Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by verenka of Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on 4/3/2004
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11 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by verenka from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Saturday, April 3, 2004
From the blurb:
"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974...My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver's license...records my first name simply as Cal"

The story is a Greek-American epic starting in a small village in Syria in the 1920s. It's entertaining, fascinating and thrilling to the last minute and definitely worth a read.

That's why I will offer it as a bookring.

Journal Entry 2 by verenka from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Sunday, April 4, 2004
Members of the bookring so far:

goatgrrl (Canada)
Eucalia (USA)
labmomm (USA)
DoveiLibri (USA)
Lpree (USA)
Czersk (USA)
Lijay (Northern Ireland)
MarianneF (UK)
loribee (UK)
Brujula (France)
fannynatalie (Austria)

The book is going out this week

Released on Saturday, April 10, 2004 at Post Office in By Post, By Post Controlled Releases.

Released yesterday at the post office at Westbahnhof

Journal Entry 4 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Thanks so much, verenka! This book was posted in Vienna on April 10th, and arrived in New Westminster, British Columbia on April 21st. Not bad! I promise to have it read within the next two weeks, and in the meantime will be in touch with the next person on your list to get their address.

Best wishes from New Westminster :^), and thanks for setting me up with what looks like a great book to read.

Journal Entry 5 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Monday, April 26, 2004
This book will easily make my "Top Ten" list for 2004, and the character of Calliope/Cal Stephanides is someone I won't soon forget. It's a wonderful exploration of the forces of genetics, culture, politics, hormones and family, and the complicated way these combine to make each of us who we are. I found much I could relate to in Calliope/Cal's experience, if not in the specifics, then certainly in the heartbreak, confusion and challenge of finding one's own path through a thicket of societal and familial expectations. Best moment in the whole book: when Cal's mother asks him "Don't you think it would have been easier just to stay the way you were?", and he responds "This is the way I was."

Other memorable scenes: the lyrical description of Lefty Stephanides' job at the Ford Motor Company ("Wierzbicki reams a bearing and Stephanides grinds a bearing and O'Malley attaches a bearing to a cam-shaft."); Eugenides' ability to write beautifully and imaginatively in "fast forward" or "time lapse" mode (see the bottom half of p. 230 for a great example -- the "stock capitalist montage" of the success of Milton Stephanides' Zebra Room); the description of Callie's first sexual explorations with the Obscure Object.

I never would have read this book had I not learned about it through this bookring, so thanks very much for sharing it, verenka. Best wishes to all from New Westminster, British Columbia (pictured at top left: the Fraser River, as seen from the top of my street).

Journal Entry 6 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Monday, April 26, 2004
I'll be mailing this to Eucalia in Orangevale, California today.

Journal Entry 7 by Eucalia from Issaquah, Washington USA on Friday, April 30, 2004
I received this book in the mail today from goatgrrl along with a cute Canadian flag zipper pull. Thanks so much! :) I'll start this book as soon as I finish the one I'm working on now.

Journal Entry 8 by Eucalia from Issaquah, Washington USA on Monday, May 3, 2004
Just a quick note to let everyone know I've started reading this book this evening!

Journal Entry 9 by Eucalia from Issaquah, Washington USA on Sunday, May 16, 2004
I finally finished reading this book this afternoon. This is supposed to be the saga of three generations of a Greek family. For me, the first generation was very interesting and while reading about them I didn't want to put the book down. The second generation was interesting, but when I put the book down, I didn't feel compelled to pick it up again. And the third generation, really wasn't that interesting, even though I suspect this was intended to be the most interesting part. The first half of this book went quickly for me while the second half really began to drag. I did enjoy the writing style, though, told through a chatty narrative from a member of the third generation. I'm glad I had the chance to read this book, thanks Verenka for sharing it with us. I plan to mail it to labmomnm when the post office opens tomorrow.

Journal Entry 10 by Eucalia at sent to bookcrosser in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Released on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at sent to bookcrosser in Mailed, Bookring Controlled Releases.

I dropped this book in the mail today. It's on its way to labmomnm now!

Journal Entry 11 by winglabmomnmwing from Albuquerque, New Mexico USA on Monday, May 24, 2004
Received by mail from Eucalia. I have 3 rings ahead of it but will keep an eye on the hang time.

6/18/04 - OMG - I LOVE this book! Have to go and get myself a copy to keep; I know I'll want to re-read it at some point, and I'm contemplating a Eugenides-a-thon. I liked all of the generations - someone told me that the first 100 pages were a slog and to just get past them....but I have to disagree....I thought that section was incredible.

