Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Middlesex: A Novel
Book Review: An ambitious undertaking with outstanding results
Summary: 5 Stars
How to describe this sweeping epic, this amazing journey of the girl who became a boy? Cal Stephanides, the girl in question, was never really a girlshe was merely misdiagnosed at birth. We follow her life from birth to middle-age, as well as the journey of her conception. And to understand the events leading up to that, Eugenides treats us to the incestuous history of the Stephanides clan, spanning from Greece at the beginning of the 20th century to modern-day San Francisco and Detroit. Such an elaborate story would seem a daunting read, and I did initially find that to be the case; the first hundred or so pages were a little taxing to get through, especially deciphering the Greek tangle of familial relations. But Im glad I stuck it out because this was such an absorbing tale, told with grace and a surprising amount of wit. The characters are thoroughly developed (except, perhaps, for modern day Cal, who I wouldve liked to hear a little more about), and Eugenides moves them deftly through the decadesthrough many major events in American history like the Depression and the race riots in Detroit.
His descriptions of the emotional angst Cal endures throughout a sexually ambiguous adolescence and the subsequent discovery of his biology are SO well done. I was also amazed by the detailed history of hermaphrodites Eugenides includes. Really, I cant express my awe enough for this book.
Book Review: An entertaining but flawed novel
Summary: 3 Stars
I found much of this book quite enjoyable, but ended up feeling that Eugenides had not quite lived up to his promise.The novel follows three generations of the Stephanides family, and it faces a general problem with such multigenerational works --it's hard to get the reader deeply involved in the lives of the grandparents, then put these characters aside and transfer one's interest to the parents, and then finally to make a third transfer of interest to the children.
Eugenides succeeded in getting me interested in the grandparents (Desdemona and Lefty), their escape from Turkey, and their life in America. But the second generation, Milton and Tessie, was less compelling. Milton becomes a cliche'd Archie Bunker sort of character, and Tessie isn't well-developed at all. They are not very interesting or memorable characters, and we spend way too much time with them.
Cal/Callie's story is fascinating, but it seems to end far too soon. The book ends shortly after s/he has discovered and accepted her transgendered nature at age 15. But the narrator is roughly 40, and we don't get to learn anything about the intervening 25 years. How did Cal get from being a newly discovered boy to being a diplomat in Germany? What was his life like in the intervening years? And what is it like now?
There are real flashes of brilliance in this book, but ultimately I was disappointed and feel that it doesn't come together.
Book Review: An interesting and profound novel about gender and identity
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many fans of the "Virgin Suicides," I was impatient to read another book by Eugenides. The author seems to be on the brink of something profound. In "Suicides" it was about motivation and secrets. Why did the girls kill themselves? This question seemed only partially answered. In "Middlesex" Eugenides once again takes on a taboo topic which is at different turns is both more and less successful than "Suicides."
"Middlesex" is an important novel because it explodes certain myths about sex and gender. Eugenides' Callie/Cal bluntly states her/his position in the novel - he/she is both male and female. Nature didn't trump nurture and nurture didn't trump nature. They melded together to make her/him emotionally androgynous. This is the reason why I believe this novel is so profound. Life is frequently gray and Eugenides applies this basic principle to his novel. I particularly liked how Cal, even as a "man," states his dislike of other men. It reminds me of all the heterosexual men out there who playfully refer to themselves as lesbians. They're attracted to women, have true friendships with women, and generally can't stand the company of other men. To read all the relationship self-help books on the market you wouldn't even know that such men existed.
Despite certain criticisms of this novel, the history of Callie's/Cal's family is extremely important to the story. It shows how the central character arrived at the final destination. Not only that, the long family history is quite interesting. I'm not sure why anyone would think it was boring to read about the destruction of Smyrna, life in a Greek village or immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and migrating west. These details only add further depth and meaning to the novel.
