-
Thought-provoking... great read!
“This book was a very introspective look at the life of a hermaphrodite...especially one who does not even know she/he is different until those crucial teen years... This story was extremely well-written and I couldn't put it down. The characters and the story stayed with me well after I had put the book down and moved on to other stories. It really makes you stop and wonder about what it would be like to be living in a body that you feel has betrayed you. Also, that these transgendered people (is this the politically correct terminology?) are people...they may have quirks in their makeup, but emotionally they are the same as the rest of us. Even more vulnerable, but yet strong for having to deal with such a tough issue. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-22. -
mind game...
“ A VERY INTERESTING WORK...THE WRITER IS PLAYNIG WITH ISSUES AS IDENTITY, SEXUALITY AND TRUTH IN AN AMAZING,INTRIGUING WAY...”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-20. -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Very original and interesting
“"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." The first line of the book pretty much sums it up. This is the story of Calliope Stephanides, born a hermaphrodite, the history leading up to her/his birth as a hermaphrodite, and the discovery of her/his true gender.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-19.
I got this book at the height of it's popularity because everyone was talking about what a great book it was. Boy was I surprised when I started it and found out what it was about. With the title "Middlesex", I was thinking it was a story taking place in the English county of that name. I think my not knowing the subject matter made me enjoy the book more. I found it very interesting and very different from anything else I've ever read. I felt like it was two books in one though. The first half of the book is about the genealogical events leading up to the birth of Calliope and focuses completely on her grandmother and grandfather when they were young, whereas the second part of the book is about Calliope and the discovery that she's not like other girls.
I did enjoy this book and now I'm looking forward to reading The Virgin Suicides by Eugenides. ” -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Couldn't bear to finish it!
“I bought this book on Kindle after reading some rave reviews about it, and honestly I don't see what all they hype is about. This book is incredibly dry, boring, and tends to wander. I read about half of the book thinking it would get better, but it never did. This is one of the few books I have not finished reading in my lifetime. It was a waste of my time and money. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-16. -
2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Torn
“I am torn about this book.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-14.
On the one hand, the story kept me coming back.
A list of what I liked:
**Hermaphrodites rarely make it into books as a main character.
**The incestuous relationship between the grandparents sucked me right in.
**I wanted to know what happened to the main character, Cal, over the course of his/her life.
**Eugenides has an intriguing writing style that slips into witty sarcasm (though, I admit, there were a couple instances when it felt as if he was trying too hard).
**Several lines made me laugh - I recited them to my spouse.
On the other hand, the story had some annoying tendencies.
A list of things I didn't like:
**I never felt like I really got to know Cal. He tells us much of the story without filling us in on what Cal really felt or thought as a child - we're only told what he thinks/feels with the benefit of hindsight.
**The story ends shortly after Cal undergoes the transformation from Calliope to Cal, shortly after the age of fifteen. Cal, the narrator, is forty-one years old. We never learn what happens in between those ages; we never find out why Cal is in living and working in Germany. Too many questions are left unanswered.
**While the grandparents intrigued me, their children bored me senseless. They felt stereotypical and flat, especially when compared to their parents.
**There's a lot of passages that felt out of place and, in the long run, weren't necessary to the storyline. I would've preferred those passages been cut in order to make way for more information about Cal's adult years. ”
