Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides
All the synopses that I found were too long to put here. It's about a hermaphrodite. So yeah... There you go.
Mel recommends this book because "It's good." It did win the Pulitzer Prize... so she's probably right. Happy reading!
Yay! I actually had this book in hand to buy a few weeks ago and put it down to opt for a few others I needed for school. I'm looking forward to reading this one. Good choice!
ReplyDeleteI think I have a copy of this that I've been wanting to get around to reading for years now. Thanks, Mel!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the recommendation has been so well received. I hope you all continue to feel this way as you start the book. I read the book a couple summers ago and really, really enjoyed it. It may not be to everyone's liking, but I certainly felt it left an impression on me. It wasn't until after I read the book and wouldn't shut up about it that Brandon informed me it had won a Pulitzer prize. Enjoy everyone!
ReplyDeleteDuuude... how far is everyone else so far? Because this book is crazy. And awesome.
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ReplyDeleteSo - anyone? This book has shown me that the modern epic can be just as engrossing as the old (like, Homeric old) ones. Maybe the author just has to be Greek?
ReplyDeleteI'm at page 295 - s/he's twelve years old - and the shit's clearly about to get real.
There's a song called "The Deeper In" (a southern term regarding inbreeding) by the Drive-by Truckers. It came on shuffle while I was reading this book. Once again, the universe shows it's sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteThe book is good....but kinda icky. Still, I really like the authors style; even if the subject matter doesn't arouse much interest, I'm happy to keep reading based on the talent of the writing.
I'm _almost_ finished. There's kind of an inverse bell curve of ickiness, I think:
ReplyDeleteSuuuper icky at the start (I did have to pause and shudder at one point in book 1... bleeechh), lessening ickiness once you get past about 1930, then toward the end the ick factor picks up again. But it's different ick. And less bad. So far. I think.
Was that vague enough for everyone who hasn't read it yet? :-)
I just read the first chapter last night. I'll pick up the pace soon, but... I figure since I am so far behind it is fair to make open comments? Well... I've been thinking about the book today and I have decided that I like it! Im impressed by the creativity in the presentation of the family and the aspects of the family that came about before he/she was created. It makes you wonder about your own circumstances before your own birth? AND... I like the authors style. I find it interesting that I can relate to this guy/gal... maybe Im actually a hermaphrodite!? Haha. I did that in nursing school too... wondered if I had brain cancer, etc.
ReplyDeleteI just finished it, and it's definitely worth sticking through. I think it ends well. I'll not give any spoilers away just yet.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding like a pure dweeb, this book makes me want to go read more about a lot of the historical topics that came up over the course of the story.
I read that it took Eugenides NINE YEARS to write this book. Not entirely surprising. It's so huge and so well done.
Thanks again for recommending this, Mel!
I am about a third of the way through. I thought it started slow but I really like it now. A lot. I echo what Schmei said about the modern epic. I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology/culture and human sexuality, so this book is a lot of fun for me. I will be back when I'm finished to say more. I'm still figuring things out, this cocoon of a story. ; )
ReplyDeleteOk... Im a few more chapters in. The style fluctuates; at times casual/conversational and other times more structued/narative-like. Its seems to chnage in anticipatiuon of what Im going to think about/want. I think its written really well. In a way that I can imagine how two people from the same family would become involved... under such circumstances. Its got me thinking about things outside of the story of a hermaphodite... geography, history, etc.
ReplyDeleteSo... are we supposed to wait until everyone is done to discuss details? You all don't have to wait on me. I have a feeling I could read it twice and still be suprised by issues the second time!
When I started this book, I didn't really like it. Now that I've finished it, I really like it. The first third was icky, the second two-thirds were awesome. Incredibly well written, and a very intriguing story and characters.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice Mel, this book was not something I ever would have read if not for your choice and this group. We're two for two so far!
This is the longest comment ever, with a spoiler at the end - I give a warning.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a couple of folks have finished it, so I want to throw out: did any of you find yourselves thinking A LOT about how your own understanding of your gender affects how you see yourself as a person? That was one of the many things I was thinking about quite a bit, especially toward the end of the book (and after I'd finished it): what would I have done? How would I define myself, if I was told at 14 "Oh, just kidding, you're a dude. Kind of." It made me reflect on the fact that when I consider my own identity, my gender is really the primary category that defines me. To have a protagonist who was blindsided by his own sex (in the middle of that period of life when your sex is already creating enough confusion when you ARE sure about it), really got me thinking.
I also wonder how this book will be different for me if (when) I read it again when I'm, say, 50. Or 70. To be a woman in my 20s is to be hit upside the head with my femaleness like, every day, as my friends and relatives are all having babies and are asking me when I'll frickin' reproduce already. I think reading this helped me see how thick the cloud of gender assumptions is that I'm walking around in these days.
My husband likes to say that we read books when we're meant to read them. This was perfect timing in my life for this book. I think I've thanked you a lot already, Mel, but thanks. Awesome pick.
SPOILER ALERT: For those who finished it, did anyone else think the dad dying had the potential to make the ending cheap? I was just about to be pissed at Eugenides for that when the brother blurts it over the phone, but he managed to make even that awesome - by the time I got to the end, I was thinking, "Well, he died. Of course. Nothing else could have happened."
I will be a little behind on the reading of this one - I'm about halfway through. The end of the school year is kicking my tail! I'm not sure who said it earlier - but the idea of meeting sometime, that would be fun!
ReplyDeleteMary, I couldn't have said any of that better.
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