What do readers think of Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin? Write your own review.

I found the opening very disturbing. It was however a riveting story. Max's character was realistic in the way he tried to deal with his situation. I was stunned that the parents were unable to help him. Without Sylvie and the doctor, Max would have had no one to turn to.

I feel that the ending was contrived and forced. Max is after all still a teenager; he still has so much to deal with, (as do his parents) but he may be on the right track.

This is a book I would not have picked out to read on my own. That said, I am glad that I did. The story is an emotionally wrenching look into a subject I was totally unfamiliar with. Max, the golden boy, lives what on the surface seems to be a charmed life. Athletic, handsome and a genuinely nice teen; his life begins to unravel quickly as the facade his parents have created comes apart. Born with both male and female organs, his parents chose to raise him as a boy and defer any decision for surgery until he is older. The supporting characters round out the story in a satisfying manner. Daniel, the brother, provides an anchor for Max through his unwavering love. Wise beyond his years, he was my favorite character. Both parents love Max but make some devastating decisions regarding him. Hunter, his childhood friend, is so flawed that he is the perfect villain you can love to hate.

Tarttelina, a first time novelist, begins her story with no holds barred and at first I was not sure this was the book for me. I am glad I persevered and I find that Max, Daniel and their parents still occupy my thoughts long after the book concluded.

This story took me for a ride right from the first page. Most of us think we have hard lives for one reason or another but not too many of us can imagine how hard it must be for those in the world who struggle with trying to figure out who they are just like Max did in "Golden Boy". Max's parents also had trouble during his struggle because they had made the initial decision for him when he was born which is what caused his "problem". Imagine being in their place having to make the choice for your child. I can't imagine being in any of these positions and I think that Abigail Tarttelin tells a great story from many different perspectives and calls into question the motives of those around Max and the struggles they must have gone through.

Max, an intersex adolescent confronts a very difficult situation. The decision is compounded and complicated by the careers of his parents and his own popularity. At times the path is predictable but it is not without twists and turns that startle, inform and educates as your race to the conclusion.

I found this book well-written and thought-provoking, but also painfully, often needlessly, heart-wrenching. If you are interested in gender issues you should certainly check it out, but know that the story is driven by intense drama resulting from secret-keeping; secrets I think shouldn't have been kept. The issues involved are compelling enough that had the characters told the truth about themselves and the situations they found themselves in, how they dealt with it would still have made a fantastic story, but one far less agonizing. I assume the author wanted the reader to understand how intense and difficult these issues can be, but the secrecy element severely diluted the impact for me. Despite this, I think it is quite worth reading.

Something tells me Golden Boy is going to be widely read, debated and discussed. I needed to take some time to think about the impact and meaning of the book for a while after finishing it. It came to me that no one in the story was "wrong" in what (s)he did in dealing with the challenging intersex anatomy of Max--except of course Hunter, his former best friend. What a great book for discussion at book clubs. This is a tremendous work for such a young author. The wordiness bogged down for me in the second half. I'd love to know if this was the case for others.

Abigail Tarttelin has written a thought provoking, in your face novel about a boy born "different" and how he and those close to him navigate in a world that probably won't understand. The characters are well-developed and sympathetic, moral and ethical issues are presented and debated, and we come away informed about the interest condition. Tarttelin is a good, bold writer, frank yet compassionate. I wasn't sure at first if I'd get into the novel with the story told segment by segment by each main character. It didn't take me long to get hooked, however, and this book was definitely worth the read. The ending may not satisfy everyone, but as I thought about it a bit after finishing the book, it was the best decision for Max at his current age and circumstances.

As a mental health professional who has worked extensively with trangender clients, I was curious, and more than a little apprehensive about reading Golden Boy. Curious as to how the author would approach a subject not often addressed in any form, apprehensive for the very same reason. Twenty pages in and I was hooked. Tarttelin's grasp of the subject, the sensitivity and grace with which she created characters (in particular Max), her portrayal of a young person coming to terms with who he is and parents whose love for a child takes them in different directions--all combined to create a highly readable and ultimately, a very moving novel.