Giovanni's Room
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Giovanni's Room
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Narrated by:
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Matthew Bomer
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Kevin Young
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By:
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James Baldwin
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
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 sexuality, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man — a decision that will bring tragedy, longing and regret.
'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips
'Exquisite, a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian
'Gorgeous, fearless, tempered by dark knowledge and pain ... the greatest American prose stylist of his generation' Colm Tóibín
'A layered exploration of queer desire ... It is electric' Hilton Als
©1956 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N B
- 19-10-24
Poorly performed accents are offensive
If you can’t do a foreign accent just don’t do it, it’s cringe and ruins the whole experience! You’ve managed to butcher both the French and the Italian accent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ania wigmore
- 21-10-24
Giovanni s Room
Great story evoking post-war Paris and innocent but passionate love. Powerful delivery holding in suspension and slowly delivering explanation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Barbara
- 28-08-24
Beautiful story and outstanding narration
Matt Bomer brings this incredible story to life with emotion and great skill. Can't recommend highly enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- chris
- 23-09-24
POIGNIANT STORY WELL TOLD.
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...
Initially I felt this was an historical artifact from a time when people were not allowed to be who they are and wondered was there any point to it. Because it was this month's book club group I went back and I am glad I did. Yes it is a tragic story from a cruel time, but it stands on its own as a very sad love story. We get so much insight into the narrators mind and all the other characters, especially Giovanni, are vivid. It is a thin book, however there is so much in it that I will soon take another go at it and I am sure I will find more again.
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