This is a family saga with a twist. The main character, Calliope, the product of a lengthy family history with some incestuous elements, was born a hermaphrodite. Yet the narrator (Calliope him or herself) despite telling in some detail about the concerns of being of dubious gender, somehow, by tone, makes it all seem like a personal oddity on the level of something much lesser, like a pair of webbed toes. Still, there is the family, and their background in Turkey, or Greece, or Turkey, depending on which was the most recent invader, then immigrating to the USA, to Detroit, and environs. We are treated to a view of history from the early 20th century to today, with nods to many of the intervening events, WW I, the Depression, WW II, the beginnings of the Nation of Islam, the Detroit riots, school busing, white flight. There is a rich cast of characters, some of whom make sense, many of whom are interesting, and many of whom vanish in a puff of smoke once their mission is complete. The tribulations of the adolescent Cally, fearful of being found out are entertaining and engaging.

There are plenty of holes in this work. One character in particular morphs from one sort into another with no apparent basis. A few close relations seems to drop off the edge of the earth. There is a wealth of very self-conscious symbolism and the author is more than happy to point it out to us. One may not like that Eugenides treats his tale with such a playful tone and switches from first person to omniscient observer quite frequently, but it did not bother me. Should a book that has the rash of flaws present here win a Pulitzer? Maybe not, but because it may not have been a deserving winner of a major prize does not mean that it is not a good book. Family sagas that offer a view of passing history have always been popular. That long view is certainly a positive presence here. That Cally is bi-gender was probably unnecessary to the telling of a family saga, and seems a long way to go to add spice. But such concerns notwithstanding, I rather liked it.

A rich family saga, quite wonderful in places and a little drawn out in others. I enjoyed the grandparents’ and Calliope’s storylines the most, although really the whole thing is Calliope’s story.

Hmmmmm.... what to say, what to say...

I sometimes go into a book "blind" - to be as unpolluted in my expectations as can be, looking only at the star ratings of my Goodreads friends in order to determine whether I will try a book. I knew only that an overwhelming number of my friends enjoyed it, and that it won the Pulitzer in 2003. Both great reasons for me to pick up this book.

I didn't realise until I looked on the jacket cover that the book was about an individual, Calliope (later, Cal) who is a hermaphrodite. Okay, intriguing. I also didn't realise until about 20 pages in that it all began with Cal's grandparents, who... yeah... were part of the same nuclear family. Alrighty...

This is my first experience reading Jeffrey Eugenides, and he certainly knows how to write. BUT... (here's where I have to list my reasons for my three star rating on a much beloved book - I'll try to be brief)

1 - 529 pages. 529 pages!
2 - It took almost 400 of these pages before Cal's story comes into play.
3 - At times I really felt like I was getting a history lesson, and so much of it seemed superfluous to the "real" story at hand.
4 - I found the Father Mike story arc quite unbelievable.
5 - Why does he insist on calling his brother "Chapter Eleven"?
6 - His habit of switching from 1st person to 3rd somewhat randomly, felt a little jarring.
7 - It seemed to me a rather grandiose PSA for "Don't Marry Your Sibling and Then Have Your Child Marry Their Cousin and Have Babies"

I don't mean to be too harsh. (Don't hate me!) As I said, Eugenides is a skilled writer. There are some sex scenes - which I believe are very difficult to write well - involving our protagonist that were beautifully rendered. He created some very memorable characters. My main problem is with the epic nature of this book. I wondered, is this a historical family saga, or is this the story of Cal? I wanted him to decide.

This book has all the major players....

Incest, war, teenage girl-on-girl experimental sex, deadheads, undescended testes, and a 2 inch penis.

Yep, it took me all of one chapter to realize that Middlesex was referring to something besides a county in England.

Best Part: Answering Maurice's question "What's that about?" then watching him squirm and cross his legs in obvious pain.

Worst Part: Glaring Oprah sticker on the cover telling me I've succumbed to the masses.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a surprising and wonderfully written story about the life of Calliope/Cal Stephanopolis who in the opening lines "was born twice: first, as a baby girl...and then again as a teenage boy." The subject of hermaphroditism or intersexuality is addressed throughout as the book as a running theme as the cinématographique narrator Cal looks back at his childhood as Calliope and explains his complex incestuous family history from the origins of her grandparents as Greeks fleeing Smyrna as the Turks invade to Detroit from the 20s up to the 70s.

