Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Middlesex: A Novel
Book Review: Frustrating due to structural flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
There are already twenty-seven customer reviews on Middlesex at the time of adding yet another one to this tally!! A majority of these reviews have awarded this work a five-star rating: indeed a number of reviewers consider it a worthy winner of the 2003 Pullitzer and deserving of 'modern classic' status. On the other hand, there are a significant number of reviewers that have been troubled by the structure of Eugenides long-awaited second novel, and it is in this camp that I squarely fall.The novel's opening has attracted much deserved praise, so good that it deserves repeating yet again: "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". Unfortunately, Middlesex becomes yet another novel that fails to live up to the promise in its introduction... In this brilliant opening, the reader is introduced to the idea that the protagonist has been born twice in two different genders, due to their realization in early puberty that they are a hermaphrodite, or 'intersexual'. Middlesex could have been a brilliant (and probably shorter) novel had it concentrated on this personal story of Cal Stephanides. Regrettably, however, the novel is an amalgam of essentially two novels unconvincingly cobbled together: a three-generation migrant novel, and the narrator's story. The structure of the novel is fairly straightforward: at the beginning of many chapters, the reader is teased with infuriatingly short passages discussing developments in the present-day relationship of Cal with an American girl in Berlin, followed by page after page of the family saga in chronological order. The novel would have been so much more satisfying if it had focused on the life of the protagonist - as suggested by the title and introduction - and merely reworked a fraction of the material in the family saga (such as the ideas on inter-marriage within families and genetic/biological information) to round out Cal's story. Instead, the reader has to plough through hundreds of pages of the family saga waiting for the real story to unfold... Furthermore, so much of the novel is taken up by this family saga that Eugenides fails to deal with Cal's life from his teenage years to his present-day relationship. To be fair, there are some moments in the 'epic/family saga' section that are enjoyable due to Eugenides narrative style, but for the most part there is little to differentiate this lengthy section of Middlesex from many other family/migrant sagas.
Eugenides is to be congratulated for the sensitive and tender handling of the central character that invites the reader to empathise with the issues of gender identity confronting Cal Stephanides, and also for raising awareness of these issues. However, given the traumas that puberty and sexuality issues can inflict on even well-adjusted adolescents, the early teenage Cal seems extraordinarily and unrealistically composed in dealing with much rarer and challenging gender identity issues. I didn't feel strongly for the other characters, partly reflecting my general frustration with the family saga. Furthermore, some of the plot twists involving these characters were annoying and unconvincing, notably the re-introduction of a character that had supposedly died, and events between two other characters towards the end of the novel that leads to an improbable car-chase.
Book Review: Both a place and a gender
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a BIG book, and a little difficult to get through unless you can negotiate with your family for some quiet time. Basically, it chronicles the formative years of Cal Stephanides, beginning with the grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona, who were really-too-close for siblings, and who fled Greece as their village burned around them. What ignited even hotter was their passion for each other, and under the billowing smoke, they hatched a plan for a new start in America, jiggling the lifeboats all the way to New York.
Their son Milton eventually married his cousin Tessie, producing a strangely-named son Chapter Eleven, and another child who became their strange daughter Calliope.
Unfortunately for Calliope, the sins of Lefty and Desdemona began the awakening process of a little recessive gene which pushed its way to the nether regions of the second grandchild, forming a little extra something to Calliope's feminine format.
Due to a half-blind doddering Doctor acquaintance, this development is overlooked for years, until more observant doctors at the emergency room make the discovery of the little flagpole.
Referred to a specialist, Calliope tells the doctor exactly what he wants to hear, and after sneaking a peek at the medical chart, beats a hasty exit, emerging from the uncomfortable female cocoon as an uncoordinated young man named Cal.
The story from here moves quickly, as Cal puts his Adam's apple forward (this should have been a giveaway long before) and finds himself quite literally in hot water up to his neck, until he ultimately finds his niche and learns to be comfortable with himself.
There are many stories supporting the main theme, some of which are like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", and some more like "American Pie". Add bootlegging, drugs, fast food and silkworms, throw in a little racism, religion, extortion and a peep show or two - and there you have "Middlesex".
A bit hefty, but never boring.
Amanda Richards
Book Review: A modern classic, in the truest sense of the word
Summary: 5 Stars
When I came across this novel in a bookshop in late 2003, I had heard very little about and it so I was able to read it without any preconceived notions of what it would be like. The mysterious initial sentence of the book (as mentioned in other reviews), combined with the fact that this won the Pulitzer in 2003, compelled me to buy it though and I am exceptionally glad that I did so. I don't want to give away the plot too much (that would ruin the experience for readers as they proceed through the novel themselves) but I will say that Eugenides has a true gift for writing and his craft makes reading a joy. After reading this novel, you feel that you have done something good for yourself and your brain as well as being indebted to Eugenides for having produced something of this brilliance.
Although all of the events take place in the C20th onwards, there are many allusions to Greek classical works (as befits a novel where the main characters are of Greek descent) so that the novel can be read on many levels. The reader feels drawn to the characters who are well-rounded with both strengths and weaknesses where the author displays real humanity.
I am not someone who gushes at every book I read or who peppers my analyses of books with abundant superlatives, but Middlesex deserves the praise it has received. At 500+ pages some may be deterred by the length but stick with it: this novel never sags and the rewards will be worth it.
Book Review: A modern classic, in the truest sense of the word
Summary: 5 Stars
When I came across this novel in a bookshop in late 2003, I had heard very little about and it so I was able to read it without any preconceived notions of what it would be like. The mysterious initial sentence of the book (as mentioned in other reviews), combined with the fact that this won the Pulitzer in 2003 compelled me to buy it though, and I am exceptionally glad that I did so. I don't want to give away the plot too much (that would ruin the experience for readers as they proceed through the novel themselves) but I will say that Eugenides has a true gift for writing and his craftwork makes reading a joy. After reading this novel, you feel that you have done something good for your brain, as well as feeling indebted to Eugenides for having produced something of this brilliance.
Although all of the events take place in the C20th onwards, there are many allusions to Greek classical works and mythology (as befits a novel where the main characters are of Greek descent) so that the novel can be read on many levels. The reader also feels drawn to the characters who are well-rounded with both strengths and weaknesses and the author is to be congratulated for dealing with his subject matter with such humanity. This book is by turns funny, sad, historical, political, epic and a study of "otherness" with themes that readers the world over will be able to identify with.
I am not someone who gushes over every book I read or who peppers my analyses of books with abundant superlatives, but Middlesex deserves the praise it has received. At 500+ pages some may be deterred by the length but stick with it: this novel never sags and the rewards will be worth it.
Book Review: Middlesex
Summary: 5 Stars
I happened upon this book by chance, I knew very little about it or the author's previous work so I had no preconceptions. I had not read any previous reviews and I bought it purely on a whim. Middlesex is by far one of the best books I have read in the past few years: impossible to put down and wholy original. The book works on a number of levels: it can be read as the story of an imigrant family in the 20th centuary, a discussion of race relations in mid-to-late 20th century USA, a history of the rise and fall of Detroit, a brief introduction to the Greek classics, or an overview of US foreign policy in the 20th centurary (there are many other themes which I do not have the space to mention). The bottom line, however, is that the book is a rollicking read - ignore at your peril.