diff --git a/src/column.js b/src/column.js
index 073c433..37466f2 100644
--- a/src/column.js
+++ b/src/column.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { CompressionCodec, Encoding, PageType } from './types.js'
 /**
  * Read a column from the file.
  *
- * @param {ArrayBuffer} arrayBuffer parquet file contents
+ * @param {ArrayBufferLike} arrayBuffer parquet file contents
  * @param {RowGroup} rowGroup row group metadata
  * @param {ColumnMetaData} columnMetadata column metadata
  * @param {SchemaElement[]} schema schema for the file
@@ -21,18 +21,14 @@ import { CompressionCodec, Encoding, PageType } from './types.js'
  */
 export function readColumn(arrayBuffer, rowGroup, columnMetadata, schema) {
   // find start of column data
-  const { codec, dictionary_page_offset, data_page_offset } = columnMetadata
-  let columnOffset = dictionary_page_offset
-  if (dictionary_page_offset === undefined || data_page_offset < dictionary_page_offset) {
-    columnOffset = data_page_offset
-  }
-  columnOffset = Number(columnOffset)
+  const columnOffset = getColumnOffset(columnMetadata)
 
   // parse column data
   let valuesSeen = 0
   let byteOffset = 0 // byteOffset within the column
   let dictionary = undefined
   const rowIndex = [0] // map/list object index
+  const rowData = []
   while (valuesSeen < rowGroup.num_rows) {
     // parse column header
     const { value: header, byteLength: headerLength } = parquetHeader(arrayBuffer, columnOffset + byteOffset)
@@ -40,12 +36,14 @@ export function readColumn(arrayBuffer, rowGroup, columnMetadata, schema) {
     if (!header || header.compressed_page_size === undefined) throw new Error('parquet header is undefined')
 
     // read compressed_page_size bytes starting at offset
-    const compressedBytes = new Uint8Array(
-      arrayBuffer, columnOffset + byteOffset, header.compressed_page_size
-    )
+    const compressedBytes = new Uint8Array(arrayBuffer.slice(
+      columnOffset + byteOffset,
+      columnOffset + byteOffset + header.compressed_page_size
+    ))
     // decompress bytes
     let page
     const uncompressed_page_size = Number(header.uncompressed_page_size)
+    const { codec } = columnMetadata
     if (codec === CompressionCodec.GZIP) {
       throw new Error('parquet gzip compression not supported')
     } else if (codec === CompressionCodec.SNAPPY) {
@@ -108,8 +106,11 @@ export function readColumn(arrayBuffer, rowGroup, columnMetadata, schema) {
         values = value
       }
 
-      // TODO: check that we are at the end of the page
-      return values
+      // check that we are at the end of the page
+      if (values.length !== daph.num_values) {
+        throw new Error('parquet column length does not match page header')
+      }
+      rowData.push(...Array.from(values))
     } else if (header.type === PageType.DICTIONARY_PAGE) {
       const diph = header.dictionary_page_header
       if (!diph) throw new Error('parquet dictionary page header is undefined')
@@ -120,5 +121,23 @@ export function readColumn(arrayBuffer, rowGroup, columnMetadata, schema) {
     }
     byteOffset += header.compressed_page_size
   }
-  throw new Error('parquet error reading column should have returned')
+  if (rowData.length !== Number(rowGroup.num_rows)) {
+    throw new Error('parquet column length does not match row group length')
+  }
+  return rowData
+}
+
+/**
+ * Find the start byte offset for a column chunk.
+ *
+ * @param {ColumnMetaData} columnMetadata column metadata
+ * @returns {number} byte offset
+ */
+export function getColumnOffset(columnMetadata) {
+  const { dictionary_page_offset, data_page_offset } = columnMetadata
+  let columnOffset = dictionary_page_offset
+  if (dictionary_page_offset === undefined || data_page_offset < dictionary_page_offset) {
+    columnOffset = data_page_offset
+  }
+  return Number(columnOffset)
 }