The narrative time shifts between his life as a 41 year old man Cal to this running family history written in a witty, humorous style which I found fun and engaging. The text ingeniously woven together from history and science with many recurrent themes (silkworms, Greek orthodox beliefs and practices, guilt and redemption, etc). I couldn't put this book down. This is the only Eugenides book I have read but it will definitely check out his other books.

An interesting sidenote: trying to explain the book "daddy is reading" to my 7yo daughter and my 10yo son, I was able to painlessly explain why brothers and sisters cannot get married (a very common kid's question) and even reproductive functions in a painless and intuitive way: since Callie has organs of both sexes but the penis ("zizi" in kid's French) is inside her vagina ("zezette") she cannot have babies and will never menstruate ("clean the house where the baby can live"). She also has too many male hormones to develop breasts which happens about the same time or just before menstruation. This deformation was the improbable result of the union of a brother and sister two generations back. Nature wants to ensure a varied gene pool and thus it is better to seek love outside one's own family. This explanation seemed to satisfy both of them :)

UPDATE: Great recent article at good housekeeping.com: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/...

Το Middlesex είναι ένα επικό, αριστουργηματικό έργο που στο πυρήνα του εδρεύει η αλλαγή, η εξέλιξη, η μετάβαση. Σαν τον μεταξοσκώληκα που περνάει από τόσα στάδια για να παράγει το πολύτιμο μετάξι. Σαν τον Λέφτυ και την Δεισδαιμόνα που η καταατροφή της Σμύρνης θα τους αφήσει να ξαναγεννηθούν και να ξαναεφέυρουν τον εαυτό τους όπως εκείνοι θέλουν τώρα που οδεύουν στην Αμερική. Σαν τον Μίλτον και την Τέσσυ που θα περάσουν διάφορα αλλα θα καταλήξουν μαζί αδιαφορώντας για τα πάντα. Σαν την Καλλιόπη που είναι Κάλ, και που το παρελθόν την βαραίνει σαν αμαρτία, την κατατρύχει, την διαμορφώνει. Σαν την Αμερική που αλλάζει μέσα στις δεκαετίες και πάντα ίδια μένει.

Ο Ευγενίδης αγαπά την Αμερική με πάθος και αυτό φαίνεται στις σελίδες του. Αλλάζουν οι δεκαετίες και συ μεταφέρεσαι με την οικογένεια Στεφανίδη σε κάθε άκρη, βιώνοντας κάθε είδους μικρή ή μεγάλη ιστορική στιγμή που επηρέασε και επηρεάστηκε από τους ίδιους τους πολίτες της. Τα πάντα αποτελούν κομμάτι της ιστορίας και του πολιτισμού της. Και η οικογένεια πολύ φυσικά αποτελέι μέρος του μωσαικού. Αναφορές πάνε και έρχονται και σε κάνουν μέρος του τοπίου και των εποχών.

Πίσω στο 1922 ο Λέφτυ και η Δεισδαιμόνα το νίοπαντρο ζευγάρι μας καταφτάνει στο Ντητρόιτ να συναντήσει την εξαδέλφη Σουρμελίνα με ένα ένοχο μυστικό στις πλάτες τους. Η εξαδέλφη έχει και κείνη το δικό της. Οπότε μια συνωμοτική αλληλεγγύη αναπτύσσεται που μέλλει να αλλάξει τη ζωή της Καλλιόπης ηδη από την στιγμή της σύλληψης. Φόβο και δεισιδαιμονία θα δοκιμάσει το ζευγάρι μας, εντάσεις και τσακωμούς, και όχι πια ερωτικές περιπτύξεις, θα πρέπει να εργαστουν και οι δυό ( θα δούμε την βιομηχανία της Φόρντ να παρελαύνει, το γκέτο στο Μπλακ Μπότομ, ψευδοπροφήτες κλπ κλπ). Βλέπετε οι όποιες εξελίξεις συμβαίνουν ασκούν την αδιαμφισβήτητη επιρροή τους πάνω στις αποφάσεις και τις αντιλήψεις, την νοοτροπία των μελών της οικογένειας Στεφανίδη. Οι νεότερες γενιές έχουν πιο πολύ Αμερική στο αίμα τους απ’ότι Ελλάδα. Βλέπουν πιο καθαρά τα πράγματα αλλα είναι και πεισματάρηδες σαν τον Μίλτον που θα διεκδικήσει την Τέσσυ με νύχια και με δόντια( γονείς της Καλλιόπης). Παρα το χάσμα γενεών υπάρχουν στιγμές που μοιάζουν σαν δυό σταγόνες νερό και άλλες που διαφέρουν ολοκληρωτικα. Μεχρι που θα γεννηθεί η Καλλιόπη και θα συνταιριάξει το παρελθόν με το μέλλον, το υβριδικό ερμαφρόδιτο σώμα της με την συναρπαστική ψυχή της. Και κανείς δε θα καταλάβει ή θα αποσιωπά αυτό που είναι μπροστά στα μάτια του. Ακριβώς γιατί το κράμα το ελληνοαμερικάνικο είναι περιέργο.

