Middlesex

By: Jeffrey Eugenides

Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori

Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry-blonde classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them - along with Callie's failure to develop physically - leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.

The explanation for this shocking state of affairs is a rare genetic mutation - and a guilty secret - that have followed Callie's grandparents from the crumbling Ottoman Empire to Prohibition-era Detroit and beyond, outlasting the glory days of the Motor City, the race riots of 1967, and the family's second migration, into the foreign country known as suburbia. Thanks to the gene, Callie is part girl, part boy. And even though the gene's epic travels have ended, her own odyssey has only begun.

Spanning eight decades - and one unusually awkward adolescence - Jeffrey Eugenides' long-awaited second novel is a grand, original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire.

Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Audie Award for best unabridged fiction, Middlesex marks the fulfillment of a huge talent, named one of America's best young novelists by both Granta and The New Yorker.

Check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.

©2002 Jeffrey Eugenides (P)2002 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

Audie Award Winner, Fiction (Unabridged), 2003

"Eugenides proves that he is not only a unique voice in modern literature but also well versed in the nature of the human heart. Highly recommended." (Library Journal )

"Not only are his interpretations of the characters astonishingly credible, but his internalization of the narrative is nothing short of amazing." (Publishers Weekly)

"A towering achievement...a story that manages to be both illuminating and transcendent...[Eugenides] has emerged as the great American writer many of us suspected him of being." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Wow everyone should listen

What a great audio book.. love the voices and by the end you’re left wanting more!

Enjoyed it

What about Kristoffer Tabori’s performance did you like?

In the first minutes I thought perhaps the narrator's voice was too intense, but very soon it became just perfect for the story- enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Recommend

The best!

What did you love best about Middlesex?

There is so much to love about this book. Jeffrey Eugenides takes you on a genetic journey where he weaves the past and present, introduces us to the old country, to the riots in Detroit and to everlasting guilt. All this while Caliope's intersex story takes center stage. It really is an amazing book!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Desdamonia and the guilt she carries. I can't say much without giving the story away. But I'm glad the story begins and ends with her. She comes full circle.

Gender bending story compassionately told

I found myself engrossed in this story which winds and twists from the protagonist to his family members creating a surprisingly rich characterization of Greek Families and their culture, and also earlier American culture. In a way it reminds me of a cultural anthropologist’s view of a person. It captures the uncertainty and pain of a person who is struggling with gender identity. As a heterosexual, is has given me a greater understanding for people who struggle with this issue. This book is entertaining yet also enlightening.

Great listen

Great performance. Great writing. Quirky tale. Very glad that I invested the time to listen.

Fabulous narrator

The narrator was remarkable. I enjoyed the way he spoke the different characters. He really made the story.

in love...

I absolutely adored listening to this book. I've owned the actual book for a while but hasn't gotten around to reading it and am I glad I didn't. I loved the narrator- he brought the story to life and was incredibly engaging. I loved the story too, it's scope and detail, but I truly think listening to it made it. I've already recommended this and will continue to do so. I feel a loss that I won't get to hear more but fortunate that I was able to at all. Bravo.

Give Eugenides a try!

So I chose this book on a whim; I'm primarily a true crime fan. I figured that since I liked the Virgin Suicides film, perhaps I would like a book by the same author. It was definitely a home run. Very interesting story line and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the novel. The reader was excellent.

Wonderful story

Would you listen to Middlesex again? Why?

I know that this wonderfully written story would have been a book I couldn't put down. But the reader was so good that it made the story even better. His accents sounded perfect to me and the addition if music was great too! I will listen to it again and recommend it to everyone, but especially if you want to hear what fun Audible books can be!

Long but I loved it

Where does Middlesex rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This ranks high on my reads

What was one of the most memorable moments of Middlesex?

Just the idea of a hemaphrodite is different and having a man read for originally a girl was different.

Have you listened to any of Kristoffer Tabori’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't but love his acting ability.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Callie's love of

Any additional comments?

a great reader and a great story