Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Pageboy: A Memoir

While I have some criticisms, I do want to start by saying I respect Elliot Page and don't think this book was bad. It's worth a read.
It's hard not to compare this book to I'm Glad My Mom Died, which is written in a similar voice, is another memoir by an actor, and shares several themes and topics -- and, frankly, McCurdy is simply the better writer. When Page jumps back and forth between periods of his life, it doesn't feel intentional or logical; while stories need not be presented in chronological order to be understood, the jumps are constant and confusing in Pageboy, as Page often leaves little to no indication that the setting has changed. While two editors are credited, I felt that the novel could've been combed over and cleaned up a bit more thoroughly. It feels like a friend telling you a convoluted, twisting story -- with all the errors and confusions that entails -- but with flowery language and metaphor thrown in, often without an apparent benefit to the prose.
That being said, I think the bones of a good memoir are present; Page has lived an interesting life and has interesting things to say about the film industry, love, and queerness, even if I don't think these things are expressed as well as they could be.

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av0universe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense

3.5

Honestly, how do you rate a non-fiction book? Especially one that it's a memoir, like it's someone else's life ? (anyway I'll think about it and maybe come back to rate it-or maybe not)

So, this book is my first non-fiction ever. It's was a wild ride and it was amazing, difficult to read but so full of emotion and lessons. As a non-binary young person, reading about Elliot's long journey to acceopt themselves reminded myself how lucky I am to be in a safe space to come out and how lucky I am to have figured it out so early in my life.

As I said, this book is difficult to read/listen. I felt so seen but so fucking enraged and sad at the same time, no one deserves to go through what Elliot went through on his childhood on top of the constant feeling of not belonging as the person other people suppose you are.

Please, check trigger warnings if you're inclined to read this, it touches some topics in depth.

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bashsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.75

A difficult read, but an important one. Elliot Page is such a phenomenal actor and iconic celebrity, but the man can write, too. He shares his story - which is fraught with neglect, queerphobia, and sexual violence, among other traumas - with such precise descriptions, tongue-in-cheek humor, and frank honesty. I listened to the audiobook version of Pageboy, and I got the extra treat of hearing it all in his own voice.

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hoagie's review against another edition

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4.25

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veelaughtland's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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thereadingchallengechallenge's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

3.0

This was a brutal read and not just in the ways I was expecting. I was prepared for Elliot Page to talk about the queerphobia and misogyny that he experienced growing up and going through Hollywood. But I wasn't ready for the brutal mistreatment he faced almost everywhere he turned. He doesn't pull punches as he describes it, or the mental health struggles that he experienced as a result. It was hard to read.

I also struggled a lot with the structure of the memoir. I found it hard to figure out what events happened in what order, where Page was at emotionally. And the tangents into aspects of local history weren't always especially interesting. But Page does write with a simple, straight-forward voice that makes wading through this emotional book a little easier. Even though the subject matter is sometimes hard to swallow, the writing never is.

If you've ever been interested in Elliot Page's career or his journey as a queer person, you'll find something to enjoy here, just please heed the content warnings because light reading this is not.

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