6/26/04 - mailed to Doveilibri. Thanks for sharing, Verenka!

Journal Entry 12 by wingDove-i-Libriwing from Cape Coral, Florida USA on Monday, July 5, 2004
Picked up my little parcel at the apartment office today, tore open the package and am already up to page 183. AM LOVING it. Will contact the next person in the bookring as soon as I'm done, and send it on!

Added July 8, 2004: Contacting the next person on the list to send this little treasure on. What a WONDERFUL book!

I also loved the speeded-up time scenes, but the restaurant one wasn't my favorite. I loved the Math class one where the pre-teens are developing as the math problems get more complex.

Added July 9, 2004: Sending this book to the next person on the list: Lpree, in Maryland, this weekend.

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Journal Entry 13 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Friday, July 23, 2004
This arrived sometime this week (I've been out of town for the last couple days so it was in the pile of mail I picked up today). This will be next on my TBR list. I expect to start it early next week. I'm looking forward to reading this!

Journal Entry 14 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Sunday, August 1, 2004
Like Eucalia, I found the first generation pretty interesting, but I really had trouble getting into this book, even from the beginning. I gave it about 250 pages, then gave up. It does seem like an interesting story at times, but I think perhaps I'm too distracted by the other bookrings that all came in at once.

I too liked the description of Lefty's job at Ford. However, for me, I think it was almost too descriptive. I kept wanting to skip ahead.

Anyway, I appreciate the chance to read it and perhaps will try again some other time when I don't have other waiting rings to distract me.

I will contact the next person on the list and mail it out sometime this week.

Journal Entry 15 by Lpree at on Friday, August 6, 2004
Released on Friday, August 06, 2004 at BookRing in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Sent media mail to Czersk.

Journal Entry 16 by Czersk from Roscoe, Minnesota USA on Sunday, August 15, 2004
This came in the mail yesterday. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize (or so says the cover)- that has to be worth a read.

Journal Entry 17 by Czersk from Roscoe, Minnesota USA on Monday, September 6, 2004
This was a GOOD book. From the moment I picked it up, until I turned the last page, Jeffrey Eugenides never failed to keep me interested. I couldn't put it down! His writing style reminded me a bit of Isabel Allende, who, like Eugenides, has a lot of cultural background in her books, and also writes generational. By saying generational I mean the story follows a few generations in the family. I love Isabel Allende as a writer, and I think that Jeffrey Eugenides has become another favorite author of mine. I'm going to have to find some more books that he has written. SOON.

Thank you, everybody, for giving me a chance to read this book. I will be sending it along to Lijay in Ireland very soon.

******Update********
Middlesex mailed to Lijay on September 9, 2004.

Journal Entry 18 by Lijay from Belfast, Co. Antrim United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Received this morning in the post, can't wait to get started!

Journal Entry 19 by Lijay from Belfast, Co. Antrim United Kingdom on Saturday, October 23, 2004
I cannot praise this book enough, I have read it in a few huge gulps I so enjoyed the writing. I found the entire story increadibly absorbing. It wasn't only Cals, but the story of his family and their assimulation in American Society. It was a long journey from Turkey to Detroit but I loved every moment of it.
I have PM'd MarianneF for her address and will post this well travelled book to her as soon as.

Journal Entry 20 by Lijay from Belfast, Co. Antrim United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Once more on its travels to MarianneF

Journal Entry 21 by MarianneF from Whitehaven, Cumbria United Kingdom on Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Recieved this book from Lijay as part of a book ring few weeks ago. Was very bad and didn't register this at time. Simply havn't had time to read the book, have got about half way through it but don't want to hold up the bookring, so am passing it on without finishing it. This is no reflection on the book. I have found the story entertaining amuzing and sad in turns and written in a quirkey easy to read style.

Journal Entry 22 by loribee from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, January 16, 2005
Looking forward to reading this which I have had for a couple of weeks.

Journal Entry 23 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Tuesday, October 11, 2005
This book has arrived safely in Belfort.
Thank you verenka and loribee!

Journal Entry 24 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Tuesday, November 29, 2005
I've really enjoyed this book, for many reasons not so easy to explain.
This is the kind of familiar saga I like, with a little history, lots of fantasy, and a few endearing characters.
I'm sorry it took me so long to read this book... lots of work at the moment!
I'm sending it to fannynatalie as soon as I have her adress.

Thank you verenka for the ring!

Journal Entry 25 by verenka from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Friday, December 16, 2005
My first bookring arrived home safely today :-) !
Thanks for those lovely postcards! And thank you for participating, I so enjoyed reading your comments.

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