Θα γίνει αντικείμενο μελέτης η περίπτωση της, θα το σκάσει από έναν γιατρό που θέλει να ολοκληρώσει την εκθήλυνση της καθώς σαν γυναίκα έχει μεγαλώσει. Και ο Καλ που αισθάνεται άνδρας από μια πραγματιστική άποψη θα περιηγηθεί στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο( θα λικνίζεται ως αξιοθέατο σε μπαρ, θα γίνει μέλος μιας συμμορίας, θα γίνει φίλος με μια συνειδητοποιημένη και μπροστάρισα ερμαφρόδιτη κλπ). Και θα προσπαθεί να περάσει απαρατήρητος όπως και στην αρχή της εφηβείας του οπου όλα έβγαιναν σιγα σιγα στο φώς όταν ερωτεύτηκε με πάθος την συμμαθήτρια του και πειραματίστηκε στο μισοκοιμισμένο σώμα της και έμιωθε την καρδιά του να πάλλεται( και εκείνη ανταποκρίθηκε κάνοντας την την πιο τρυφερή του ανάμνηση). Μεχρι να συνειδητοποίησει ότι είναι πολύ πιο εύκολο απ’οσο νόμιζε να αποδεχτεί την διπλή του φύση, τα καλά και τα κακά που του φόρτωσαν τα γονίδια, το αρσενικό φύλο, το θηλυκό γένος. Να συνεχίσει να ζεί αποδεχόμενος και καταλαβαίνοντας τον εαυτό του, το παρελθόν του, το μέλλον του. Ο Καλ που ήταν συγχρόνως και Καλλιόπη και θα έπρεπε να το αποδεχτεί.

ΥΓ. Αλλα τόσα γεννήθηκαν σοτ κεφάλι μου οσο διάβαζα, πιο περίπλοκα αλλα τώρα θα βολευτείτε με αυτό.

Τελικά πόσο μπορούμε να ανεχθούμε το διαφορετικό? Κοινωνίες έμπλεες πολυπολιτισμού, αλλά τόσο ξένες κ στεγανοποιημενες στο επόμενο διαφορετικό
Κ εν τέλει πως μπορεί να οριστεί το φυσιολογικό? Ιδίως αν σκεφτούμε ότι όλα τριγύρω, υπόκεινται σε συνεχείς μεταλλάξεις. Η βιολογία μας δίνει έναν εγκέφαλο. Η ζωή τον μετατρέπει σε νου

Κοινωνικές και βιολογικές ανακατατάξεις, σε μια απολαυστικά δοσμένη οικογενειακή σάγκα, από τις ανατολικές ακτές του Αιγαίου ως τις δυτικές ακτές της Αμερικής, στον πολύπαθο 20ο αιώνα

This book is so many things, does so many things, takes you so many places, I don't even know where to begin describing how much I loved it. It is really quite astounding. It is a masterpiece. I don't usually like to throw that word around too much. Like a famous four letter word it should be used sparingly lest its contact with the world cheapen it. It too often appears in the form of a blurb on the cover of some loose baggy monster à la Bellow or Chabon that is hundreds of pages too long. Not many fat books deserve their girth. This one wears its corpulence proudly like Sir John Falstaff. So I repeat: Middlesex is a masterpiece. Say that again. Rolls right off the tongue, don't it?

