelated to past, present, or anything to come, so unrelated, finally, to my life since it was not necessary for me to take any but the most mechanical responsibility for them. And these nights were being acted out under a foreign sky, with no-one to watch, no penalties attached- it was this last fact which was our undoing, for nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom.

Every morning the sky and the sun seemed to be a little higher and the river stretched before us with a greater haze of promise. Every day the book-stall keepers seemed to have taken of another garment, so that the shape of their bodies appeared to be undergoing a most striking and continual metamorphosis. One began to wonder what the final shape would be. It was observable, through open windows on the quais  and sidestreets, that hoteliers had called in painters to paint the rooms; the women in the dairies had taken off their blue sweaters and rolled up the sleeves of their dresses, so that one saw their powerful arms; the bread seemed warmer and fresher in the bakeries. The small school children had taken off their capes and their knees were no longer scarlet with the cold. There seemed to be more chatter - in that curiously measured and vehement language, which sometimes reminds me of stiffening egg white and sometimes of stringed instruments but always of the underside and aftermath of passion.

To remember it so clearly, so painfully tonight tells me that I have never for an instant. truly forgotten it. 

my own body suddenly seemed gross and crushing and the desire which was rising in me seemed monstrous

“To choose!” He turned to me again. “Ah, you are really an American.”

“You are afraid it may change you. What kind of friendships have you had?” 

“You play it safe long enough,” he said, in a different tone, “and you’ll end up trapped in your own dirty body, forever and forever and forever – like me.” 

“Love him,” said Jacques, with vehemence, “love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?”

Life in that room seemed to be occurring underwater, as I say, and it is certain that I underwent a sea change there. 

I simply wondered about the dead because their days had ended and I didn’t know how I would get through mine. 

“Maybe everything bad that happens to you makes you weaker,” said Giovanni, as though he had not heard me, “and you can stand less and less.”

“I have been alone so long – I do not think I would be able to Iive if I had to be alone again.”

“I would like to go wherever you go.”

He smiled, “Why, you will go home and then you will find that home is not home anymore. Then you will really be in trouble. As long as you stay here, you can always think: One day I will go home.” He played with my thumb and grinned. “N'est-ce pas?”

“Beautiful logic,” I said. “You mean I have a home to go to as long as I don't go there?”

He laughed. “Well, isn't it true? You don't have a home until you leave it and then, when you have left it, you never can go back.”

What a beautifully tragic story, also extraordinary writing by Baldwin as well, he really have his way dancing around between words. This book feels surreal and really personal, by we witness how David been always running from his identity, refusing to admit it himself, all the bliss but also haunted by shame, fear, and guilt, that later also bloomed into hatred as powerful as his love, he said, that coming from the same roots.

But once again at the end, David still denied it, a selfish coward, betrayed everyone and his own self, and poor poor my Hella, she deserves so much, also Giovanni, all those anguish and yearning, 

. Everyone end up hurting here, and me too break a little here. Overall I loved the expression and raw how this felt, and how messy all of it was. 

Although I'm gonna tone down a star because some misogynistic sentiment from its character that makes it kind of uncomfortable, but at the same also thought it might a mirror of the said era of this book. 

What a beautifully tragic story, also extraordinary writing by Baldwin as well, he really have his way dancing around between words. This book feels surreal and really personal, by we witness how David been always running from his identity, refusing to admit it himself, all the bliss but also haunted by shame, fear, and guilt, that later also bloomed into hatred as powerful as his love, he said, that coming from the same roots.

But once again at the end, David still denied it, a selfish coward, betrayed everyone and his own self, and poor poor my Hella, she deserves so much, also Giovanni, all those anguish and yearning, sobs. Everyone end up hurting here, and me too break a little here. Overall I loved the expression and raw how this felt, and how messy all of it was. 

Although I'm gonna tone down a star because some misogynistic sentiment from its character that makes it kind of uncomfortable, but at the same also thought it might a mirror of the said era of this book. 

