Rating: 
Summary: Holy Mother of God!
Review: I have not even finished reading this book, and I had to get on-line to let people know how good it is (so far). There is no doubt in my mind as to why this book won a Pulitzer. Despite its controversial -taboo- content, this is quite possibly one of the best books ever written. As soon as I finish it, I will proudly display "Middlesex" right next to "100 years of Solitude", and "House of Spirits". I was a huge fan of the BOOK version of "The Virgin Suicides", NOT THE MOVIE VERSION, and really, THIS book (Middlesex) just knocked me off my chair. Its THAT good. Eugenides has written a true masterpiece. I look forward to Eugenides' next book. There are several people on my list who will be receiving this book for Christmas this year.
Rating:
Summary: Like a Beautiful Flowing Stream
Review: "Middlesex" is a straight up great book. Yes, there are some elements that deal with alternative sexual identity classification. No, that's not the main focus though. Middlesex is about personal journey and the perseverance of the troubled spirit. I read Middlesex because of the constant comparisons to Rikki Lee Travolta's "My Fractured Life" and I was not disappointed. There is a beautiful organic flow to the words in the spirit of running water that refreshes, cleanses, and invigorates.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing - one of the best books I've read in a long time
Review: This book is incredibly well written - it really draws you in. Fascinating how it draws you into the lives of the characters and makes you feel their pain and joy. Very highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Was not as interesting you would think
Review: I am open to many kinds of subjects and novels and have a wide range of tastes,that is why "Middlesex" appealed to me. While I was reading it, i kept thinking how depressing this book was and the story line was OK, but not dynamic. It seemed to me the Cal/Callie character could have been more interseting in tone and thoughts. The author can write well and the books flows well, however the subject, being dark anyway, didn't meet my expectations. I will certainly try another time to read this author's work.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Pulitzer
Review: I am really into this type of novels. The one when you read you believe it. The facts are convincingly written and proven with some so real data. Reading this is like reading a journal with a twist. You read, you try to argue its accuracy and before long he makes you believe it's true. Good Eugenide.
Rating: 
Summary: Not man, not woman, not great.
Review: As a fan of "Virgin Suicides" and a resident of a remote outpost of the "hair belt" -- a Greek-American neighborhood -- I was particularly interested in checking out "Middlesex." However, the originality and admirable concision of "Suicides" deserts Eugenides in his latest novel. Not that there aren't great things about "Middlesex": It is another intimate and loving look at Detroit, a city, like Pittsburgh, that hardly gets its due in U.S. literature. But Eugenides tends to noodle when he could sketch something in a few strokes, and he has absolutely no sense of humor. And for a book about hermaphrodites and illicit love, there is little in the way of believable passion or lust. Sadly, writers like Eugenides, Franzen and Chabon seem to think that writing long, painterly, rather pedestrian stories will place them in the pantheon. I hope they're wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Simply fantastic
Review: Admittedly a little hesitant to tackle a book about a "hermaphrodite," I put off reading this novel for some time. But when I did finally acquiesce, I found a highly original, moving, funny, and often disturbing work that deserves every accolade it has received. Reminiscent of Jackson McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" with its themes on politics, art, family, and social morays, "Middlesex" is well written and powerful without being melodramatic. The wonderful setting for this novel swings from Greece to Detroit (physically) and has an even further range emotionally and psychologically, for we're given some truly memorable characters to work with in this book, the least of which is not Cal/Callie. And what Eugenides does with him/her and the others in the cast is simply remarkable. We're given highly charged and multi-dimensional people that have depth, feeling, and above all, believability--and it's a good thing, for this material in any other author's hands might prove disastrous. I highly recommend this very unusual and ultimately moving book. While you'll want to pass it on to a friend, you'll definitely have trouble parting with your own copy. Good luck.Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a biology lesson
Review: I wasn't initially excited to read this novel, which was billed to me as "about a hermaphrodite." Indeed it is, but it is also a multi-generational epic about love, loss, family, patriotism, politics, art, and much more that takes the reader from Greece to prohibition-era Detroit to the swanky Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe in the 1970's. And the writing is so beautiful that, in some ways, it wouldn't matter who the characters were or what they did. But you do care, because the characters are painted so vividly. We learn why Cal/Callie possesses both genders, or at least we believe that it is because her grandparents are actually brother and sister. This part of the novel forms the unconventional but surprisingly beautiful love story. It proceeds through the romance of her parents, and Callie's childhood as a little girl, unaware of her uniqueness. The latter part of the novel is about Callie's realization that she is a hermaphrodite, and her ultimate decision to become Cal rather than Callie. This novel is an absolute delight, from start to finish. It has a human element that I found lacking in The Virgin Suicides, although I still enjoyed that novel. This is a coming of age story with a twist, that rivals the great novels of the twentieth century. Cal Stephenides is this generation's Holden Caufield. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful story and well-developed narrator
Review: I must admit that I had my doubts about this book after reading the summary. I thought it would be hard for the author to top his last successful novel, The Virgin Suicides, but I was thankfully wrong.
I absolutely loved this book. The narrator, Calliope "Cal" Stephenides, tells the story of being raised as a girl but realizing that he's more physiologically and psychologically a boy. Cal intersperses his life story with the story of his grandparents and parents for our benefit of understanding who he is both inside and out. I found myself sympathizing with Cal but not feeling sorry for him. If anything, I'm glad that Cal is content with who he is and not at all ashamed or guilty.
Rating:
Summary: Sexy but cliche
Review: The book definitely told one of the most interesting tales I've read in a long time. However, the story took on formulaic proportions regarding ethnicity, regional culturalism in America (...). It deals less with the main character's "issue", which is the hook of the opening sentence, making it misleading. Without the "hook", this story is compelling none-the-less, primarily for its resounding sensuality (it's grammatical curiousity & inconsistency notwithstanding). Unfortunately, the "hook" makes many of the elements disappointingly cliche, including (if not especially) the ending.
|
