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: The best book I have read all year! (and I read a helluva lot)
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read some of the other reviews and I don't want to just reiterate what has already been said, but I really want to put my two cents in on this one. Middlesex is by far the best book I have read this year. You know those books that you just can't put down? Well, Middlesex is most definitely one of them! It has all that you need: history, foreign countries, Greek customs, incest, numerous love stories, sadness, more history, and, of course, the main character is a hermaphrodite... but doesn't know it throughout the majority of the book. When you get to the last sentence of the last page, you're left wanting more to the story, even though this book is a little over 500 pages. Not short enough for one sit (though, that is exactly what I did!), but not so long that you can't finish it during the weekend. It's a fast-paced read with never a dull moment. The beginning is laced with a lot of family heritage and Greek history, but it's all worth the read, for without it, the book would feel empty or artificial.
After reading Middlesex I handed it over to my roommate, who finished it in even less time than it took ME to read! Since then, it has been passed around the FOB and not a single Soldier has disliked it. This is a book that both males and females will enjoy, and I give it my highest of recommendations!
-Just another Soldier in Iraq
Book Review: Worthy of its Pulitzer
Summary: 5 Stars
Middlesex tells the story of the Stephanides family, beginning in the mountains of Greece and spanning the globe. The narrative jumps from Detroit to Berlin to San Francisco and back again. Our narrator and tour guide for this slightly fantastical journey is one Cal Stephanides, a fastidious and mysterious man in his early forties. Though he hides his past from those in his life, he is frank with the reader from the first sentence, "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974."
From that astonishing opening, Cal spins the tale of his former self, Calliope Helen Stephanides, her eccentric Greek family, and her shocking discovery in the midst of a heady coming-of-age. Though Calliope's journey of self-discovery is wholly unique, her story expresses the pathos of sexual awakening and the confusion that comes with adolescence.
Eugenides is truly masterful in his writing, shifting seamlessly from Cal's viewpoint to Calliope's, and keeping us with him (or her) the entire time. It is easy to see why Middlesex was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The Stephanides family is not one you'll soon forget, even as you're still reeling from the surreal events of their fraught history.
Book Review: Middlesex is an insightful novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading a novel about a hermaphrodite is something I never thought I would enjoy, but I was wrong. Middlesex is an excellent book. Jeffery Eugenides is a talented and insightful writer. He describes how Greek immigrants of both sexes had to work hard to survive in Detroit in the early part of the 20th century. Lefty is a fictional character in the novel. I loved reading about how hard he worked to improve his life. He started working at a factory making car engines, and he worked diligently to become a successful bar owner. Eugenidies' description of the race riots in Detroit in 1967 is very vivid. I could picture people looting shops and setting them on fire. I have no idea how a hermaphrodite feels, and I think Eugenides does a good job writing about how it feels to live as one. The main character is a hermaphrodite named Callie. Eugenides writes about Callie's confusion and frustration about not developing like other girls as a teenager. This is very moving. He also writes about her experiences with drugs and having sexual relations with a female classmate. Middlesex is very much a coming of age novel because of the self exploration element. I enjoyed reading how Callie's parents loved and treated her unconditionally. Middlesex is a novel that reminds people to accept and embrace individuals with gender differences.
Book Review: A long Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a long novel, however it is not a charles Dickens novel where one can easily get lost in the sea of characters. I love this books, there is an incredible amount of historical detail, which at first seems such a bore to read, however it is incredibly interesting after the novel is read. from the battles or wars between turkey and Greece, to the incredible rich history of Detroit that I had no idea about, I only knew Detroit for its cars. But the author has weeved together an incredible story in part about immigrants and starting their lives again. And the other part of the story is about a young girl who tries to find her identity, which is common to all of us, however it is more dramatic for this young girls as it happens that she is a boy. There is so many elements to this novel, its quite fascinating, and what makes this novel a masterpiece to me is that I still think about the novel and the author in this unique story made this story so universal. For example, hemaphrodites, much of the stories i have read about hemaphrodites, which is little, has always been mythologized, something unreal, however this novel manages to make this hemaphrodite a human being. I love this book. I must admit, this book took me a while to read, however, it is worth it.Book Review: This is One Terrific Book !
Summary: 5 Stars
You know you're reading a good book when you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it and get up to finish it! It took me a couple of hundred pages to get really taken in by Middlesex, but after that I was hooked. It's hard to describe everthing this book is about; it is multi-layered. I loved the character of Callie/Cal as she/he struggled through a heart wrenching journey of self discovery. My heart weeped during a lot of her/his journey. The author writes in such a way you really feel the emotions of this character, and you learn to love him so much by the end that it is hard to say goodbye to him. I also loved the historical events and the memories brought back of old cars, the Detroit racial riots, the Nixon years, Vietman, and long forgotten products (remember Psssssst for your hair :) ?????). It's really a wonderful story and, yes, I was sad to read the last page and have to say goodbye. It's a long, sometimes confusing, greatly woven tale well worth the read. Life doesn't get any better than finding a great book like this to spend time with ! I wish I had words of wisdom enough to make someone really want to read this book, all I can say is you won't regret it. It will be on my all-time favorite list.