You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I keep debating whether to rate this five stars or four stars, and so until more reflection I am going to keep this rateless. If I was rating of of enjoyment/what I gained and got out of the book, it would definitely be 5 stars. But looking at it critically I do have some problems with the writing style, and how the relationships were shown, so then I would rate it 4 stars. This being said my problems with the book did not take away from my enjoyment or (i don't know how to say this) ?message. Would recommend this book to everyone 100% (with the trigger warning for rape).
Reread in 2018:
True, this book stayed in my heart for years. & now that I reread it, it will stay on my favourites shelf indefinitely.
What a gripping, heartbreaking story. I’m a puddle of tears, I’ll be so tired tomorrow morning, because I stayed up until 11:30 reading Max’s story.. but it was worth it. So worth it.
2015:
I would have given this book 10 stars if I could.
It was tragic, heartbreaking & shocking at times, but interesting & engaging & definitely memorable. The characters were loveable in their own way (even though I HIGHLY disagree with most of the parent's ways of handling things).
I'm sure this book will stay in my heart for a while, maybe years to come.
True, this book stayed in my heart for years. & now that I reread it, it will stay on my favourites shelf indefinitely.
What a gripping, heartbreaking story. I’m a puddle of tears, I’ll be so tired tomorrow morning, because I stayed up until 11:30 reading Max’s story.. but it was worth it. So worth it.
2015:
I would have given this book 10 stars if I could.
It was tragic, heartbreaking & shocking at times, but interesting & engaging & definitely memorable. The characters were loveable in their own way (even though I HIGHLY disagree with most of the parent's ways of handling things).
I'm sure this book will stay in my heart for a while, maybe years to come.
TRIGGER WARNING FOR RAPE
This is the first book I read about someone who's intersex, and I am glad I did. After reading the first 25 pages though, I wasn't sure if I could continue. This rape scene was the most upsetting scene I ever read. It was so graphic and violent and I was sobbing and I had to put the book down. However, I decided to continue, but I feel like afterwards the rape was a bit rushed over. I get it, the main topic of this book is intersexuality, but I can't believe someone being violated in that way would just make out with someone else the next and totally not be affected.
In regards of the characters, I think they all felt a little distant. Sylvie was a little bit to much "I'm not like other girls" and Daniel didn't come accross as nine or ten, but either five or an adult, which was really weird. Like he doesn't know how babies ar made, but then he does know about pornography?!
I loved Steve though and the doctor, even though I think she should have told Max's parents about the rape way sooner, I don't care about confideality, he was underage and got pregnant.
Apart from that, I liked the discussion about about gender and the provided information about intersexuality, thoughI agree with Max when he says that there is not much difference between human beings and that in the end definitions mean nothing.
Where all just souls flying around in space. That's it.
This is the first book I read about someone who's intersex, and I am glad I did. After reading the first 25 pages though, I wasn't sure if I could continue. This rape scene was the most upsetting scene I ever read. It was so graphic and violent and I was sobbing and I had to put the book down. However, I decided to continue, but I feel like afterwards the rape was a bit rushed over. I get it, the main topic of this book is intersexuality, but I can't believe someone being violated in that way would just make out with someone else the next and totally not be affected.
In regards of the characters, I think they all felt a little distant. Sylvie was a little bit to much "I'm not like other girls" and Daniel didn't come accross as nine or ten, but either five or an adult, which was really weird. Like he doesn't know how babies ar made, but then he does know about pornography?!
I loved Steve though and the doctor, even though I think she should have told Max's parents about the rape way sooner, I don't care about confideality, he was underage and got pregnant.
Apart from that, I liked the discussion about about gender and the provided information about intersexuality, thoughI agree with Max when he says that there is not much difference between human beings and that in the end definitions mean nothing.
Where all just souls flying around in space. That's it.
This was really good, despite the fact that it completely tore me apart. I don't know as much as I would like to know about intersexuality, and I felt like this book gave me a little more insight. I was impressed by the way Max's situation was handled by the author- it's very ahead of our time, and not many people are able to approach such a situation with such warmth and understanding. This book also has some of the most human fictional characters I've encountered in a long time. They were very fleshed out, and I felt genuine emotion for them while I was reading. At one point, when Max is going through an especially difficult time, I had to put the book down for a minute and breathe. I was incredibly frustrated for him, and it was painful to see him struggling and hurting so much.
My only complaint is the writing style. It was very ramble-y, which helped us really see what each character was feeling at the time, but it got pretty frustrating to read. Other than that, Golden Boy is near perfect, and I would recommend that everyone give it a read.
(Also, can we talk about that cover? It's gorgeous. I need someone to buy me a copy so I can read this over and over, but also to decorate my shelf with.)
My only complaint is the writing style. It was very ramble-y, which helped us really see what each character was feeling at the time, but it got pretty frustrating to read. Other than that, Golden Boy is near perfect, and I would recommend that everyone give it a read.
(Also, can we talk about that cover? It's gorgeous. I need someone to buy me a copy so I can read this over and over, but also to decorate my shelf with.)
Interesting story of an intersex high school student, and how he and his family begin to be open about who he is.
