Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Pageboy

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Pageboy by Elliot Page

414 reviews

inkerly's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

4.0

3.9 ish stars

The memoir broke me. Literally. My heart would break in every chapter or my jaw would drop . Im not an Elliot Page fan but I enjoy movies he’s been in (Juno, Inception), and I like that he is one of the more relatable celebrities. Elliot has been through a lot in his 37 years of living and he was failed multiple times by the adults around him. I thought I would be reading a book about the inspiring journey of a transman coming into his identity but what I’m left with is the story of a man who is still trying to pick up the pieces of his life and resolve undue childhood trauma while breaking barriers and staying true to himself. I think the fact that Elliot’s journey is still “to be continued” makes this book raw and real, but at the same time reading it also felt like reading a sequence of disjointed events (all sad) that didn’t provide complete closure. Based on recent articles and photos of him I sense that his journey with his body dysmorphia is not completely over. I support Elliot and hope that this new chapter of his life makes him stronger and better than he can ever imagine.

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icecreamated's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

A structure based on the journey towards self-love, this memoir is deeply poignant, unflinching, and vulnerable, and a honest experience about how wilful ignorance and prejudice ultimately perpetrates the bigotry experienced by the trans community.

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melist6's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.25

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barefootbetsy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This was a difficult read. What other reviews have mentioned is true, there's not a really clear linear structure. But there is a structure, it's just more circular or spiral-y in nature. The structure seems a little fuzzier than what most of us are used to, which is one reason why this is a memoir, not an autobiography.

There was also more explicit material than I'd been expecting, but it was all relevant, not gratuitous.

All things considered, I'm glad I read it. If you're interested in Elliot's story then I'd recommend you read it, if you aren't interested in his story then you probably won't enjoy the book very much.

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cheekylaydee's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

DNF at around 25% Not for me. I wanted to enjoy this book, to learn more about the trans experience but this wasn't it. I'm not taking anything away from the horrendous experiences he's had but there was no deep dive into how these made him feel.

He refers to himself as a boy from the very beginning without any references to his journey of discovery apart from feeling uncomfortable in feminine clothing. I'm pretty sure there is so much more to gender identity than clothing but nothing else is discussed. I wanted to be with him on his journey but he just didn't take me where I wanted to go.

Of course I can only comment on the section of the book I read but I was unable to continue. I was neither enjoying or learning from the reading experience. It's a shame.

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crybabybea's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

4.5

This was a really uniquely written memoir told from quite a unique perspective as Elliot Page is currently one of the only openly out trans celebrities in popular culture. I was a bit scared to read this because I had heard it was poorly put together with a non-linear timeline that didn't really land; but I'm happy to say I'm pleasantly surprised and I actually thought the non-linear style worked really well for the point Elliot was trying to make! Queerness is messy and there are so many factors that impact how somebody discovers or pushes away their own queerness, and I think Elliot's writing really sold that feeling well. I also think he is just a great writer in general. You can tell he put a lot of time and heart into making sure the stories he told felt immersive and detailed in just the right way. I think the non-liner timeline helped me as a reader focus on the emotions that Elliot experienced rather than the nitty gritty details of when and where things happened and why. There were also some moments of poetic prose that I think were done quite well also.

I will say this felt a bit unedited, especially near the end. Page repeats himself pretty often (one of the most memorable being his constantly feeling like he needs to "shit blood") which isn't too terrible but was something I noticed. I didn't factor this into my review, but the audiobook also felt a bit lesser quality; there were multiple times that lines were repeated because takes weren't edited properly, and there were random drops in audio quality that weren't awful but definitely noticeable.

This is overall an inspiring, heartfelt story but there is a healthy mix of heartbreak as well. I was especially moved by the way Elliot told his experience with homophobia, internal and external, and how that kept him from finding his identity for so long. I also found the perspective of trying to navigate queerness while also trying to navigate celebrity culture and his career as an actor super intriguing.

I think if you go into this knowing it's not going to be a typical memoir with a clear, linear timeline, you will enjoy it, and especially if you are already a fan of Elliot.

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