Justin Monisit’s Reviews > Giovanni’s Room > Status Update

The foundation for a good story is here but I feel as if the story is too short to really give the emotional weight the story wants it to have. The characters are not as fleshed out as they should be, especially the main relationship where it doesn't really give insight into either of them. The prose is strong, the plot points are there, it's just that it felt a little too rushed to make it satisfying.

The penultimate chapter was quite an emotional doozy. Really wish I liked it more, but it's either personal preference or something that bars me from really investing myself in this.

Still solid, but would have been an even greater emotional gut punch if I liked the antecedent chapters as much.

Starting to feel like melodrama. Shame it started off so well. Baldwin's prose is still great, but the story isn't up to par many other classic romantic tragedies. It still is good - but I really expected something great after that first chapter.

This book isn't bad but it's just not the masterpiece I expected.

It just occurred to me that this could be a relationship between a man and a woman and the general story could be the same; it could be any marital affair.

Really reminds me of David Lean's film Brief Encounter the more I think about it.

I can sense the tragedy part looming in the next two chapters. I am ready to have my heart ripped out.

Not maintaining the quality as the first chapter, but still a sweet, pleasant chapter that was - even if it was a bit morally ambiguous. I'm really digging their relationship - which has a lot more depth than I would have anticipated.

The plot is actually starting so it doesn't exactly grip me as the first did, but whatever still really solid. Baldwin really manages to have you experience the gamut of emotions that David goes through here - his confusion and shame, but that initial excitement as well. You can feel the flirtation between the two men between the lines - it's really effective storytelling.