Finished Middlesex (Spoiler's Possible)

[Andre]

After finishing, I'm interested to know what other's felt when they first glanced at the book. About 2 years ago I decided to read all of the Pulitzer winners for fiction. This book was slowly becoming a roadblock for me. I picked it up several times and put it back down. Joining this club gave me a little boost to go and actually read it.

I was very concerned that there wouldn't be a redeeming value in reading about the life of a hermaphrodite, other than the novelty of the character's situation.

Perhaps its a testament to Jeffrey Eugenides and his writing that now this has become one of the best books I've read from this century. My mind was pretty well blown by this book and its ability to cross these gaps.

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

[[deleted user]]

I'm not very far into it yet because I don't own a copy; I'm going to get to the library this week and get it so I can catch up. Wish I could afford to just buy it but that's not in the finances right now unfortunately. What I've read so far, though, I really really like. He writes in a very unique but powerful way, I'm looking forward to delving deeper into it.

[Logophile]

I read this a while ago. (I actually joined this group after the poll because y'all had the good taste to have picked it for your first read!)

It turned out to be not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a freak show, but the novel ended up having much more universal appeal than the main character's rather exceptional predicament led me to believe it would have. And conversely, I wondered what interest Cal's family saga would hold when I though Cal's unusual story would upstage it.

It was a pleasant surprise on all counts.