Rated of 5
by Theresa R. (Sierra Madre, CA) this was just ok
I had a really hard time getting into this book, but finally managed to finish it. I'm not sure if it was the writing style or the story. I just found myself not really caring about what was happening.
Rated of 5
by Gail I. (Delray Beach, FL) Timely Twist on Adolescent Angst
So many novels have been written about adolescence angst and family relationships, but Golden Boy puts a timely twist on this genre. Like most teenagers, Max feels different. However, his difference is something that is kept secret due to societal taboos.
Having read the book Middlesex which is also about someone who finds out they are intersexed, I found Golden Boy to be more engaging and readable for both young adults and adults of any age. It is one book you don't want to put down as you become involved in the secrets and lies of the intricate family unit Max is a part of. I am honored to have had the opportunity to read such an interesting and thought provoking book prior to publication thanks to Bookbrowse. I highly recommend it.
Rated of 5
by Susan P. (Boston, MA) Golden Boy
Written in the first person by 6 narrators in alternating chapters, this novel tells the story of an intersex 16-year-old boy who lives in an Oxford suburb. His life, which is very comfortable, is shattered by someone close to him. His life appears to be golden to people who are not dear to him but everything starts to break apart and it doesn't help that his dad (who is decent) is running for MP. The most well-done aspect is the narrators sound true to the characters; the little brother especially. Extremely appealing to people who like stories about families, gender issues, and teenagers (good and bad). Sounds far fetched but it's in fact very compelling and hard to put down.
Rated of 5
by Beverly J. (Huntersville, NC) Golden Boy
Golden Boy is the story of Max who is considered a perfect golden boy because of his good looks, smart, compassionate, and he strives to be the perfect child to his parents. But, Max is intersex, and this secret has caused his family to be as normal and successful as possible by avoidance and politeness to each other. But the seams that hold the secret (and the family) together will burst open when Max is violated physically and emotionally.
The author writes with both sensitivity and detached consideration and except for the emotional opening scene I often felt I was reading a clinical report. The multi-narrator worked for me to understand who the characters were and how Max and his family ended up at this place. The subject of intersex, social expectations regarding sexual identity and the importance of communications within a family will make this a good book club discussion.
Rated of 5
by Wilhelmina H. (New Port Richey, FL) Golden Boy
I found this book to be a fast and easy read. The storyline was different and held my interest, but I thought the characters could have been a bit more developed, especially the parents. There wasn't much layering to their relationships with each other and their children, making their interactions feel superficial to me, but perhaps that was the author's intention. The book does make you think about a topic that is not commonly discussed.
Rated of 5
by Laura G. (Buffalo, NY) An Eye Opening Read
I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be reading this book because of its subject matter. I was right. It wasn't always comfortable, but that was the genius of it. This young author has done an amazing job conveying the feelings of each character as he or she deals with the situation presented. No matter whom you are, and what your experiences have been, this book will give you a lot to think about. I'm very glad I read it.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Can an wiser, older narrator view the past with more wisdom than he might have possessed forty years earlier in the summer he was thirteen? Ordinary...
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U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
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of 5
by Theresa R. (Sierra Madre, CA) 
of 5
by Gail I. (Delray Beach, FL) 
of 5
by Beverly J. (Huntersville, NC) 
