Giovanni's Room Audiobook By James Baldwin, Kevin Young - introduction cover art

Giovanni's Room

A Novel (Vintage International)

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Giovanni's Room

By: James Baldwin, Kevin Young - introduction
Narrated by: Matt Bomer, Kevin Young
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James Baldwin's groundbreaking novel with a new introduction.

Giovanni's Room is set in the Paris of the 1950s, where a young American expatriate finds himself caught between his repressed desires and conventional morality. David has just proposed marriage to his American girlfriend, but while she is away on a trip he becomes involved in a doomed affair with a bartender named Giovanni. With sharp, probing insight, James Baldwin's classic narrative delves into the mystery of love and tells a deeply moving story that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.

©1956 James Baldwin (P)2024 Random House Audio African American Genre Fiction LGBTQIA+ Creators Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"If Van Gogh was our 19th-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our 20th-century one."—Michael Ondaatje

"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

"Absorbing...[with] immediate emotional impact."—The Washington Post
Beautiful Writing • Timeless Relevance • Complex Relationships • Emotional Depth • Powerful Storytelling
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One hundred years ago and so little has changed. I want to read it again and savor the language

Heartbreaking

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I adore reading this type of thoughtful, deliberate writing. It's so fluid and eloquent. Matt Bomer did a bang up job. I haven't enjoyed a title this much in a long, long while.

Beautiful writing.

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Giovanni’s room stands alone against the test of time as an extraordinary tale of the conflict many, myself included, have dealt with. Matt Bomer’s incredible performance gave this story a nuance I hadn’t seen before. At first a French pronunciation sounded a little off, but then I saw it as it was - through the lens of an American or Italian speaking French - and it gives it the proper color. I may just listen again.

Epic tale with an epic performance

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For this book to be nearly 70 years old, a lot of these problems are still relevant to this day. Such a heartbreaking and tragic story. Hats off to Baldwin!

Heartbreaking

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James Baldwin does a remarkable job in creating metaphors throughout this saga of homo and heterosexuality. Powerful book.

Metaphor

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Matt Bomer's range of talent is evident in every piece of art of which he takes part. " Giovanni's Room" is no exception. His narration transports one into the story. Bien joué.

Outstanding Narration

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Heart breaking, raw, and of course, beautifully written. Another banger from Baldwin. The narration was perfect, too. Trigger warning: This book makes you feel things.

OMG.

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this book was so eloquently written and is one of his best pieces of work

beautiful read

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When I say I love reading novels from a villain’s perspective this is what I mean.

Shame and Guilt

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This is a beautiful book, written in 1956. Never before have I understood the strength of desire and the impossible place society demands of us.

Beautiful language and pacing - I couldn’t stop till it was done

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