Giovanni's Room - deflating

Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin is a book chosen from the February suggested reading list in my Literary Diary. The theme for this month has been love, and I picked this title as it is reported to be an American Classic. David, the narrator, is an American living in 1950s Paris who, after his girlfriend Hella goes to Spain to think things through, comes across a charismatic barman in a gay bar. David is captivated by the handsome Giovanni and, despite trying to deny it to himself, falls completely in love with him. It's almost like David feels free of the burden of trying to hide who he really is for the first time, and his eyes are opened to the possibilities of living with a man (which he could not do back in the USA at that time). Money is tight, David is relying on his father to send him money, and Giovanni's job relies heavily on tips. David moves into Giovanni's tiny room and, at first, this seems heavenly, but Giovanni's love is so intense that David finds it hard to cope with. It's almost too much, too soon. He is still conflicted about who he is and fears the reality beyond the fantasy imbued by the first bloom of love. He keeps saying that they will be together only until his girlfriend returns, almost as if he is preparing an escape route. Finally, when Hella does return, he goes back to her, saying nothing of his time with Giovanni. Desperate to become the person he thinks he should be, he asks her to marry him, and they start planning to move back to America. But Giovanni takes this rejection very hard and spirals into malaise. In this vulnerable state, he falls victim to his old boss from the bar who has designs upon him, and in the course of their interaction, Giovanni murders him. There is a lot to admire about this book, particularly considering the period of time in which it is written.  However, for me, the main characters didn't quite ring true. Everything felt superficial and the inner conflict of David, which is central to the book, didn't go deep enough. I wasn't even sure that I particularly liked either David or Giovanni, so I wasn't really rooting for them. I also found the ending unsatisfactory - but I suppose it could be argued that love and life can be like that! This is a much admired work and, understanding more about the author and the time of writing, I get that. But the story didn't quite resonate for me in the way I had hoped.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 160 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from library as an ebook.
Formats available: Print, MP3CD, ebook.

A Rare Book of Cunning Device - short, but sweet

A Rare Book of Cunning Device by Ben Aaronovitch is part of the Rivers of London series. It's a short story/novella, exclusive to Audible. Short, but sweet at only 30 minutes long, I used it as a filler to keep me going until I can obtain the next book in the series. When things start moving for no apparent reason in the basement of the British Library, PC Peter Grant is called in to investigate. The original suspect is a poltergeist, but Peter soon quashes that idea ... but there is, indeed something unexplained going on. He calls in his colleague, Postmartin, as well as Toby the dog - not just to annoy the chief librarian but to use his super senses for all things magical. As the night unfolds, the cause of the disturbance is discovered and it's not what you might expect. Light of touch and full of the usual humour, this is an entertaining offshoot to the series that will help you while away half an hour. Definitely one for fans of the series or, if you are an Audible member, why not download it for free and try it on for size ... you never know, you might be drawn into the world of magic and mayhem that is the Rivers of London series. Wonderfully narrated, as ever, by Kobna Holbrook-Smith.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 30 minutes.
Price I paid: FREE.
Formats available: Audio download.