First of all there are the characters, which can feel a little stereotypical at times, but they really gain in depth as the story reaches its conclusion. They became so real to me in fact that finishing the book was a form of bereavement. And there are not just one or two great characters here but three generations of them!

Then there's the story itself with all of its unexpected plot twists and turns and irresistible forward motion. It has this incredible generosity, a quality not often found in novels today, I'm afraid.

And then there's the writing -- the rich, beautiful, I could almost say Popean, writing: "Sing, Muse, of Greek ladies and their battle against unsightly hair! Sing of depilatory creams and tweezers! Of bleach and beeswax! Sing how the unsightly black fuzz, like the Persian legions of Darius, sweeps over the Achaean mainland of girls barely into their teens!"

And finally there's the heart. This book made me cry more than once. I don't usually cry when I read; I'd even kind of lost faith in a novel's ability to make me cry. I thought my tears were reserved for cheesy romantic comedies watched on long-haul flights over the arctic -- a phenomenon brought on by fatigue and the effects on the soul of pressurized air at high altitudes. But Middlesex made me cry real tears, human tears, tears flowing from some secret fount deep inside and out through my eyes onto the book lying open on my kitchen table in the wee hours of the morning.

Eugenides has made me a true believer in a type of novel I'd all but given up on. I throw myself shamelessly down at the feet of that holiest of holy art forms: the fat masterpiece!

Middlesex has been stacked in a pile of books I like to refer to as my "Jumanji" books. The two main child characters in the film Jumanji begin a creepy, larger-than-life board game that results in the "Little Man Tate" boy disappearing, and the the young girl running away in horror, putting an abrupt end to the game. Though stowed away in the attic soon after the occurrence and forgotten, a distant jungle drum beat still emanates from the board game, forever beckoning that someone continue the game, and finish what was started.

That pretty much sums up my avoidance dance with this amazingly beautiful book. I first began this audio book in 2007, and got so carried away in the language and pace of the narrative, that I knew I wanted to dedicate more time and attention to it, for fear of missing any details. I returned the book to the library and bought a physical copy from my local used book store. Since then, Middlesex has sat in that pile of "Jumanji" books, forever beckoning me to finish what I started. Sure it's made it's way into my purse a few times, and followed by a few false starts, but nothing lasting. Even the cajoling from well meaning friends in that "I can't believe you haven't read that yet!" voice didn't help. So finally, after 7 years, I broke down and bought the audio book and downloaded it to my phone last week, so that I could take it and the Stephanides family with me everywhere. What a journey we've had!

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"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 1974."

n  n So begins this sweeping family saga of three generations of Calliope/Cal's family beginning in Asia Minor on through to Detroit, and finally ending in Berlin spanning the 1920s to present. Through this historical narrative, we learn about the Stephanides family and their dark family secret. Told in a sort of whimsical voice, with Woody Allenesque aside interruptions, it's hard not to get swept up in the story and totally lose yourself, or to find yourself laughing out loud, or rolling your eyes incredulously. I can easily believe that this book took Eugenides 9 years to finish. It is such an epic read, and each sentence packs a sensual punch. There are a handful of books that have left me this happy and disoriented...also incredibly sad to turn the last page.

It's worth noting that the narrator, Kristoffer Tabori, is one of the best voice actors I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. How good is he, you may ask? Audible.com only has a handful of weird books for which he is credited on. The selection seems to be limited to children's horror stories, funky sci-fi, and self-help books. Oh well, that's dedication. I hope the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School books are worth it, because guess who'll be listening to them here shortly.

As for the rest of my "Jumanji" books? I'm hoping to tackle a few more this year. The Time Traveler's Wife, Cold Mountain, Into the Woods, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are at the top of that pile. I can already hear you, dear friend. "You haven't read those yet? Whatsamatterwithya"? I know! I'm hopeful.

I admit it. I was surprised by Middlesex.

Back when I got stuck in the doldrums of The Shipping News, finally tossing it overboard, then wasted my time with The Stone Diaries a year later, I subconsciously vowed to ignore the Pulitzer Prize forever. I broke that vow in '99 for The Hours, but that was because one of my mentors knew Cunningham, and he recommended The Hours because he knew my love for Mrs. Dalloway. I went straight back to my personal embargo, though, and it stuck until 2009 when I finally caved and read The Road.

