Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Middlesex

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

36 reviews

sastork's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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carolina2's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Middlesex was very compelling and beautifully written. I do wish more time was spent on Cal’s story and his adult life but besides that I loved it. Also the style of writing reminded me of Pachinko.

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loverofeels's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i kind of have no idea how to rate this?
on the one hand, middlesex has exquisite writing, wonderfully fleshed out characters, and an unforgettable narrator.
on the other hand, i found the entire first half of this book psychologically disturbing, and a little bit boring.
the amount of this book that is dedicated to describing incest love stories is perhaps necessary, and perhaps well-written, but also extremely unpleasant for me to read.
i also felt a little bit cheated when i got to the end: for so much of the book, the glimpses of cal's adult life were what kept me motivated to keep reading, only for me to find that we don't get to see beyond those glimpses. it would have been nice to get a little less desdemona and milton and a lot more cal.
it's been a while since i read a book that immersed me so fully that i actually felt lonely upon finishing it, though. and i can absolutely see why it might be a modern great american novel—this is a book about which i actually want to have a class discussion.
in spite of it all, it feels criminal to give middlesex less than 4 stars.

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beanwa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. It's so beautifully written, and I really enjoyed reading it. I got so attached to Calliope, and I loved the glimpses into his life in the present day.

My favourite part had to be Callie's time in Middlesex and her infatuation with The Object. I loved the nostalgic quality of the summer they spent together, and I thought the queer romance was so beautifully written and genuinely moving. I also loved that, even as a man, Cal doesn't really consider himself a man. But more both man and woman. At first, I was really put off when Cal chose to transition to life as a boy, mostly because I felt it was a bit reductive and boiling gender down to chromosomes and sexual orientation. But later, Cal does expand on his feelings about his gender and also points out how he differs from cis trans people. As a non-binary/gender fluid person myself, I really loved Cal's take on his own gender. I also loved the glimpses into Cal's present, and like many other reviewers here, I would have really liked spending more time with present day Cal, getting to know him a bit better and seeing where his relationship with Julie goes.

My only qualm is that I found Cal running away to be extremely jarring. It kind of came out of left field for me. I understand why it happens and how it acts as a catalyst to Cal's growth and self-acceptance (specifically due to Zora), but I enjoyed the book significantly less from that point on. In fact, it took me like two weeks to finish the last 80 pages or so.

Despite my qualms with it (and the fact that it is problematic that afaik Eugenides is not intersex and yet is describing a very niche, very socially taboo experience - as well as emphasising the idea that Cal's intersex condition is a direct result of incest), I enjoyed reading this book so much and the writing is so beautiful that it's still a 5 star read for me. I'm constantly floored by how Eugenides can write about the female experience in such a gentle and empathetic way. He did a wonderful job with The Virgin Suicides, and he did it again here. I can't wait to read The Marriage Plot - I sincerely hope it doesn't let me down.

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