foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This was the memoir I didn’t know I needed in my life. Elliot Page’s reflections contained so much Canadian content that I haven’t seen in many books, and loved being able to recognize so many places or cultural touchstones growing up in a similar era. Memoirs are an incredible format to let people in to your lived experiences and takes a lot of courage to write and share. That is no exception in this memoir, and I appreciate the rawness, vulnerability and emotional honesty that Page expresses. I think that if you liked I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, you’ll enjoy Page’s memoir and his reflections on the entertainment industry, challenging family dynamics, mental well-being, love, and finding and expressing one’s identity in the spotlight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Torture, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcohol
nicolagua's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
ninawilson49's review against another edition
4.0
despite this being a tough read (because of the trauma of it all), my crush on Pageboy (which was huge already) has skyrocketed from 95% to about 1000%. I am glad he is happier now.
amyjefferies's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.25
I feel I should start a 3.25 star review by prefacing that I have a huge amount of admiration for Elliot Page and this memoir has only increased that. Page affirms why people deserve equal rights and access to health care, which should never be considered a debate in the first place; it’s a human right.
But in terms of this memoir, I did not feel it was the strongest. Page recounts his experiences with homophobia and the barriers and abuse he faced being an LGBTQ+ actor. I found a lot of this hard to listen to, so I can only imagine what it was like to go through this, although this is part of the issue I had, there was not enough expansion on what it was like for Page going through this. Despite sharing intimate details of his life, Page somewhat kept readers at arms length.
Page has a lot of important stories to tell within this, but the pacing and structure meant that I often felt that things were left unfinished and we’d be jumping back to another moment later on in Page’s journey with self acceptance or being out in the media that felt jarring.
That said, I believe there is a need more stories of trans experiences to be told, so I hope Page writes more to expand on some of things that were left unsaid.
But in terms of this memoir, I did not feel it was the strongest. Page recounts his experiences with homophobia and the barriers and abuse he faced being an LGBTQ+ actor. I found a lot of this hard to listen to, so I can only imagine what it was like to go through this, although this is part of the issue I had, there was not enough expansion on what it was like for Page going through this. Despite sharing intimate details of his life, Page somewhat kept readers at arms length.
Page has a lot of important stories to tell within this, but the pacing and structure meant that I often felt that things were left unfinished and we’d be jumping back to another moment later on in Page’s journey with self acceptance or being out in the media that felt jarring.
That said, I believe there is a need more stories of trans experiences to be told, so I hope Page writes more to expand on some of things that were left unsaid.
4zura's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
nadya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
ktxx22's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 62% as you know if I read more than 50% I’m giving it a star rating…. First off why didn’t I finish this….. well the honest answer is my dislike of the format this memoir is told in. Hopping back and forth in time and while I appreciate the raw honesty that Page puts on the page it was incredibly jarring going from trauma to trauma to tiny ray of hope. I understand that people are cruel and hateful, which I think is communicated beautifully in the way Elliot is treated or has been treated for various reasons to do with his sexuality and eventually his gender identity, but it feels like you’re reading a gossip mag with minimal details and being asked to take it in and not understand the introspection of how Page feels in the moment which made me feel like a voyeur in certain passages.
Ultimately I found myself not interested in reading this book and I don’t ever force myself to finish something I’m not enjoying or that doesn’t excite me to keep reading so it’s a 2 ⭐️ read and a DNF at 62%
Ultimately I found myself not interested in reading this book and I don’t ever force myself to finish something I’m not enjoying or that doesn’t excite me to keep reading so it’s a 2 ⭐️ read and a DNF at 62%
bookstabulous's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5