Comment

Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Skokie Public Library.
Aug 24, 2017abepotato rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
During the 50's, Americans were on top. Especially white people. The protagonist, David, is good looking and blond. Gorgeous dark Italian Giovanni has met his match. The entire affair could thrive in Giovanni's room but no further than that. Hella, David's girlfriend is traveling alone in Spain for most of the book. She is a rare American woman for that time.. Baldwin doesn't play around with stereotypical people or emotions. They are very real. I gave the read 4 stars because I had to stretch my imagination some to understand how Giovanni ended up in Paris in the circumstance he found himself after a destroyed idyllic life in a small town in Italy. His evolved sexuality comes off more as a renunciation of life rather than his true self. Given that in those years Homosexuality was treated as a mental condition as well as a crime, I could forgive this, I suppose I need to give it a 5 star rating.