I wouldn't say the embargo lifted after that, but my conviction definitely waned, so when I needed something to listen to on my long commute and saw Jeffrey Eugenides's audiobook version of Middlesex on sale for $7.99, I caved and decided to give it a go.

I expected crap when I started listening, but when Lucky and Desdemona hit Detroit I really started to dig it, and when it ended today with Cal/liope learning the truth of the 5-alpha-reductase deficiency from his YaYa, the recessive gene that made him a hermaphrodite, I realized I'd been a convert to Middlesex's beauty for the bulk of the book.

I don't know if I would be as impressed with Middlesex if I had read it rather than listening to it because Kristoffer Tabori's vocal performance was absolutely mindblowing. I don't think I have heard too many vocal performances that can beat his work on Middlesex. He's no Orson Welles playing Lamont Cranston, but he kicks the crap out of most of the contemporary voice actors I've heard in animated movies and audiobooks. His voices were so distinct, his performance so complex, that characters masking their voices over telephones or through heating ducts had just enough of their original voices to be recognizable while still convincingly masking them from others in the story. Even better, Tabori turned much of Eugenides' prose into poetry. Or -- perhaps -- Tabori simply revealed the poetry of Eugenides' words that were there all along.

I like to think that's the case because the way Eugenides writes about Detroit, San Francisco, and Smyrna is some of the most beautiful metroprose I've ever heard, and I found myself caring for every character Cal/liope came in contact with. I'd hate to know that Tabori's performance made the story better than it really is (although I have a sneaking suspicion that I'd have felt some of Eugenides' descriptions and characterizations were a touch precious without Tabori's performance). So I will never actually read this book now that I've listened to it. I like this story, and I want to keep on liking it.

So am I finally back reading the Pulitzer Prize winners? I dunno. Perhaps. But even if I do start reading them again, I won't be seeking them out.

Maybe I'll buy them on audiotape, instead. You never know what the bargain bin is going to turn up.

ex ovo omnia:  everything comes out of an egg.



Yowsers, there are over twenty thousand reviews of this book on this site alone, so no, cannot say that I’ve read them all, but it does get me to thinking ………..

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected.  And yet my expectations were misinformed by assumptions, most of which were my own, not the least of which was about the title.

Sometimes when reading I feel compelled to slow down, take my time.  Such was the case with this book.  It’s a marathon, not a sprint and I was fine with that. I felt comfortable with the pace and manner in which Eugenides chose to tell this story.

This story affected me deeply.
It is funny and tragic
Rich and abundant
Tender and expansive

In fact I love what Andrew O’Hehir said:
“A heart breaking tale of growing up awkward and lonely in 70’s suburbia.”

It is as much a historic and social novel of Detroit as it is about immigration and assimilation on a much grander stage and it is narrated by one of the most complex, engaging and memorable characters I have ever encountered.  I will not soon forget you Cal.

Some would say that this is an American story.
And it is.
It is also a very human one.



Pssst book junkies
I found this at one of my city's used bookstores in the downtown core. It is a beautiful hard cover, with a magnificent jacket. Love the cover design and, and , and, it is in pristine condition. Definitely leave laying about worthy!

It’s only the beginning of the year, but unless a masterpiece of literature comes my way before the end of December, I think I can safely say that Middlesex is my best read of 2014. This book is good––so good, in fact, that I wish I could erase it from my memory in order to read it again for the first time!

Part family saga and part historical fiction, Middlesex is fascinating on so many levels and touches so many themes I would be hard-pressed to draw an exhaustive list of all of them: Greek and American history, Greek mythology, adventure, love, sex, gender identification, genetics, racial relations, human relations, introspection, self-analysis, sociology, ethnology… you name it; this book has it all. The characterization is downright flawless and the characters so real that by the end of the book you will feel as if you know them personally. As for the prose, it is to die for, a vintage of words meant to be sipped and enjoyed at length, though at times I couldn’t help but gulp it down like there was no tomorrow––it’s that good!

Some say Middlesex is a long book––and indeed it is a big, fat doorstop of a book––but don’t let that prevent you from reading it. When the writing is that good the pages just fly by.

OLIVIER DELAYE
Author of the SEBASTEN OF ATLANTIS series
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