3.5 stars
This was still beckoning me on the library shelf, so I ended up checking it out despite its very small font. I managed to finish it in two days, which is quite the accomplishment given how wordy it is.
I'm just going to write down some thoughts before I hit the pillow.
Golden Boy was quite gripping, I kept reading and turning the page to find out what happens next. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides was the only other book I read about an intersex/hermaphrodite person. This was quite different and it had a more YA feel about it.
The protagonist of this novel is Max, 15 going on 16. He's the "golden boy" both literally and figuratively - he's a football (soccer) captain, top student; he's also a very amiable person, always smiling, always kind. Oh, and not only he's like an angel, he also looks angelic, with beautiful blond hair (and doesn't everyone go on and on about that hair, as if they'd never seen blonde hair!), green eyes and full lips.
Something horrible happens to Max and that turns the happy-go-lucky teenager's life upside down. His family suffers as well.
As gripping as the story was for the most part, there were some things that didn't agree with me. The writing was pedestrian and the expositions were way too long. At times, it was repetitive and there was too much padding.
The voices were problematic as well, as there wasn't enough distinction between characters.
Also, I found some aspects implausible, unbelievable, ie Max's parents don't talk to him or his brother about intersex, somehow they mentioned it to their best friends, and worse, they told those friends' son about Max's condition when he was 6? How can a six year old get his head around such a concept when adults struggle? Not to mention it'd be difficult for a kid to keep it a secret.
Daniel, Max's ten year old brother, sounded way too mature at times. Even the teenagers didn't sound like contemporary teenagers.
I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Max and Sylvie, his love interest.
Also, there was a little too much melodrama for my liking.
Despite the NHS (National Health Service) being mentioned and the fact that it was set around the Cambridge area, one could be forgiven for thinking this was an American novel, the language and most things distinctly British were pretty much missing. I'm curious to see if British readers felt the same.
Despite my gripes, I'm glad I read this novel. For sure, we need more diversity in literature. I learnt a bit more about intersex people. While the execution and the editing could have been better, it's an engaging debut novel, well worth reading.
This was still beckoning me on the library shelf, so I ended up checking it out despite its very small font. I managed to finish it in two days, which is quite the accomplishment given how wordy it is.
I'm just going to write down some thoughts before I hit the pillow.
Golden Boy was quite gripping, I kept reading and turning the page to find out what happens next. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides was the only other book I read about an intersex/hermaphrodite person. This was quite different and it had a more YA feel about it.
The protagonist of this novel is Max, 15 going on 16. He's the "golden boy" both literally and figuratively - he's a football (soccer) captain, top student; he's also a very amiable person, always smiling, always kind. Oh, and not only he's like an angel, he also looks angelic, with beautiful blond hair (and doesn't everyone go on and on about that hair, as if they'd never seen blonde hair!), green eyes and full lips.
Something horrible happens to Max and that turns the happy-go-lucky teenager's life upside down. His family suffers as well.
As gripping as the story was for the most part, there were some things that didn't agree with me. The writing was pedestrian and the expositions were way too long. At times, it was repetitive and there was too much padding.
The voices were problematic as well, as there wasn't enough distinction between characters.
Also, I found some aspects implausible, unbelievable, ie
Daniel, Max's ten year old brother, sounded way too mature at times. Even the teenagers didn't sound like contemporary teenagers.
I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Max and Sylvie, his love interest.
Also, there was a little too much melodrama for my liking.
Despite the NHS (National Health Service) being mentioned and the fact that it was set around the Cambridge area, one could be forgiven for thinking this was an American novel, the language and most things distinctly British were pretty much missing. I'm curious to see if British readers felt the same.
Despite my gripes, I'm glad I read this novel. For sure, we need more diversity in literature. I learnt a bit more about intersex people. While the execution and the editing could have been better, it's an engaging debut novel, well worth reading.
This is the second book by Abigail Tarttelin book I've read and like the first the characters are vivid, well drawn and believable. I really loved settling down with this book which drew me in quickly and keep me reading long after I meant to do something else. Golden Boy is a book about an intersex teen who is forced both metaphorically and literally to deal with the reality of what it means to be intersex. It also forces the reader to consider the very binary gendered nature of our society and how that can impact on people like Max who don't fit neatly into one box or another. I really enjoyed Golden Boy but I've only given it 4 stars because of it's slightly predictable plot. Perhaps this is unfair, but I couldn't help compare it to Abi's latest book 'Dead Girls' which is one of the most unusual and riveting books I've read in a long time and which sits outside most traditional fiction categories. Regardless, Golden Boy is a page turner that gets you thinking and I'd definitely recommend it.
(Though can I mention the blue eyed boy/ girl text on the cover? An annoying addition when Max is described as having green eyes on multiple occasions! I do wish publishers would pick up on these things/ get someone who has actually read the book or better yet the author to have more input.)
(Though can I mention the blue eyed boy/ girl text on the cover? An annoying addition when Max is described as having green eyes on multiple occasions! I do wish publishers would pick up on these things/ get someone who has actually read the book or better yet the author to have more input.)