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I have nothing beautiful to write... this book is the embodiment of shame and self-delusion.

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The poetic language of the book is what kept me reading, that and this particular novel's similarities to the work of Franz Kafka (in totally unexpectThe poetic language of the book is what kept me reading, that and this particular novel's similarities to the work of Franz Kafka (in totally unexpected ways, but I'd spoil the plot if I said how: nobody turns into cockroaches or anything, but there is a certain attitude that is very "Kafkaesque" and it makes you wanna strangle the protagonist,or at least slap him every three pages) I think that the hardest thing to actually deal with in terms of this book is the fact that it's old fashoned in so many ways: that's not a bad thing: but for readers more accustomed to the brevity common in more contemporary writing, the slower pacing is a HUGE turnoff and it seems to linger over things that don't seem that important or that big a deal, but given the time in which this novel was written, the very idea of a men being affectionate towards one another was unheard of and couldn't actually be written about without heavy, Chip Howell...more heavy censorship.

As for what kept me reading was the fact that I loved the language of the book more than I loved the story itself. Baldwin is a master of the mood and if you approach his prose the way you'd approach music or a poem then that might help, the relationships between words in the novel are as important as the story that the novel is telling. The point of Baldwin's writing wasn't to "get to the end of the story" but to enjoy the ride through it, and to learn something along the way. The real drawback is that the story itself proceeds from an older, outmoded, outdated concept of human sexuality and many of the moral attitudes prevailing when it was written are VERY apparent in the way the novel skips over the juicy bits, while continually pointing to them and apparently lingering over things that don't seem to have relevance to the story, but considering the amount of repression in American society at the time this was written, it would probably help to look for various clues about the story in the stuff that doesn't seem related. Also, what's hilarious is the camp wasn't camp at the time Giovanni's Room was written, that's what was expected, and indeed the characters themselves reflect those older, brutally hetero-normative attitudes in their interactions (or lack of them.)

I think this is a great novel, but its flaw is its age. Non-hetero writing no longer needs to closet itself and go in circles around a subject, and though this is a brilliant and relevant novel, it had to put itself at least partially in the closet so to speak. I'd suggest that you continue reading, but if possible, try to "relax into the language" and just go where it leads you. Be aware of the emotional connotations and implications of those apparently endless descriptions; if possible, try to get a bead on how sensual and sensuous those sentences are; but ultimately, if that kind of language isn't your thing, then just be aware that you're reading an artifact of another age, when life itself was lived at a different pace. That might not help you to get through it, but it'll hopefully put some of the "dullness" into perspective.(less)

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The poetic language of the book is what kept me reading, that and this particular novel's similarities to the work of Franz Kafka (in totally unexpectThe poetic language of the book is what kept me reading, that and this particular novel's similarities to the work of Franz Kafka (in totally

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The writing in this book is incredibly detailed and really beautiful. It is great if you love books that unfold past secrets, and this plot is really cool because it switches from present to past events. **Trigger warning: violent material is included (hate crime)

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This is a graphic novel about a boy's journey in communicating his sexuality with his Vietnamese immigrant parents, which he does through fairytales. It is beautifully illustrated and the way fairytales are woven into the story are done in a really cool way. It's a quick and emotional read!

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The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

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The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

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This is an absolutely adorable graphic novel about Sebastian, a prince who hires a dressmaker, confiding in her their secret about often wanting to dress in feminine clothes and present themself as female.
Sebastian provides Frances, the dressmaker, with opportunities to show off her work as well.
The story is very wholesome and a very pleasant read if you come across the book in a library!