Rating: 
Summary: Truly A Must-Have Book!
Review: I deliberated for quite some time about buying this book. I read Eugenides "The Virgin Suicides" and, though enjoying it, found it lacked somewhat. However, I eventually took the plunge with Middlesex, and it could be possibly the best decision I ever made. I don't usually go for novels that "span generations", as I often find them to be plodding and rather tiresome. Middlesex certainly is not. I was gripped from the first page and simply could not put it down. It is a lengthy tome but because you are captivated from the very start (with the fantastic opening line of "I was born twice...") and remain so until the very last word, it does not feel like an arduous journey through the pages.
Eugenides writes in such a way that you truly feel you are living through the generations, that you are experiencing the same smells, sights and feelings as the main characters. Take for example, the description of Lefty's job on the production line in the Ford factory. The rhythmic, repetitive prose conjures up so perfectly the mechanics of the production line, that you feel as though you are actually working on it. Trust me, you will feel it! Middlesex is a marked departure from the almost-throwaway feel of The Virgin Suicides. Middlesex is a novel that will remain with you forever, more than worthy of its Pulitzer Prize. The story is great, the characterization is sublime...are you getting the impression I really enjoyed this book? Undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, novels around, but try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Eugenides, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.
Rating: 
Summary: A very enjoyable book
Review: I've been looking forward to reading this book for some time, and I was not disappointed. The narrator, Cal Stephanides', story is rich with history, humor, and wonderful detail. I loved how much depth and insight we get into the characters and their pasts, and would have been happy to read even more about them.
The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that I found the present story much less compelling than the past leading up to it, and was much more engaged by Cal's family and personal history than his present life. The writing is great, though, as is everything else. I recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: from virgins to hermaphrodites
Review: Rave reviews for Middlesex! It was completely a world apart from Virgin Suicides. Usually, writers write with the same tone and timbre - the undeniable literary DNA strand giving you away every time, every novel. His first novel was haunting and fragmented, leaving you with disembodied feelings instead of a sense progression of events. It introduced you to the untouchable Lisbon girls, without really knowing them, content with just seeing them. There are just their eyes and blonde hair and white arms leaving marks on your mind, and shapely legs dangling in the periphery of your consciousness. It was beautiful in its blackness, lyrical in its absurdity.
This time, Eugenides has managed to pull off three generations of androgynous (literally), circular narration in a straightforward plunge. Middlesex was more solid, expansive but intimate. While Virgin Suicides is the stuff made of dreams, this one is made of life in all its monotony and impossible explosions. While Virgin Suicides was fleeting, the pages flying on diaphanous wings, Middlesex was sturdy in its longevity. It's all the stuff that happens between falling in love and falling into a marriage - diaspora, wars, racism, Greek mythology and hackneyed genes included.
As heartbreaking events, layered emotions and unforgettable, quirky characters undulate in the mesmerizing sea of this novel, Callie (initially a she and later on a he) serves as the cohesive anchor and confused protagonist that takes the reader for a ride. Humorous and searing, this novel is an initiation to living.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent "story" - Confused at times
Review: It was chosen for my book club - always a great way to introduce me to an author I may not choose myself. It was an excellent book with many different twists and turns - it is tough to give a quick summary to this read and tell other people what the book is about. My only complaint was that it left me confused at times as it jumped around in time.
Rating:
Summary: Beatiful Writing
Review: Jeffery Eugenides is a beautiful writer. He takes subjects that are off kilter, controversial, or just plain awkward and he makes them somehow beautiful. If you look at the best books being celebrated, an argument could be made that "Middlesex" is the meeting point of where those books overlap. "Middlesex" has the flowery beauty of "Secret Life of Bees." It also has the ability to deal with emotional pain and raging sadness in a incredibly moving way as done in "My Fractured Life." Finally, there is the element of the obscure forced into the world of the norm as done in "Atonement." I'm still trying to figure out if "Middlesex" is the greatest book of all of them because it bridges the elements of each, or if it is not quite as great as the others because it only has elements. I'll probably realize the answer once I give all four another read. That they deserve another read so soon does guarantee their greatness.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Middlesex is an extremely well written novel based on gender confusion and the fascinating recount of the history of a family. This book kept me reading during my every free moment, even when I had the opportunity to read one or just a few pages. This is a great book which any reader will have difficulties putting down for a moment.
Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, VIRGIN SUICIDES
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: I have to say I was a little apprehensive about reading this book. I didn't think I would like it. It was chosen for our book meeting group so I felt I had to read it. Once I started though I could not put it down. What a great story. I loved it.
I definitely would recommend this book for discussion groups or anyone interested in a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Chapter Eleven and the Object
Review: This is probably my favorite book I've read all year, but I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, so I'll just answer the question someone posted below:
Chapter Eleven is presumably not his given name -- that's what Cal calls him because he drove Milton's business into bankruptcy. This is never explicitly stated in the book, though.
By contrast, it is explicitly stated (I think -- I'm doing this from memory) that the Object is named after a movie by Luis Bunuel called The Obscure Object of Desire. Cal explains that there would be no point to giving her actual name in the story, since what's important is that she played this role in Callie's life.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: This is the type of book where I'd be looking forward to leaving work in order to go home and read.
An epic feel with the protagonist's previous generations described in order to explain context. Great descriptions of several decades in the 20th century and truly realistic characters. You'll be glad that you read this fabulous novel.
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