Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Book Reviews of Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: 20th century odyssey
Summary: 5 Stars
It's been a while since an ambitious, intergenerational family saga has made a big splash in the book world, and Middlesex has filled the gap. Yes, a major theme in this novel is hermaphroditism (which I doubt any parent today would handle any better than the Stephanides), but Cal, the narrator and central character, does not make her/his entrance upon the stage until nearly the halfway point of this epic. Author Eugenides has done a remarkable job of capturing the Eastern European immigration experience. As the granddaughter of Slavic immigrants, while reading about the behaviors and attitudes of the first generation Stephanides family, I perceived distinct echoes reverberating from my own childhood. (Other books that do this well are "I Love You Like a Tomato" by Marie Giordano and "Dances with Luigi" by Paul Paolicelli.) Fate and genetics loom equally large in the development of this Greek/American family, raising the possibility that one is the same as the other.
Enter Cal, who does not realize anything is amiss until the typical angst of adolescence becomes unusually and mystifyingly complicated. The medical, practical, and psychological ramifications of dual gender conditions are indeed daunting, and sometimes shocking, and this is beautifully expressed in his characterization. Nevertheless, the reader should be prepared, because some of it can be heavy going. But, infused with humor as it is, openminded readers will find it worthwhile.
The novel comes full circle at its conclusion, also beautifully rendered, as Cal and YaYa find common ground, understanding, and some peace. The vignettes of Cal's current life, inserted only occasionally into the historical narrative, make it clear that this scene is only a beginning for him, saving it from the maudlin.
Some judicious editing might improve Middlesex, as it bogs down in places, but this problem does not detract from the power of its message.
Highly recommended to readers willing to persist and to tolerate uncomfortable sexual content.
Book Review: A protagonist to fall in love with
Summary: 5 Stars
I must admit, the first fifty or so pages of this novel had me questioning whether I wanted to stay with it or not. But I am sooo glad I did!
The beginning of this book we are introduced to Cal wo speaks to us in first person. He is both the subject of this book and the omniscient story teller of this book (a stylistic choice which takes some getting used to). He alludes to his status as a hermaphrodite then takes us back to the old country-- Greece, in this case-- and the start of his story which begins with his grandparents. This is where I found the book to be very dull and hard to get into. Until, that is, the relatives he is talking about, a brother and sister, fall in love and decide to get married, thus setting the stage for a recessive hermaphrodite gene to take center stage two generations later in the form of a little girl named Calliope.
Once Cal's grandparents fall in love, get married and move to the U.S., you become hooked. The stories of Cal's grandparents and parents are fascinating but where the novel really starts to sing is when we enter Calliope's story, particularly her teen years and her slow discovery of what she really is: a hermaphrodite. It's teen angst and discovery at its most compelling. Calliope's journey is so rich and so real-feeling, I found myself on the internet doing research on the author to see if Middlesex is really just a thinly veiled memoir. I cannot tell you how many times I studied Jeffrey Eugenides' picture on the back of the book, trying to determine if he indeed used to be a she! (The end result being I found no such conclusive evidence.)
You fall in love with Calliope and her struggle. You can't help it. She becomes one of the great modern literature characters and you are sad to say goodbye to her at the end of the novel. In fact, that is the main problem with this novel: that it ends.
Book Review: Gender Bender....
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a late comer to this remarkable book yet I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though I have not read Jeffrey Eugenides' widely acclaimed first novel "The Virgin Suicides", I can't help but believe that this novel matches and perhaps even surpasses its predecessor.
The story starts with Desdemona and Lefty, who leave their war torn country, Turkey, and while on their journey harbor a secret that affects the lives of generations to come, specifically Calliope/Cal, the narrator. Once in the U. S. the two immigrants start a life, have two children, Milton and Zoe. Milton is the focus of the second generation, who with his wife Tessie finds success as the owner of a successful hotdog stand franchise. Milton and Tessie have two children and the youngest, Calliope, is the constant in this consuming story. Calliope enjoys a normal life, aware later in her teenage years that she is different but not sure why. As each chapter unfolds we slowly find out that Calliope is in fact a hermaphrodite, a person having both male and female gentalia.
Eugenides writes seamlessly between Cal and Calliope, bringing us backward and forward in time with ease. Each generation is told with great detail and just as you become attached to Desdemona and Lefty, the author begins his focus on Milton and his romance of Tessie and the beginning of their lives together. Each group is given great attention so that you feel as if you know all of Calliope's family by the time we begin to focus on her part of the story. By the end of this novel, I felt as if Calliope/Cal was a real person, interested to see more of the protagonist and how his life will turn out.
"Middlesex" is an engrossing read and sure to entertain. Well written and fullfilling, this is a book that is worth adding to your bookshelf. Highly recommended!
Book Review: Now **THIS** is Literature.
Summary: 5 Stars
What an absolutely stunning book.
Truthfully now, this is not the kind of book I would glance at on the racks and say "Hmmm... a book about a Hermaphrodite. I must read it!" No, I would normally pass it by and in doing so would miss out on an incredible literary experience.
A friend at work heard me b1tch1ing and moaning about the larceny known as "One Hundred Years Of Solitude" that had wasted so much of my time and and she said "I've got a book for you!" and handed me this. I am so glad she did.
Where Shakespeare and Dickens are considered to be masters of English prose, Eugenides will one day, I'm sure, be considered master of "American" prose. His language and style of writing are like nothing I have encountered so far. This is writing that soared through my soul and spoke to my spirit as an equal. He takes that ridiculously over-used term of "magic realism" and stands it on it's head. THIS is what that phrase was meant to be, though it will never be used to describe this book. In my day, we used to call it "poetic license."
This book reads like an autobiography of several different generations written from the point of view of one magical individual. Did that sentence make sense? It won't, until you read this book.
I loved every single character in this book, even the ones with the flaws. Eugenides has a grasp on human nature that few writers can hope to attain. It is equal parts hope, despair, tragedy and triumph; the author makes you care about them all. This is a rare insight into human nature that I wish more of us could attain.
Simply fascinating.
Based on this, I am going to definitely read "The Virgin Suicides," another book which I probably would have passed over.
Don't make that mistake with this one.
Book Review: Captivating stroytelling
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book! I loved everything about it. The characters are rich, the story comedic, set against a backdrop of Detroit in the 20th century. Desdemona and Lefty come to America on a dream and a prayer. Their lives as immigrants making a life in the Motor City is full of ups and downs. The lives of their children Milton and Zoe emulate those of second generation Americans who are bound and determined to be only American and leave the old country ways behind.
And then there's Calliope who narrates. We learn the family's story through her or is it his eyes? When Callie tells the story her voice is distinctly different from when the male voice Cal is narrating. The author did a masterful job writing this character's voice. Callie, as a teenager, tells us of Desdemona taking to her bed, permanently. Then Callie and Cal's story really gets interesting. I thought the author had forgotten to resolve Desdemona. I kept flipping back thinking I'd missed something. But I couldn't have. Long gone are my days of drinking, reading a book before bed and then having to reread the same part again the next day because I couldn't remember what had happened.
I was ready to reduced my rating to a four from a five all because of Desdemona. And then, suddenly and without warning, the author explains where she's been and why. Desdemona, the keeper of the family secret kept it no more. It was a wonderful ending to a brilliant story. Middlesex won my reading heart and my writing mind, earning a rating of five out of five.
Linda C. Wright
Author
One Clown Short