It would have been nice to have more information about Cal's life as a man and what he went through in his evolution as an adult. But still, this is a minor detail overall. Eugenides sprinkles details about Cal's life as an adult throughout the novel. It would have been nice to have more information, 20 or so pages perhaps, about what it was like in his 20s.
The other criticism which I have to agree with is Eugenides cutesy labeling of Callie's/Cal's brother as "Chapter Eleven." When I first saw this I thought that the publisher had made a printing error. I even did a search on the Internet to see if this was the case. It was simply distracting to read "Chapter Eleven" over and over and think of a real person. I can imagine this came up with Eugenides' editor at some point. I can even picture them debating about whether this was an effective way to be funny. Frankly, it wasn't. I think Eugenides could have said this was his brother's nickname, but to use this name over and over, without ever using the real name, was annoying and seemed contrived.
Overall, I'd give "Middlesex" 4 1/2 stars. Eugenides' two novels have been so good, I just hope I don't have to wait another ten years for his next novel.
Book Review: An original and moving sophomore effort
Summary: 4 Stars
I have not read Eugenide's first novel "The Virgin Suicides," so I can't compare the two. I enjoyed the film but felt like something was missing in the translation. However, I can comment on "Middlesex" on its own terms and with that said, I found it to be a distinctive piece of fiction, endlessly entertaining, and profoundly moving for long stretches - particularly the final third that deals with Calliope's anguished, but ultimately triumphant, adolescence.The cast of characters is colorful, the settings varied, and its sense of historical place and time quite vivid, especially in its depiction of the Detroit riots and burning of the city in the late-60s. But it's the character of Calliope (or "Cal") that really holds it all together. I found myself caring more for her than for any character I can recall in recent fiction. Her transformation - both figurative and literal - is beautifully rendered.
My only criticism is of the interludes that appear intermittently set in 2002 Berlin, which depict the narrator's relationship with an Asian-American woman. These sections - never more than seven or eight pages at a time - read like fragments from a different novel or sections that had been edited out of the final text.
It's a long book, but one well worth the effort.
Book Review: Another Peculiar Darkly Humorous Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
After nearly ten years of waiting, Jeffrey Euginides fans everywehre can rejoice with the arrival of "Middlesex." In his second book, the twisted yet darkly humorous tale is organized into four parts, all narrated by Cal, a 41-year-old hermaphrodite who spend the first 14 years of his life (and most of the book) being raised as a girl in and around Detroit, Michigan.The book's title is derived from several different aspects of the novel, including Cal's odd situation and a house he grew up in.
The story begins with Cal, born as Calliope, telling about his life in the present day. He then goes back in time to introduce his grandparents in Greece, follow them to the United STates where they raise their family and continue with the biography of Cal's parents all the way to Calliope's birth.
Calliope knows by her teens that she is not a girl like other girls. She knows it when she gets her first kiss, smokes her first blunt, and realizes that she is attracted to other girls. Only on a trip to see a New York doctor does she find out that she is not really a girl at all.
Yoiu will feel compassion for Cal/Calliope as you read of adventures from hitchhiking through the Midwest to working at a strip joint in San Francisco. Though these wild adventures are not common practice, a connection forms between you and the main character. Euginides uses his words to climb into your brain, and if you aren't careful, you may begin to think that you are Calliope.
Pieces of interesting medical material scattered throughout give the story a feeling of reality and a greater idea of what it means to be like Cal/Calliope.
The 500+ page book is also well organized, divided into four sections that make the task of reading it seem like less of an overwhelming project. The method of organization is such that the four different books compliment each other yet focus on one main point in themselves.
Euginides occasionally goes into such detail that readers may find themselves skimming through sections of the book. Toward the end there is a full three to four page physicians report, written in the dull medical language that even some doctors find to be difficult reading.
Euginides is best known for documenting the little known ways of life. If a shorter sampling of his writing is what you desire, pick up "The Virgin Suicides," a quick read and a contemporary classic. Eudinides' work can also be found in past issues of the "New Yorker" and the "Best American Short Stories" series.