Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides?

Question

Is it any good?

I was at a flea market today, and while my dad was looking through some boxes of old books, I just glanced over the shelf and saw 'From the Author of The Virgin Suicides' written really tiny on a book that was turned differently than the others.

I picked it up and saw it was only $2.50, so I bought it.

I know that a short biography of the book is printed inside, but I wanted personal opinions.

What's 'Middlesex' about, and is it any good?

Answer 1

I haven't read it yet but my girlfriend read it and loooooved it. One of those books where she started slowing down toward the end because she didn't want it to be over. It's definitely on my list of books to read one of these days!

As for what it's about, here's the cover flap copy from Amazon:

Spanning eight decades and chronicling the wild ride of a Greek-American family through the vicissitudes of the twentieth century, Jeffrey Eugenides? witty, exuberant novel on one level tells a traditional story about three generations of a fantastic, absurd, lovable immigrant family -- blessed and cursed with generous doses of tragedy and high comedy.

But there?s a provocative twist. Cal, the narrator -- also Callie -- is a hermaphrodite. And the explanation for this takes us spooling back in time, through a breathtaking review of the twentieth century, to 1922, when the Turks sacked Smyrna and Callie?s grandparents fled for their lives. Back to a tiny village in Asia Minor where two lovers, and one rare genetic mutation, set our narrator?s life in motion.

Middlesex is a grand, utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire. It?s a brilliant exploration of divided people, divided families, divided cities and nations -- the connected halves that make up ourselves and our world.

Answer 2

"Middlesex" is a great book! I read it about 3 years ago & I was fascinated by it. Katchoo has given you pretty much the summary, but the book is also about how people are haunted by guilt, for things they should not feel guilty about.

It's also an update on the Tiresias the blind Greek prophet who had experienced both male and female sex. He had been born a man, but saw 2 snakes screwing & struck them with his staff and was turned into a woman. The gods Zeus and Hera consulted with him as to who, man or woman, had more fun during sex.

Cal or Callie, does not answer that question for us, although we do hear that she had sex as a woman, but felt nothing. And as a man he seemed not to have consumated any relationship with a woman.

Answer 3

"Middlesex "My error , it's "Middlemarch" a late victorian novel,(the original) by George Eliot, Thomas Hardy or one of them. Interesting , the Virgin Suicides i thought was circa 1970's , allthough not a domain issue in lit, so the Virgin Suicide author may be referencing to a degree the original. I always wanted to read "the Virgin Suicides" and your query now makes me more so. Keep patronizing flea market vendors/ used book stores, they are on the way out. I have a phenomanal (sp) ecletic , fabulous array of books i picked up at used book stores. I will get to "Virgin Suicides" because of you . Thanks. Still going to check out "Middlesex".

Answer 4

It's brilliant! The narrator is not only in between sexes, but also in between their Asia-Minor Greek heritage and US cultures which makes for an intriguing read!

Answer 5

It is one of my wife's favorite books from her youth, though I wish that she were here to remind me of what it was about. Anyhow, she loved the virgin suicides, and said that the two were pretty similar to each other in terms of enjoyability.