Book Reviews of Middlesex

Pulitzer Prize winner? You have got to be kidding me. I hated it. A contemporary, disjointed, out-of-sync epic? Epic only in the sense of a tale told by a fool signifying nothing. I fail to see what the fascination is with this simplistic hermaphrodite tale where the fate of the Stephanides family is recounted in boring overly-spun prose. Cal/Calliope is no muse, no Ishmael, and no Holden Caulfield, struggling with his/her sexual identity.

Full of improbable (impossible?) coincidences, I still really liked this coming of age book. Imagine being raised as a girl, but never quite looking right after puberty, never fitting in, feeling lust for another girl, all the typical angst. Interspersed in this is the story of the family, beginning with the grandmother and her brother who flee their home as the Turks invade. I was fascinated, and I hated the book to end, and I also was a little disappointed in the ending - I think it could have gone a little further.

An Oprah pick. Middlesex is both the name of the area in which the protagonist is raised and a term used to denote the gender state of the protagonist....or how Calliope become Cal, last name Stephanoides.It is a story that feels like a biography that relates the first 16yrs of a hemaphrodite's life. It also tells the story of a displaced Greek family and several generations thereof. It is witty believable and captivating.It is full of information as well as enjoyable.

I was a little disappointed that the majority of the book was about the generations of her family before her. It seemed like just when you are getting to know Calliope/Cal, the book is over. I thought overall it was a good book, just not great.

Oh my gosh it didnt get me from the first sentence but once I got into it couldnt stop reading. Did not really like the way it ended wanted more.

The book goes back to the history of his grandparents and lists every detail of their lives then he arrives at his birth where he goes into details of his parents lives. Finally arriving at the point of the book his own sexual discovery and with only two chapters left the book is a let down. The history lessons in the story are interesting but over all the main story line fails to appear until the end and then it seems unfinished.

I truly did not like this book. I didn't even finish it, which is something I rarely do. Just too weird.

"Middlesex: A Novel" is a large book so be prepared for some extra time in reading it. There are some good subplots to go along with the main theme in this book. Well written, the author does a good job of keeping your attention, at least as best as possible considering the size of the book. I would recommend.

I picked this book by accident, mistaking the title for another book, but what a wonderful mistake. Although, I can't say I would have ever chosen to read about an hemaphrodite, I truly enjoyed the writing in this book. The phrasing and words used by the writer created wonderful pictures. My favorite part was the grandparents story.

I went on to read The Virgin Suicides by the same author. Both books were enjoyable but Middlesex beats hands down.

This makes my top 5 all time books list! The writing is beautiful. Historically interesting. For those who seem to get confused or frustrated with the long history and character development of the grandparents, it is such an important piece of this work IMO. Every single one of us, carries the lives of our ancestors in our DNA. We wouldn't be who we are, without them being first. I also enjoyed how the characters developed and changed over time, proving that we can make choices about our futures; we are not stuck or predestined.

Could not finish this book, the first book in my adult life that I actually did NOT finish.

I really liked this book! Once I started reading, it was hard to put down. Too bad I missed Oprah's interview with Jeffrey Eugenides.

This was a beautifully written book contrasting a 1920's Greek immigrant family's journey to America with a 1970's granddaughter's attempt at assimilation into what she thinks of as her proper place sexually in her family and in society. This story handled a very difficult subject with great sensitivity and insight.

Excellent book..a must read..

I enjoyed this book and have suggested it to several friends who have equally enjoyed the book. It is a long story and at one point in the middle I thought the story was stretched a bit too long, but I read through it and ended up being even more engaged and captivated. I could not put the book down after that. It is a fun fictional read, but does require the reader to have an open and flexible mind.

I picked up this book and put it down a couple times before finally buying. I didn't know how I would feel about the content. Now that I have read it. I am glad I did. I found this book to be amazing. Mr. Eugenides is a fantastic story teller. I found humor in the characters. I know or have known the people he as described in this book. I whole heartedly recommend this book.