This book really much more.

we really can shackle ourselves away from freedom. we make it seem so foreign and unattainable that it begins to feel impossible. we trick ourselves into feeling it’s out of reach when we forget that it resides within us. 

there is always agency in love. you only do yourself and your lovers a disservice in telling yourself otherwise. 

first james baldwin book, very very lovely

zolasola

we really can shackle ourselves away from freedom. we make it seem so foreign and unattainable that it begins to feel impossible. we trick ourselves into feeling it’s out of reach when we forget that it resides within us. 

there is always agency in love. you only do yourself and your lovers a disservice in telling yourself otherwise. 

first james baldwin book, very very lovely

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 . . . .

i hate this book and how it dredges up the horrible feelings i have about stuff in my life 

rachel

absolutely beautiful ... baldwin's writing style balances lyricism with clarity so well

the writing of baldwin is remarkable, i found myself rereading sentences just cause they were so beautifully written…the message i take from this book is that communication is key but david also just didn’t understand himself which made everything more complicated but that’s just part of being a human being of course, we are complicated beings! nonetheless hella & giovanni truly deserved better

micki

A book full of conflict from front to the end. If only they could decide what they wanted and to stick with it.

Edward

So far, on emotional depth, it’s very poetic. I’m drawn so much that we, too, feel the shame of not wanting to give in into the identity and the weight of his self-deceptive thoughts (which has succeeded to broke me). It was clear that David had the fear to love. He used Hella to shield his shame, to feed his own lies that he build clearly to protect himself so he didn’t feel disgusted with the ‘crime’ he did.

And Hella, I really need to address things about her first and how I love her. ‘But if women are supposed to be led by men and there aren't any men to lead them, what happens then? What happens then?’ Because, really, what happens if these ‘gender roles’ fail to run?

She has only judged David and has the right to be so mad after being used by David could fool himself that he’s at peace. To only realize, is this what it led to? That both suffers from all of these patriarchal systemic traditional gender roles.

To be frank, I didn’t really feel the emotional connection throughout their relationship (likely because of the book’s brevity, which is under 200 pages) limits the development in between, and it’s completely understandable. Despite that, the eloquent prose compensates. And it irks me bad when I read Giovanni's misogynistic remarks, what a disappointment because he was such a loveable guy.

David has always been saying to Hella that he need to get out of Paris, anywhere, except Paris. The title ‘Giovanni’s Room’ was the room that David despise, but he secretly wants. The cage where, in his mind, he could do his crime but it removes his ‘purity’.

It kills him with how all of his masks he wears to live were removed. For Giovanni, the room is his savior to taste love (where he begged for it), but for David it’s the room where his innerself concflicts, because the room admits he’s not what he was, that he cannot lie there.

Lilianne

So far, on emotional depth, it’s very poetic. I’m drawn so much that we, too, feel the shame of not wanting to give in into the identity and the weight of his self-deceptive thoughts (which has succeeded to broke me). It was clear that David had the fear to love. He used Hella to shield his shame, to feed his own lies that he build clearly to protect himself so he didn’t feel disgusted with the ‘crime’ he did.

And Hella, I really need to address things about her first and how I love her. ‘But if women are supposed to be led by men and there aren't any men to lead them, what happens then? What happens then?’ Because, really, what happens if these ‘gender roles’ fail to run?

She has only judged David and has the right to be so mad after being used by David could fool himself that he’s at peace. To only realize, is this what it led to? That both suffers from all of these patriarchal systemic traditional gender roles.

To be frank, I didn’t really feel the emotional connection throughout their relationship (likely because of the book’s brevity, which is under 200 pages) limits the development in between, and it’s completely understandable. Despite that, the eloquent prose compensates. And it irks me bad when I read Giovanni's misogynistic remarks, what a disappointment because he was such a loveable guy.

David has always been saying to Hella that he need to get out of Paris, anywhere, except Paris. The title ‘Giovanni’s Room’ was the room that David despise, but he secretly wants. The cage where, in his mind, he could do his crime but it removes his ‘purity’.

It kills him with how all of his masks he wears to live were removed. For Giovanni, the room is his savior to taste love (where he begged for it), but for David it’s the room where his innerself concflicts, because the room admits he’s not what he was, that he cannot lie there.


ryan

deeply painful and gorgeous. to Want! to live ,, even to a bloodier death

petrina

This is a very tragic tale of a closeted man trying to navigate the world as a queer man in the 50s. I wanted to like this more than I did, but it’s very hard for me to take my 2025 lenses off and pretend I am a product of more ignorant times. The book’s prose was gorgeous, and this is one of the most easily digestible classics I’ve read thus far. However, I cannot overlook the rampant misogyny and transphobia.

