Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 919
 A Staggering Epoch July 30, 2010
JMack (Chicago)
Without much hesitation, I can state that this is among the best novels I have ever read. Some have been repulsed by the subject of this book, seeing it as being deviant or depraved. Upon closer look, they are to find a staggeringly blunt look at a forgotten people; forgotten because of a genetic abnormality.
Calliope Stepahnides' story is told through three generations of her family. Beginning with her granparents, who leave Greece for America, circumstances are set in place that would allow for Calliope's genetic make-up. Yet the burden is not left to the grandparents as noted when Calliope's parents start their family.
Rich not only in Greek tradion but also the history of the once prosperous city of Detroit, the novel reads like a work of historical fiction. As the teenage angst of Calliope rears, the self-discovery of "Catcher in the Rye" comes to mind. But given the circumstances, it is tough to truly see inside the mind of Calliope when even she does not know who she is.
Even if the set up is evident in the final pages, the author does a remarkable job of making the novel comes full circle. By the book's end, the only unfinished element of the story is what happens to the main character beyond the title page.
At times, I had to step away from the book because some aspects were haunting. What would I do given a situation such as this? In reality, there is not a good answer. Few could offer better solutions given the main character's circumstances.
 It's not the same without grandma... July 23, 2010
Blaze
I have to credit Eugenides with tackling a difficult subject; but the second half fell flat for me once the grandmother left the story, as if not only was she the strong foundation of the family, but of the book as well. However, it's obvious Eugenides is a skillful writer and he describes and dissects his characters with a deft pen. I would recommend it for that alone, if nothing else. There were moments of great pathos and of great humor, but the story for me ended halfway through the book.
Amazing. I couldn't put it down. July 1, 2010
Leah New
This book kept me hooked. The story is beautifully written. I practically fell in love with the narrator, and wanted to know everything about her/him.
Knowledge of adolescent sex is amazingly accurate June 28, 2010
Scott David Smith (Springfield)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex was recommended to me by a young student who reads constantly, and it was only because it had won the Pulitzer Prize that I considered tackling it. These kinds of "literary" novels are either boring as hell or transcendent. Luckily, this one was the latter. Eugenides manages to convey the complex inner thought processes of Callie, who was born with amorphous genitals and is raised as a girl until puberty, when the object of his affection is a young, female classmate. Their strange romance is so well written that it reminded me of what it was like in my early to late teens to be subject to the tortures of puberty. The discovering what your body can do, vs. what it wants to do. Discovering who you are attracted to, and whether or not you can trust your instincts. This mission of self-discovery was wonderful, accurate, and the character does exactly the right thing when faced with surgical sexual reassignment. The rest of the book is less interesting, although the peek show in San Fran was hilarious. I didn't get much out of the history of Callie's grand parents and parents, although I learned a helluvalot about the Greek American mindset. Having been to Greece and knowing how they reject modernism, I have great sympathy and interest in the modern Greek psyche.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever known someone that was discovering their sexuality. I have a personal friend who was born a hermaphrodite, so I definitely understand the torture & difficult decisions that are forced on these people. Most people end up choosing love over friendships. That's what Callie does in this wonderful book that certainly deserved the awards that it got.
 Subject and Sentences are rich! June 27, 2010
T. F. Rhoden
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love stumbling upon modern authors who have the syntactic smarts to ruffle the feathers of your regular reader.
Bought as a recommendation, I knew that at least the subject matter would be interesting, but I was not expecting to be rewarded with such a rich level of language. Freely-floating modifiers galore snare phrase after phrase of extra detail that never ceases to reward.
A healthily empurpled text I would recommend to anyone!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 919
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