Reviews tagging 'War'

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

37 reviews

flo_sg's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, and War

Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, and Sexual violence

_maia3_'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If you're looking for a graceful, reflective handling of intersex people and issues, never touch this book. Intersex people have said what I'm about to say better and in more detail if you're interested, but in short, this book seems deadset on painting intersexuality as some kind of monstrous deformation, and it is not lighthanded in this treatment either (for example, the main character's intersexuality is a direct consequence of incest). Furthermore, for a book all about living inbetween categories, it absolutely refuses to look at gender as anything other than binary. I didn't find out until after reading that Eugenides refused to research anything about intersex people for "authenticity" (!?). Its a real pity, because the first half of the novel speaks very poignantly about the experience of immigration and growing up an immigrant, and the prose (whilst sometimes a little overworked and cringey) works in its favour most of the time.
If it's possible for you to only read the first half of the book and then return it to your local library once the main character gets born, that would be ideal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Genocide, Incest, Racism, Transphobia, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and War

belgaer's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Transphobia

Moderate: Homophobia and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

overmonroeville's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, and War

kibiiiariii's review

emotional funny informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

thelaurasaurus's review against another edition

The only time I remember I'm meant to be reading this book is when I log in to review another book. It's fair to say it hasn't grabbed me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

aisabel's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Transphobia and War

hunkydory's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, and Death of parent

Moderate: Xenophobia and Medical content

Minor: Homophobia, Car accident, and War

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Incest, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Dementia and Grief

mousmoulo's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

i had to read this for uni, and nearly a month later it's FINALLY over. this isn't to say that i didn't enjoy it, i just really don't know how to feel about it.

it was too long and too slow for my liking. i've somehow never read another book following different generations one after the other and i found it far more interesting than i expected. some parts were very enjoyable, others bored me to death. overall a very mixed bag of a book.

what is important to point out is that i read/watched some reviews of the book from actual intersex people, because i was curious if it was accurate in any way, shape or form. turns out, it's not really, from what i've gathered, which brings up some issues (e.g. cal's being intersex as "punishment" for

his grandparents incest

, the emphasis on genitalia etc.). 

an enlightening review on the book by an intersex person (hi, hello, hans on youtube): https://youtu.be/vmyKRGpZclc

no rating until i have some time to think about this, lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Transphobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol