Middlesex: A Novel

Middlesex: A Novel

Not Much to Laugh About in this Big, Fat Greek Tragedy

Middlesex is built on the recurring theme of familial relationships informed by war and mayhem. It's flush with history that's relevant to the characters' experiences and that brings a little reality to some unbelievable plot moments. The story idea is new - Calliope is the most entertaining gender-defiant person since Myra Breckinridge. Yes, there's a lot to like about this book. But, the lengthy, albeit well-researched medical science, makes for laborious reading. And, except for Calliope, the center of the story, the characters are pretty flat. Although the adult Cal tells much of the story from her (now his) childhood perspective, I never heard the child's voice. As in most real-life family situations, there is dark humor here; yet, there is too little laughter to take Middlesex beyond an awareness that it's fiction.

An astonishing novel.

This is not a novel of perversion, but one of explanation, family devotion, ethnic description, historical perspective, and truly BREATHTAKING writing. It will be difficult to find a book to read after finishing this astonishing novel. My other favorite book about sex, love and self help is:I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

very interesting story

This is a story about three generations of the Stephanides family. Told by a very interesting person Cal Stephanides. The first generation is Cal's grandmother Desdemona Stephanides. She lives with her brother Lefty in a small town in Turkey that was traditionally Greek. She raises silk worms and he sells the silk in the nearby town. Their parents were killed earlier and they try to fight an attraction that they have to each other. When the Turks invade they decide to go to Smyrna then on to Athens and America to live with their cousin Lina. While in Smyrna they get stuck when the Turks set fire to the city. During this time Lefty asked Desdemona to marry him if they survive. They are able to get out by pretending that they are French and manage to get on a ship. On the ship they pretend that they do not know each other and eventually get married. They arrive in Detroit to live with their cousin Lina and her husband Jimmy Zizmo. While they live with the Zizmo's Lefty works for Henry Ford, gets drown into Jimmy's bootlegging schemes and both Lina and Desdemona get pregnant on the same night, and soon after the birth of Lina's baby daughter Jimmy disappears. For the first couple years of Milton Stephanides and Theodora (Tessie) Zizmo's lives they are raised together in the same house. Then Lina and Tessie move nearby. As they grow up they are still close (Tessie calls Milton's sister Zoe her daughter at first and spends a lot of time with the family growing up) Then when they are teenagers they find themselves attracted to each other. Milton plays an instrument and uses it to seduce Tessie even though she is involved with Mike, a minister in training at the local Greek Orthodox seminary. Tessie and Mike get engaged and Milt is not happy, so he enlists in the navy during WWII. While Milt is serving Tessie realizes that she loves him and shortly afterward they get married. Calliope Helen Stephanides was born about 15 years after "her" parents marriage and five years after th birth of her brother Chapter Eleven. She thinks herself a normal girl besides the practice kissing with a friend when she was in Elementary School and the girl she befriends whom she calls "The Object" as in the object of her affections. They spend a lot of time together the summer they are 14, and despite loosing her virginity to the objects brother commence on an affair. Shortly afterwards Callie is injured and the doctors find something fascinating. This leads Milt, Tessie and Callie to Dr. Lucas in NYC. What they find there is that Calliope is genetically a male, but is missing something on the fifth chromosome that makes him look like a female. After some miss understandings Callie becomes Cal and runs away leading to some very interesting adventures and experiences for the family. All this is told by a 41 year old Cal, who is involved in the foreign service and lives in current day Germany. A very well written interesting story that catches you from the very first sentence.

Original and Compelling

I couldn't stop reading this book. Wonderfully drawn, unique characters, great time/place, beautifully written. And although the premise sounds like something behind a "freak" book--there's nothing freaky here--all true, vivid, touching, humane.

it opened my eyes

this book is very educational, or at least it triggered in me the desire to research the topic of hermaphrodite....i've heard about the topic before, but with this book i actually research and educated myself on this birth defect....on the downside, i think that eugenides could have convey his message with less writing....overall, it was a good read.

Keyword : textbook