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rebekahmay's review
5.0
Like a lot of people I saw The Danish Girl and loved it, so I went looking for what really happened and found this book. Lili: A Portrait of the First Sex Change was partially written by Lili around the time of her last operation. The rest is taken from Lili's letters to her friends and loved ones, her diary entries, Gerda's diary entries, and small inserts from Niels Hoyer, who edited and put together this book. Sometimes this reads like a novel, and I can't believe how incredible this story is.
Lili was so brave. Dressing as a woman could have gotten her killed, then she underwent a series of operations that had never been done before, there was no guarantee that she'd survive them. I have the utmost respect for her and for the people around her. She had so much support from so many people and it broke my heart that she couldn't be who she truly was for longer. My heart was breaking all the way through knowing that she didn't make it.
I definitely recommend this book. Her whole life was pioneering and her thought processes before and during her transition were so interesting. The writing style wasn't a problem for me but I know a lot of people have said it's quite hard to get into but I think if you've read anything else from the same era you probably won't have any problems with it. All in all this was a heartbreaking and iconic story and I'm happy I know more about Lili Elbe.
Lili was so brave. Dressing as a woman could have gotten her killed, then she underwent a series of operations that had never been done before, there was no guarantee that she'd survive them. I have the utmost respect for her and for the people around her. She had so much support from so many people and it broke my heart that she couldn't be who she truly was for longer. My heart was breaking all the way through knowing that she didn't make it.
I definitely recommend this book. Her whole life was pioneering and her thought processes before and during her transition were so interesting. The writing style wasn't a problem for me but I know a lot of people have said it's quite hard to get into but I think if you've read anything else from the same era you probably won't have any problems with it. All in all this was a heartbreaking and iconic story and I'm happy I know more about Lili Elbe.
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