The only character I enjoy is Hella. JUSTICE FOR HER. I think the internalized homophobia had its place and is not a part of my criticism. I believe the depiction of it to be very well done, but the other stuff seemed superfluous and unnecessary. For instance, there was this section that was just making fun of women but added no value to the story for me. It was just misogyny for misogyny sake.

It’s up to the reader to discern if the problematic characterization of the women, the trans community, and older gay community is just David’s view of the world, or if it’s Baldwin’s beliefs bleeding into the pages. My assumption is that it’s Baldwin being a product of his time. For instance, older gay men are written as sleazy, despicable men. As a 2025 reader, I’m allowed to look at this however I see fit. The problematic aspects of this made me very uncomfortable, though I understand the overall point and perspective of this novel.

It is refreshing to see such an unabashedly queer book that doesn’t rely on reading between the lines or reader interpretation. I just wish the characters were more sympathetic and likable and that it was written with more care to other marginalized identities. I can see why this is a favorite classic, though.

Nik ✨

This is a very tragic tale of a closeted man trying to navigate the world as a queer man in the 50s. I wanted to like this more than I did, but it’s very hard for me to take my 2025 lenses off and pretend I am a product of more ignorant times. The book’s prose was gorgeous, and this is one of the most easily digestible classics I’ve read thus far. However, I cannot overlook the rampant misogyny and transphobia.

The only character I enjoy is Hella. JUSTICE FOR HER. I think the internalized homophobia had its place and is not a part of my criticism. I believe the depiction of it to be very well done, but the other stuff seemed superfluous and unnecessary. For instance, there was this section that was just making fun of women but added no value to the story for me. It was just misogyny for misogyny sake.

It’s up to the reader to discern if the problematic characterization of the women, the trans community, and older gay community is just David’s view of the world, or if it’s Baldwin’s beliefs bleeding into the pages. My assumption is that it’s Baldwin being a product of his time. For instance, older gay men are written as sleazy, despicable men. As a 2025 reader, I’m allowed to look at this however I see fit. The problematic aspects of this made me very uncomfortable, though I understand the overall point and perspective of this novel.

It is refreshing to see such an unabashedly queer book that doesn’t rely on reading between the lines or reader interpretation. I just wish the characters were more sympathetic and likable and that it was written with more care to other marginalized identities. I can see why this is a favorite classic, though.

idk man the rife mysoginy made it so hard to care about giovanni? and im just unsure if we were supposed to or not. I understand David’s character but what was the point in Giovanni feeling that way? Felt weird. 

But, beautifully written and david’s character was so well done, bc I think we got his internal battle and we were supposed to see his bad actions and also why he felt that way, but idk about Giovanni like bro am I supposed to care about this dude? 

Laura Layden

idk man the rife mysoginy made it so hard to care about giovanni? and im just unsure if we were supposed to or not. I understand David’s character but what was the point in Giovanni feeling that way? Felt weird. 

But, beautifully written and david’s character was so well done, bc I think we got his internal battle and we were supposed to see his bad actions and also why he felt that way, but idk about Giovanni like bro am I supposed to care about this dude? 

A beautiful—tragic—book, also my first James Baldwin! Finished in 2 days. I knew immediately that I loved his prose; you sense all throughout the narrative as though David is still in flight from himself, grappling indefinitely with this story, this part of him, recounting and making sense of it, at the same time, resisting sense. I'm so in awe of how Baldwin accomplishes so much in so little time. In a quick 170-page run, it is a serious exploration of the human condition.

karalea

 is a masterful exploration of cultural differences, personal identity, and the moral dilemmas that define humanity. Through vivid descriptions and intricate storytelling, Baldwin invites readers to question the internal and external factors that drive human behavior, especially in the face of struggles with morality and sexuality.

