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Middlesex

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'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides is a multi-generational family saga that delves into the history of the Greek American Stephanides family, tracing their journey from a tiny village in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit and suburban Michigan. At the heart of the story is the protagonist, Cal, who navigates questions of gender identity, family secrets, and personal history. The narrative weaves together elements of history, mythology, and science, creating a rich tapestry of immigrant experiences, interwoven with themes of assimilation, discrimination, and the fluidity of identity.

Eugenides' writing style is described as mesmerizing, with a fast-paced and fascinating prose that keeps readers engaged from the first sentence. The novel is praised for its unique storytelling approach, blending humor and empathy to explore complex themes such as gender, family dynamics, and cultural heritage. The character development, especially that of Cal, is highlighted as a standout feature, with readers finding themselves deeply absorbed in the story and characters.

Characters:

Key characters include Cal, who narrates the story and shares his experiences, his grandparents Desdemona and Lefty, and his parents Milton and Tessie.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by its engaging and flowing prose, witty narration, and vivid, descriptive detail.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot involves Cal's unique identity as an intersex individual interwoven with his family's immigration story from Greece to the U.S., touching on various historical contexts.

Setting:

The setting spans from early 20th century Greece, through mid-20th century Detroit, to suburban Grosse Pointe.

Pacing:

The pacing is noted to be uneven, with a slow start that becomes more engaging as the novel progresses, especially in the latter sections.
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. Spe...

Notes:

The narrator, Cal, is an intersex person who was raised as a girl until discovering his true gender identity around the age of 14.
Middlesex won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003 and was also an Oprah's Book Club pick, increasing its popularity.
The novel spans three generations of a Greek American family, starting from the early 1920s in a small village in Greece and moving to Detroit, Michigan.
Cal's grandparents, Desdemona and Lefty, have an incestuous relationship; they are brother and sister who marry in America, leading to genetic complications in their descendants.
The book explores themes of identity, family secrets, migration, and the impact of historical events, including the race riots in Detroit in the 1960s.
Jeffrey Eugenides spent approximately nine years researching and writing Middlesex, blending historical events with personal narratives.
The title 'Middlesex' refers not only to a geographical location but also symbolizes the dual nature of Cal's identity, being both male and female.
The novel is rich in detail regarding Greek culture, immigration experiences, and the notion of the American Dream.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include discussions of sexual identity, incest, and themes of violence and discrimination.

Has Romance?

The book contains elements of romance, particularly in the relationships explored, but it is not primarily focused on romance.

From The Publisher:

Middlesex is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

A dazzling triumph from the bestselling author of The Virgin Suicides-the astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl.

"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver's license...records my first name simply as Cal."

So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

Ratings (89)

Incredible (19)
Loved It (39)
Liked It (22)
It Was OK (6)
Did Not Like (3)

Reader Stats (188):

Read It (95)
Currently Reading (3)
Want To Read (64)
Did Not Finish (5)
Not Interested (21)

3 comment(s)

Loved It
2 weeks

What ever it was that compelled me last time didn't seem to pull me into the story as much this time. I felt a rather big disconnect to the story so I'm dnfing it. Maybe I'll give it a reread some other time but this time I've got to many other books I rather want to read

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It was a very interesting book, very long and sometimes it feelt like it draged a bit, but I did overall enjoy it. Some parts of it was very engaging. Not quite a 5 stars but not far from it

 
Loved It
3 months

Reinforced my belief that transgender issues are overlooked in feminism, let alone mainstream politics.

 
Loved It
6 months

Good lord what a phenomenal book. A bit slow in the beginning but the last chapter makes up for it.

 

About the Author:

Jeffrey Eugenides was born in Detroit and attended Brown and Stanford Universities. His first novel, The Virgin Suicides, was published by Farrar Straus & Giroux to great acclaim in 1993, and he has received numerous awards for his work. In 2003, Jeffrey Eugenides received The Pulitzer Prize for his novel Middlesex (Picador, 2003). Middlesex, which was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, France's Prix Medicis, has sold over four million copies.

 
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