Going in, I had no clue that there would be as much descriptive sexual content as there was in this book. Now I have no problem with this kind of stuff in books, I'm all for more sex positivity in the world, but it's just not my cup of tea. This lead me to skip so many passages, in both the actual story and the footnotes, and, while I ate up the old timey terminologies for certain appendages, there are certain ones that just left me feeling slimy inside.

As for the footnotes, I will agree with the majority of readers that they were often a trial to get through. I appreciated all the definitions, citations, and such, but I feel like Voth's own story could have been presented as chapters so that they would have a bit more readability to them. Once you get into five pages for one footnote, you've kind of lost me. The footnotes are incredibly earnest at times, but also fall into being pedantic fairly often. Again, I had to skim them by the end of the book because there's only so much history I can stand being spouted at me. I do like the sense of community and camaraderie that emits from them towards the end, so overall they're a mixed bag of effectiveness.

The story itself is passable, though I think those from the trans community may find a bit more value in it. I'm nonbinary, so I technically fall under the umbrella, but I don't exactly find myself identifying as trans per say. I did really love the gender euphoria following a procedure Jack goes through in the middle of the book, unsanitary and dangerous that it was, but hey, that was just London at the time. Speaking of which, this is not a book for those having a weak stomach for the more grotesque and putrid aspects of old London life.