One of the book’s standout elements is Baldwin’s ability to bring settings to life. His evocative depictions of Paris, both enchanting and oppressive, frame an intense discussion on the fragile dynamics of tourism and the privilege it entails. Beyond its vivid landscapes, the story’s real power lies in its characters. Baldwin’s nuanced portrayals create a bizarre yet profound connection, forcing readers to confront the complexities of their relationships.

The story also delves deeply into societal injustices, particularly the media's and elite class’s exploitation of youth. This theme, though subtle, is a potent undercurrent that adds depth to what might initially seem like a simple love story.

 is far more than a tale of romance; it’s a poignant commentary on identity, society, and the human condition. Highly recommended for those seeking a book that challenges and captivates in equal measure.

Anugerah

James Baldwin's Giovanni’s Room is a masterful exploration of cultural differences, personal identity, and the moral dilemmas that define humanity. Through vivid descriptions and intricate storytelling, Baldwin invites readers to question the internal and external factors that drive human behavior, especially in the face of struggles with morality and sexuality.

One of the book’s standout elements is Baldwin’s ability to bring settings to life. His evocative depictions of Paris, both enchanting and oppressive, frame an intense discussion on the fragile dynamics of tourism and the privilege it entails. Beyond its vivid landscapes, the story’s real power lies in its characters. Baldwin’s nuanced portrayals create a bizarre yet profound connection, forcing readers to confront the complexities of their relationships.

The story also delves deeply into societal injustices, particularly the media's and elite class’s exploitation of youth. This theme, though subtle, is a potent undercurrent that adds depth to what might initially seem like a simple love story.

Giovanni’s Room is far more than a tale of romance; it’s a poignant commentary on identity, society, and the human condition. Highly recommended for those seeking a book that challenges and captivates in equal measure.

what a beautiful yet tragic story. its actually a short book, but it takes me quite a long time to finish bcs i need more time to process. my rating might change as the time goes by, but overall 4 stars! baldwin’s writing delivered the emotions well.

almeera

yaya

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World' Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his time David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his true nature, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man. His decision eventually brings tragedy. Filled with passion, regret and longing, this story of a fated love triangle has become a landmark of gay writing. James Baldwin caused outrage as a black author writing about white homosexuals, yet for him the issues of race, sexuality and personal freedom were eternally intertwined. 'Exquisite... a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian 'Excruciating beauty' San Francisco Chronicle 'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips

one’s greatest punishment is being oneself. 

While his family struggles with guilt, bitterness, and spiritual issues, John Grimes experiences a religious conversion in the Temple of the Fire Baptised.

Go Tell it on the Mountain

Kavitha Ramachandran 

Don't like the homophobia and subtle racism.

Susan

devastatingly beautiful, lines made me throw the book across the room

sukan

a devastating story of a soul laid bare in the way that an animal bares its teeth

Charlotte Hedges

« perhaps he is a fool or a coward but almost everybody is one or the other and most people are both. »

what a gut punch. what a book. i have no words i think for the amount of emotions i have felt in such a short time, 150 pages seems short but my goodness what a story. what a writer. this book truly pulls you in immediately but this is not something that can be put into words, you really have to read and experience it in order to understand just how deep and heavy this is. 

what a tragic read that i will carry with me forever. thank you to everyone who has ever recommended this to me and to my best friend who gifted me this book on my birthday.

florine

« perhaps he is a fool or a coward but almost everybody is one or the other and most people are both. »

what a gut punch. what a book. i have no words i think for the amount of emotions i have felt in such a short time, 150 pages seems short but my goodness what a story. what a writer. this book truly pulls you in immediately but this is not something that can be put into words, you really have to read and experience it in order to understand just how deep and heavy this is. 

what a tragic read that i will carry with me forever. thank you to everyone who has ever recommended this to me and to my best friend who gifted me this book on my birthday.

Definition of gut wrenching. So insanely beautiful but reading it made me feel sick. All-encompassing.

“Americans should never come to Europe,” she said, and tried to laugh and began to cry, “it means they never can be happy again” 

Annie Millman

Definition of gut wrenching. So insanely beautiful but reading it made me feel sick. All-encompassing.

“Americans should never come to Europe,” she said, and tried to laugh and began to cry, “it means they never can be happy again” 