mehastings
Active Member
April 2006 Book of the Month
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Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
tartan_skirt
New Member
If no one else is going to kick this one off then I'll have a go. (Bear with me.) This may contain Spoilers.
Overall, I liked the story. The way it was like 3 or 4 books in one kept me interested in the ever changing history of Calliope.
There were a few small things that annoyed me. One thing was how the narration kept saying things like and now such and such is... when Cal wasn't even born then, let alone there. Perhaps it's supposed to show how she was present even before birth because of other people's choices, but to me it just made an odd narrative. I didn't really like how the story frequently changed from different places with '...' ending and starting the two paragraphs.
Some of the passages which went into detail about certain subjects made me feel a little lost at times. The riots which occured in the neighbourhood of the Zebra Room confused me. Did this really happen? I don't have much knowledge of American history as we've never covered it in school. Some of the medical descriptions I could handle, but as it went deeper in detail I became slightly lost again. It's a very intellectual book, several times I found myself reaching for the dictionary because of the vocabulary. This sometimes interrupted the story, which became quite annoying and I often had to backtrack to fully understand what had been said.
Thats all at the moment, I'll probably have more to talk about later though. What did everyone else think? I'm curious to know what other people thought about the things I mentioned. Perhaps someone can change my mind about them.
Overall, I liked the story. The way it was like 3 or 4 books in one kept me interested in the ever changing history of Calliope.
There were a few small things that annoyed me. One thing was how the narration kept saying things like and now such and such is... when Cal wasn't even born then, let alone there. Perhaps it's supposed to show how she was present even before birth because of other people's choices, but to me it just made an odd narrative. I didn't really like how the story frequently changed from different places with '...' ending and starting the two paragraphs.
Some of the passages which went into detail about certain subjects made me feel a little lost at times. The riots which occured in the neighbourhood of the Zebra Room confused me. Did this really happen? I don't have much knowledge of American history as we've never covered it in school. Some of the medical descriptions I could handle, but as it went deeper in detail I became slightly lost again. It's a very intellectual book, several times I found myself reaching for the dictionary because of the vocabulary. This sometimes interrupted the story, which became quite annoying and I often had to backtrack to fully understand what had been said.
Thats all at the moment, I'll probably have more to talk about later though. What did everyone else think? I'm curious to know what other people thought about the things I mentioned. Perhaps someone can change my mind about them.
steffee
Active Member
I really liked the history and medical stuff (oh yeah, so intellectual - "stuff"). I thought switching back and forth from the first and third person was strange, though, but it didn't really detract from the story. I thought the whole "saga" was so insightful, with the background of Desdemona and Lefty in rural Bithynios and then Smyrna, and how they had to escape the Turkish rule.
Desdemona was a brilliant character. I think the way she worried over whether her children would be born healthily, and then again her grandchildren, was so realistic; and the way she mourned Lefty, her husband / brother / second cousin(?) was so moving.
I hated the name Chapter Eleven, and that was probably my biggest complaint about the book. That and possibly some of the descriptions of Cal and his "new friends" when he had run away. Maybe, too, Tessie's dad (whose name escapes me), was a little unbelievable.
I loved the social realism meets myth and legend and how Middlesex competently tackles the nature vs. nurture question with alacrity, how the pseudo-hermaphroditism was tackled in such a thought-provoking, unpatronising way. And the narrator, Cal (we'll call him/her, to save changing to each of the names), provided an inspiring and credible tale from even before he/she was born.
I could go on and on, but I'll be quiet now.
Desdemona was a brilliant character. I think the way she worried over whether her children would be born healthily, and then again her grandchildren, was so realistic; and the way she mourned Lefty, her husband / brother / second cousin(?) was so moving.
I hated the name Chapter Eleven, and that was probably my biggest complaint about the book. That and possibly some of the descriptions of Cal and his "new friends" when he had run away. Maybe, too, Tessie's dad (whose name escapes me), was a little unbelievable.
I loved the social realism meets myth and legend and how Middlesex competently tackles the nature vs. nurture question with alacrity, how the pseudo-hermaphroditism was tackled in such a thought-provoking, unpatronising way. And the narrator, Cal (we'll call him/her, to save changing to each of the names), provided an inspiring and credible tale from even before he/she was born.
I could go on and on, but I'll be quiet now.
beer good
Well-Known Member
One thing I loved about this book was the running theme of... call it "neither/nor". The protagonists, over several generations, keep falling between the cracks in a society hell-bent on either/or. (Of course, there's the title too - MIDDLEsex.) Cal is neither man nor woman. His/her family is neither European nor Asian, since they come from a part of Europe that has since become Turkish. (Take for instance the part where Cal's grandmother is accepted to work for Moslems, since she can be assumed to be at least part Moslem, as much as that irks her...) His/Her grandparents are siblings, and a married couple - two states which contradict each other, so they can't quite be either. They move to America and become neither Europeans nor Americans, working in the most typical businesses (cars, bars, booze) but never becoming completely assimilated. Too black to be white, too white to be black, too well-to-do to be poor, to non-WASP to be your typical suburbans. Everyone is constantly both and neither.
You've got the scene in which Cal's grandmother dangles a spoon over her daughter's belly, swinging back and forth to determine the sex of her baby. The whole book is a pendulum, going back and forth and never quite stopping. I loved it to bits.
You've got the scene in which Cal's grandmother dangles a spoon over her daughter's belly, swinging back and forth to determine the sex of her baby. The whole book is a pendulum, going back and forth and never quite stopping. I loved it to bits.
