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)

Loved this book !

The writing is brilliant -- poignant and touching and hopeful. At times, I laughed out loud. Great narration and a joy to sit in traffic with -- this book gave me something to look forward to during my commute to and from work. HIGHLY recommend!

Amazing

The life of Callie will draw you in... it is a long book, but every word is exceptional. Narration and story are excellent.

Interesting and arresting subject

What did you love best about Middlesex?

It's not often that Pulitzer Prize winning fiction deals with frankly medical details. Eugenides gives his hero/heroine not only delicately described parts of both sexes, but Cal is also well endowed with a compassionate character.

Which character – as performed by Kristoffer Tabori – was your favorite?

Obviously, Calliope, as performed by Tabori, was believable both as a pre-teen girl and a fully adult man. His voice made me protective of Cal when he ran ran away. I also related to her exploits as a child; she reminded me a lot of myself! Tabori's brilliant performance peppers the entire book with memorable voices, from Lefty and Desdamona to the gruffly voiced Turkish Uncle whose name escapes me. There was a curious sort of click apparent every few sentences, not sure what this was.

Who was the most memorable character of Middlesex and why?

I really loved Cal and Desdamona. The final scene had touching moments of redemption as Desdamona confessed her decades-old sin to Cal. And Cal forgives her. Both characters reinforce the notion that we can't continue to blame others for problems that happen to land on our own doorstep. It's up to each of us as individuals to forgive the Smyrna-like events in our lives and embrace the good that is all around us.

Truly an Audible Essential

What did you love best about Middlesex?

The narrator. He was amazing. That plus the ability of Jeffrey Euginedes to craft phrases.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Calliope. It is just amazing.

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

No, but he captures this brilliantly. An award winning performance.

Who was the most memorable character of Middlesex and why?

Calliope as that is the main character and just an amazing story.

Any additional comments?

This does what all great books do - make you sad that you finished it. I loved the book.

wow.

A very, very strange book! Not one that I would usually choose but I heard an interview and chapter on the air and decided to download it. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cringe. It was definitely worth the download.

Overall Great but Takes a Bit

Any additional comments?

The book is extremely satisfying but it took a while for me to get into it. The book spans over two generations to finally get to the one about the main character but of course that's what helps you as a reader appreciate the peripheral characters in higher detail. Tabori does an amazing job reading this book and captures the characters very well. I would recommend this book to someone who has a lot of time to invest in a story about people.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

What did you love best about Middlesex?

The rich development of characters and scenes. Mr Eugenides has crafted a tangible world populated with real and multi-faceted characters. I could literally see it unfolding and was completely drawn in.

What about Kristoffer Tabori’s performance did you like?

Mr Tabori brought this story to life. The subtle changes in his voice and his wonderful acting ability added a lot of depth for me. Well done!

Any additional comments?

Thank you for a beautiful story.

Fascinating

Found myself to be nearly the same age as the protagonist (born 1960) and the book mirrored many aspects of my life. Well written and intriguing throughout.

MIDDLESEX -- EVEN THE TITLE IS GENIUS

I listen to audio books on my iPhone constantly... (2-5 books a month) -- The writing in this book is by far one of the most unique you'll listen to. It is so different in its presentation there is nothing I can really compare it to. Perhaps Bird the Jazz saxophonist; he played between notes, a sound that can't be described. This book, the characters are all easily seen in your mind. Each character is so human and full of texture. And this I find to be a must for all great books- the characters are complete, no guessing as to who they may be. Although this books topic is very interesting in itself, the stories that make the foundation for the main topic is so rich you could almost exclude the main character and still have a 5 star book. Wonderful story. The Narrator Kristorrer Tabori made it seem as if the author was reading.

So much fun!

What did you love best about Middlesex?

It well deserved the Audie and the Pulitzer. A joy to listen to and a hilarious story to boot.