In love with a woman but afraid of what might happen at the moment of truth, Cal Stephanides decides to reveal a secret. Cal has lived as both a man and a woman. It all began in 1922, when Cals grandparents escape to America after the war. Calliope is born and seems destined to embody the legend of those girls who become men upon reaching a certain age. And so begins this novel, which spans eight decades of a familys history and is a hugely ambitious attempt at writing the Great American Novel.
Read More
In love with a woman but afraid of what might happen at the moment of truth, Cal Stephanides decides to reveal a secret. Cal has lived as both a man and a woman. It all began in 1922, when Cals grandparents escape to America after the war. Calliope is born and seems destined to embody the legend of those girls who become men upon reaching a certain age. And so begins this novel, which spans eight decades of a familys history and is a hugely ambitious attempt at writing the Great American Novel.
Read Less
Add this copy of Middlesex to cart. $35.93, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Anagrama.
Add this copy of Middlesex to cart. $43.06, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Editorial Anagrama, S. a.
Difficult to get into...bogs down with esoteric language and thoughts but...worth the effort just to see how the author pulls it all together.
Catherine G
Nov 17, 2011
Good but Different
This story is the coming of age of a hermafrodite, And also the story of his grandparents, which is quite colorful. It is easy reading and keeps your interest.
pamela1717
Jun 29, 2008
Surpisingly, I liked it! 4.5 stars!
I'll have to join the ranks of many of the other reviewers here and say I probably never would have read this book if it hadn't been chosen for my book club. I, too, thought the story would be a one dimensional search for gender identity--not so. I was hooked from the beginning. I would describe the story as one of an American family through generations--their journey just happened to produce a certain side effect compared to other families' journeys. Being just a few years younger than Cal I appreciated the nostalgic references to the cultural symbols, products, events, and fashions/styles of the day. I thought the author also chose an interesting omnicient narrative style (by Cal) for the story as well. I did have a couple of squirmy moments (the scenes with Dr. Luce really creeped me out). I only give it 4.5 stars simply because I would really have to know someone fairly well to recommend the book.
Nana38
Jan 11, 2008
Y E S ! ! !
I was hooked by the opening sentence and taken on a journey into another world. This is an outstanding example of how fiction can educate and enlighten us. The author has created a hero (heroine) we can admire, empathize with and laugh with through a difficult life changing self discovery.
A perfect book for Book Club discussions!
bookboy
Jan 10, 2008
Underwhelming
Although it's a well written novel and moves along at a brisk pace, I never got the "wow" factor that so many others seemed to get from this novel. Truly I was amazed that not only was this a bestseller but also a Pulitzer prize winner too.
Essentially Middlesex is two novels in one. The first half is a historical emigrant novel against the back drop of historical events and the second half is a coming of age novel of an awkward girl who just so happens to be a hermaphrodite.
I was really expecting something more, something edgy, something gritty. Middlesex is a novel for middle America who want to read a "safe" novel without feeling uncomfortable about the subject matter. In that regard it succeeds.
The only thing I enjoyed was the realization why Cal's brother is called Chapter Eleven. Ultimately I was extremely underwhelmed with it all.
