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Giovanni's Room
- Narrated by: Dan Butler
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Set in the 1950’s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin’s now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.
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What listeners say about Giovanni's Room
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Patti
- 2023-06-09
a love story
i felt so sad for Giovanni and just wanted to shake David but had to remind myself of the time the story takes place, My heart breaks for the way David deals with his life loved the story but not the narrator he was very clear with his words but it was so monotone it took me out of the story
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- Alla
- 2023-06-05
Such a masterpiece!
Of course, James Baldwin never disappoints but this narration is perfectly beautiful, expressing this book so vividly! Highly recommend it!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anne F.
- 2023-08-19
Exquisite
The writing was breathtaking; the narration was wonderful ! Such a pleasure to read this masterpiece! Very much captured the depth and pain of forbidden love .
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- Cindy
- 2023-06-27
Slow Moving
The narrator did a good job but the story moved extremely slowly. Too verbose with a lack of overall action.
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- Pete
- 2023-11-20
Terrible pronunciation kills audio performance
Narrator Dan Butler needs to take a trip to Paris (and especially Les Halles) before killing another literary classic.
The performance doesn't even deserve the one star.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-06-17
Eloquently Heartbreaking
Baldwin's masterful storytelling at its finest. His understanding of the human heart, with all our capacity for joy, sorrow, shame, love....everything, is breathtaking and beautiful. Required reading for every human being.
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- Claire D.
- 2023-06-30
Well written, poignant
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the storyteller. Th story itself is a sad one, but beautiful, at the same time.
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- Topher
- 2023-12-29
A bit older but a beautiful painful story
I found over all it was a wonderful story, though painful at times. I suggest that folks do read the book and see what it’s about. The story is still one that resonates in communities today.
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- Alexandre L'Écuyer
- 2019-06-26
Classic!
Ahh, gay romance in the 19th century. Misery, loss, alienation, evasive attachments, a perfectionnistic performance of identity, the inability to love and/or to be loved, topped off with a severly morose atmosphere. This book was both throrougly gay and throroughly depressing. Loved it. I will never read it again.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Delphi58
- 2023-07-03
So much angst
I really enjoyed listening to this novel but I doubt I'd have enjoyed reading it quite the same way. The narrator does a wonderful job. he conveys everyone's unhappiness. They are questioning their lives and David and Giovanni are questioning their sexuality. I think Giovanni is sure of who he is and he loves David, but David definitely is not sure and holds onto his girlfriend Hella as proof he's not gay. it's a very sad novel about a time when people were scared to accept the truths about themselves and opted for self-loathing instead. Unfortunately not much has changed because sadly we're reverting to repressive times...so much for progress. My first book by James Baldwin and I hope to read more. Recommended reading.
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