.
steffee
Active Member
That is quite disappointing. Come on, bookandreader members, let's discuss.Pontalba said:
Well, I could talk and talk about this book. It was fantastic.
I thought that was possibly the cheesiest aspect of the entire story. The fact that the place they lived was called Middlesex, only marginally makes it better.
I hate Eugenides' choices of names for his characters though. Calliope, Callie, Cal was okay, but Chapter Eleven? And from The Virgin Suicides, we are delighted with names such as Lux Lisbon, Trip Fontaine and Chase Buell.
Ronny
Well-Known Member
I think this is another case were I read it long enough ago to not remember exact details but it was not long enough that I am ready to read the book again. I think it may be helpful once a book becomes BOTM to link or merge it's existing thread, maybe that would help kisck things off for the new readers and the ones that haven't read it for awhile would have an easier refresher on what they had said.
I really liked the book I liked the Grandparents story the best and for a book that I admittedly was hesitant to start it ended up being one of the best I read last year.
I really liked the book I liked the Grandparents story the best and for a book that I admittedly was hesitant to start it ended up being one of the best I read last year.
Thursday_Next
New Member
Agreeing with Ronny
It's been a while since I read the book so I can't really remember any details, but it was a really great read and it seems like a book with lots of topics to discuss, if I only could remember them...
I don't remember the name Chapter Eleven either...
It's been a while since I read the book so I can't really remember any details, but it was a really great read and it seems like a book with lots of topics to discuss, if I only could remember them...
I don't remember the name Chapter Eleven either...
MonkeyCatcher
New Member
It's Ex Ovo OmniaThursday_Next said:I don't remember the name Chapter Eleven either...
Honeybee
New Member
Spoilers follow!
I read this a while back and loved it.
The way it crosses generations, decades and countries is amazing. The level of detail quite astonishing. It's austensibly the memoir of Calliope, but is really so much more. A tragi-comic love story across the years.
One criticism would be that the last part of the book is really rather rushed. The leisurely pace and sumptuous descriptions of the majority of the book are abandoned for a roller-coaster of events that are really the major parts of Cal's life. It would have been good to hear about how he adjusted to his new life etc. Milton's death seemed odd. I'm not sure if it was simply to 'end' on a tragedy in keeping with the Greekness, or if it was simply easier to kill off Cal's father than to engage with the change in the father/daughter relationship.
I read this a while back and loved it.
The way it crosses generations, decades and countries is amazing. The level of detail quite astonishing. It's austensibly the memoir of Calliope, but is really so much more. A tragi-comic love story across the years.
One criticism would be that the last part of the book is really rather rushed. The leisurely pace and sumptuous descriptions of the majority of the book are abandoned for a roller-coaster of events that are really the major parts of Cal's life. It would have been good to hear about how he adjusted to his new life etc. Milton's death seemed odd. I'm not sure if it was simply to 'end' on a tragedy in keeping with the Greekness, or if it was simply easier to kill off Cal's father than to engage with the change in the father/daughter relationship.
jaynebosco
New Member
I am about two-thirds of the way through the book and am just now really getting into it (I'm at the part where Callie is about to go to the doctor). Will give my final thoughts once I am done with the book. And yes, I do find the book a little slow at times, but I do enjoy his descriptions.
I ordered this book for long days on the beach this summer, after reading recommendations on this forum.
The bookmark is on book three, chapter 3 Middleex. Witch means I'm about half through the book. I read it in English witch is my second language. Before this book I've read all the HP book and on criminal book by Mary Higgins Clark in English. So it take sometime to get through over 500 pages. But I've loved every page I've turned so far. There are some words here and there that I haven't heard before, but I feel that I get the picture. Don't bother to bring the dictonary to the beach.
I was wondering about this myself. So I had to google for it and found this at wikipedia:
The 12th Street Riot in Detroit began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. Vice squad officers executed a raid at a blind pig on the corner of 12th Street and Clairmount on the city's near westside. The confrontation with the patrons there evolved into one of the most deadly and destructive riots in modern U.S. history, lasting five days and far surpassing the 1943 riot the city endured. Before the end, the state and federal governments sent in National Guard and U.S. Army troops and the result was forty-three dead, 467 injured, over 7,500 arrests and more than 2,000 buildings burned down. The scope of the riot was eclipsed in scale only by the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Detroit has never fully recovered from the after-effects of the riot and the negative media coverage that was conveyed internationally.
So I've leaned some more american history too
I will make more comments when I've finished the book.
Back to the books folks.
The bookmark is on book three, chapter 3 Middleex. Witch means I'm about half through the book. I read it in English witch is my second language. Before this book I've read all the HP book and on criminal book by Mary Higgins Clark in English. So it take sometime to get through over 500 pages. But I've loved every page I've turned so far. There are some words here and there that I haven't heard before, but I feel that I get the picture. Don't bother to bring the dictonary to the beach.
tartan_skirt said:
I was wondering about this myself. So I had to google for it and found this at wikipedia:
The 12th Street Riot in Detroit began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. Vice squad officers executed a raid at a blind pig on the corner of 12th Street and Clairmount on the city's near westside. The confrontation with the patrons there evolved into one of the most deadly and destructive riots in modern U.S. history, lasting five days and far surpassing the 1943 riot the city endured. Before the end, the state and federal governments sent in National Guard and U.S. Army troops and the result was forty-three dead, 467 injured, over 7,500 arrests and more than 2,000 buildings burned down. The scope of the riot was eclipsed in scale only by the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Detroit has never fully recovered from the after-effects of the riot and the negative media coverage that was conveyed internationally.
So I've leaned some more american history too
I will make more comments when I've finished the book.
Back to the books folks.