Awesome book! Its truly one of the best books I've ever read. It's long but I couldn't put it down. Its almost several stories in one.

With high expectations, I began reading this book, only to be somewhat disappointed. With the high acclaim for Middlesex, I guess I expected something more than the author delivered. It is an entertaining novel with the uniqueness of the main character being a hermaphrodite. This believable story is told in first person, from Callie/Cal's perspective. It deals with growing up different, awakening sexuality and social rejection and acceptance. Middlesex is an enjoyable, quick read. I liked the book but felt that it only skimmed the surface of a issue and I was left desiring more.

This book was a fantastic journey through a complex family history and the secret unknown world of the hermaphrodite. Very well written.

Like someone else said, I'm more surprised that this isn't a real memoir than that it isn't. It is incredibly well written; one of the best books I've read to date. It is certainly not a fast read by any means, but I found myself not wanting to put it down nonetheless. There are some sensitive issues that the more conservative reader might find uncomfortable, but it was written with great tact and believability. I highly recommend this book! I'm so glad I found it and someone had it to send to me!

BORING

A very unique book but an incredible read. A bit slow at times and sometimes you don't understand how what you're reading has relivance to the complete story, but then you figure out that it has a lot to do with why the main character is the way she is. Definately worth it!

Very different. Very interesting. Loved it. What a great story! The narrator was like none I've ever experienced before. Must read!!

weird book, but kept my attention

I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot medical information that was very interesting. It's a good read and I would recommend it to book clubs for discussion.

Loved the book. Was quickly drawn into the story.

I had the impresion that this book was written with the intention of being a screenplay for a movie and not a novel. The reason I think that is becasue I felt the writing becomes an afterthought of the scene. The author makes strange/ sometimes impossible choices of perspective and lighting and even describes what he is seeing and from what angle or describing a move on a dolly or a crane rather than let the story flow. I think in this sense the writing style lacks luster and I didn't care for it. Having said that, I enjoyed the third part of the book and it engaged me to finish it. The first two parts are painfully slow, filled with a long list of episodes and details of the family history that at the end of the story didn't have much to do with the main chararacter'r ordeal. However, I did find the theme interesting enough, I just wished someone other than this author had written it.

This was an intriguing story. I wished there was less back story and more flesh to the actual subject of the book. Overall a very entertaining read.

Whatever you have heard about this book, I encourage you to experience it for yourself. It is beautifully written and engaging. I read this book years ago yet I can still summon the author's voice in my mind when I think about the characters. I read a lot, so many stories come and go and stay gone, but this one has stayed with me.

I did not like this book and I don't even think I finished reading it.

This book was really hard for me to get into. After I got into it the story got better, but I was still confused a lot during the reading. I believe the author could have taken it to a different place.

wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as i did. very clever and well written

I had it on my bookshelf for a while before I read it. It was so well written and was full of interesting information about things I didn't know much about: hermaphrodism and the lives of Greek immigrants. I highly recommend it.

Great Book!!!

I thought that this book was one of the best I have read in the past 10 years. You really felt like you knew the characters. Some of the subject material that would normaly make you shutter, turned out to be the most fastinating. I did not want this book to end, but unlike some of the other people who read this book I was not disapointed with the ending. I think that "Cal" could not wirte any more because he has to live his life to come out with the rest of the story...

I loved this book. I loved how it was written over multi-generations. Seeing the family develop from one generation to the next and choices affecting each other was amazing. It reminded me of East of Eden in the sense of following a family in their journey.

This book was such a great read! I don't usually like Oprah's picks. Way to go O!

Part myth, part coming-of-age, part social commentary, this story of a teen coming to grips with a more-than-normally confused heritage, thanks to a couple of errant chromosomes and a slight bending of veracity by her grandparents.

Excellant Book Its one of Oprahs Book of the Month

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