Middlesex: Reviews by 2018 Reading Challengers

[Winter, Group Reads]

Tell us what you thought of the book! You can leave your review here. Even if you read the book outside of the group, please feel free to let us know what you thought of it.

Please make sure to mark your spoilers by typing "[spoiler]" at the start and [/spoiler] at the end but replacing the []s with <>s.

[Arihoney*]

This book had been on my reading list for fifteen years or so until last February, when I finally achieved to read it. Unfortunately I read the Italian translated version and not the original, but even so I could tell that the writing was superb.
I am particularly fond of family sagas, and I enjoyed this one very much. As a European myself, I also discovered some sides of Modern American History I was not aware of, such the rise and fall of the city of Detroit and the riots in the black quarters, which I was glad to find out - this made me want to make some research and watch movies about it. I am glad when a book stimulates me to get me more informed about some specific topic.
I loved the characters. None of them was described in a superficial way.
Travelling through space in time in the XX century following the path of an immigrant family made me learn a lot.
That's why I think it was a great choice to select thias book of the month in the "growth" topic reading challenge - not only for the development of the main character, but also for what it leaves to the reader.

[Rachelnyc]

Arianna wrote: "This book had been on my reading list for fifteen years or so until last February, when I finally achieved to read it. Unfortunately I read the Italian translated version and not the original, but ..."

Great review Arianna. I love how the author expertly weaves aspects of history, some widely known and others not so much, into the story. I originally read this book when it was first published but that was before internet research was as easy as it is now so during this re-read I find myself searching for more info on things like the Smyrna fires and W.D. Fard.

If you haven't already seen it, I recommend the film Detroit that came out last year about the 1967 riots.

[Arihoney*]

In fact, I have watched the movie after reading the book, as it came out during one of my Google researchers. Thanks a lot for the suggestion thought, muchas appreciated! It's a great movie, it really touched me. As for the fire in Smirne I knew a lot already, as it's an important chapter in the European History.

[Arihoney*]

If you have anything else to recommend please do, I would love to know more about it :) thank you!!!

[Megan]

Just completed the book, and I'm still trying to pull myself out of it. Great writing! At the beginning, I enjoyed how the tangents played into the story of the entire family that lead to the present of one individual. It felt like having an actual conversation with the author. In the middle, it lost a little steam around the parents' story. But the last third of the book was fascinating. I'm not a huge fan of the nonlinear ending, but I understand why the author left it that way. Part of me is glad I read this book now, as I have a much greater understanding, based on research and presentations, of gender identity and physical gender issues and sexual orientation, then I would have had as a college student in 2002. But part of me wonders if I had read this book in college, if it would have spurred me to realization faster. This should be required reading! 4.5 stars