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4.5 stars
James Baldwin's classic novel in its world premiere radio production, set in Paris, 1954. When handsome blond American David meets the stunning Giovanni in a "bohemian" Parisian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But David's fiancé, Hella, returns to Paris and, unable to admit the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened, with calamitous results for all three, especially for Giovanni, whose life descends into murderous tragedy.
Dramatised for radio and directed by leading the ...more
Dramatised for radio and directed by leading the ...more
I’ve always been a big fan of James Baldwin, but up till now, all I’d read from him were non-fiction and short fiction. Seemed like about time that I check out some of his longer fiction. I wish I hadn’t.
The story here is OK, though honestly, all the characters other than the narrator are pretty one-dimensional. And the writing, I’m sorry, is awful. Long sections are really overwritten, trying to stage a lot of philosophical and psychological ideas behind a masquerade of fiction. It doesn’t work ...more
The story here is OK, though honestly, all the characters other than the narrator are pretty one-dimensional. And the writing, I’m sorry, is awful. Long sections are really overwritten, trying to stage a lot of philosophical and psychological ideas behind a masquerade of fiction. It doesn’t work ...more
Bought at Gleebooks on a whim - Penguin Sale. Love James Baldwin David, a twenty-something American man living in Paris, is struggling with his sexually. He is engaged to Hella, but when his fiancée travels to Spain he begins a relationship with Italian barman Giovanni. His time with Giovanni is filled with drunken love in their small room. But a shadow lurks over them as David knows one day Hella will return and he must marry and have a family. David struggles with himself as he is unwilling to
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Apr 16, 2008
Judith
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2009
Christian
marked it as tjek-ud
Apr 13, 2015
Holly
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Jan 15, 2017
Felicia
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Apr 03, 2018
Carrie
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Apr 12, 2019
Debra Harrison
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