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Giovanni's Room

By: James Baldwin, Kevin Young - introduction
Narrated by: Matt Bomer, Kevin Young
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Publisher's summary

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
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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

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Outstanding Narration

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.

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Finally got to it.

This has been in my wishlist for quite some time. I held off as many books from this era, especially those centered around love and relationships I find daunting to read. To my surprise I found this quite good. Having lived in Europe for a number of years I found the setting quite familiar and relatable. Characters came to life as they though they could be contemporary characters for the most part. given the books historical notoriety in the community I'm very pleased it's aged as well as it has.

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