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Post by Carma on Sept 17, 2007 11:28:37 GMT -5
I'm way too busy to be ably to join in.. when I have to go to college i only have time to read on the train, so i tend to read 'small' books..
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Sept 20, 2007 15:37:18 GMT -5
I'm sorry you're too busy to discuss it with us, Carma. It's a great book (I've read the first part). Even though you can't read it now, I hope you get to sometime while on a holiday.
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sagedautumn
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
You Might Need This!
Posts: 1,509
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Post by sagedautumn on Sept 23, 2007 13:47:29 GMT -5
yea. This is the first time in a while that I have actually gotten to sit downand write responses. I doubt I will have time till Winter Break!!
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Post by Dominique on Sept 30, 2007 4:19:19 GMT -5
Okay it's September 30 here (even if it isn't everywhere else yet) so I'll start. Book One I really enjoyed this section, I'm currently battling with the question of whether to read on ahead, but when I do that I forget what happens in each part and I can't discuss it properly.
I love Eudenides' style, it's just wonderful. All the detail and colour he gives to Desdemona and Lefty really brings the story alive. It seems to be quite a scandalous novel so far, but he manages to write it so the reader isn't totally alienated from Lefty and Desdemona because of their weird incestious relationship. I think this is where his descriptions of them are so important, the reader has to care about them despite their relationship which otherwise would be difficult to get around because of its ick factor.
This is becoming quite a scandalous story! An incestious marriage, a hermaphrodite (and other things that I won't mention yet - I've read ahead a little).
What does everybody else think?
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Isa
Administrator
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Post by Isa on Sept 30, 2007 7:15:48 GMT -5
I totally agree with you Dom, the story of Cal's grand-parents is brilliantly written because you don't even feel like judging the characters for what they did, the reasons given in the book just seem to make sense somehow...
One of the sentences that I think summarizes the first part fairly well comes up early in the book, when Carl writes: "The timing of the thing had to be just so in order for me to become the person I am. Delay the act by an hour and you change the gene selection." This “genetic” fate is at the core of Book 1. Cal's condition is more or less the result of a faulty genetic heritage that can be traced back to his grand-parents. As the story moves back to the “old world”, we discover that they were in fact brother and sister. But in the small village where they grew up, the concept of “genes” was unheard of. They knew that being together was wrong, but only in the moral sense of the word, and believed they had nothing to fear other than social condemnation. That’s why they took the trouble of reinventing themselves, pretending to create a romance from scratch as they moved to a new country, hoping that their past would disappear. They had no way of knowing that someday, genetics would betray them.
The battle between old and new world ideas becomes interesting when the topic of pregnancy is brought up. Cal’s mother has no doubt inherited some of her own mother’s notions when she says that a child should be the result of pure love and vehemently rejects the scientific advice provided by her husband. Slowly but surely, however, those romantic notions give way to her intense desire to have a daughter, and she ends up following his advice. Another battle is lost when Desdemona’s “spoon” test fails to predict the sex of the baby. At that point, science seems to have the upper hand, but it’ll be interesting to see how things stand after they find out about Cal’s hermaphroditism…
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Sept 30, 2007 12:21:57 GMT -5
As both of you, Dom & Jefie, have mentioned, I find it so amazing that Eugenides can write of a taboo like incestuous relationships in such a way that we don't really think about it being weird. I mean, we think it's weird, but he writes it so it's so much easier to accept them, despite the taboo.
The main thing that got me in this book was the "genetic fate" as Jefie termed it. Directly from my book journal:
With the current technology, I believe it’s possible to have a baby of your choosing, good genes and all. I don’t think that choosing your baby is right. It’s nice that we have the option, because others can do as they wish, even if I disagree. I can’t even decide if I’d like to know the sex before birth. On one hand, I’d like the surprise. But, on the other, I really want to have a son as my first child. I could really see myself being disappointed with a girl first, if I waited until birth to know the sex. And I really don’t want to be disappointed with my first baby. So maybe, for me, it’d be better to find out so that I could get used to the idea of a daughter and get myself all excited. But, I have years before I need to start worrying about this.
I never would've thought I'd be so interested in a book centered on genes, in one respect, but I am. I'm really amazed by this book, and I'm trying not to read too far ahead so I can make it more suspenseful.
(PS I'll be out of town during the next post, but I may still be able to take my laptop with me. So I may post the second one a little late)
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Post by bookaddict on Sept 30, 2007 15:36:56 GMT -5
Middlesex is very different from other books I've read. I do agree that Eugenides writes about a taboo relationship in such a way that we are accepting of the relationship. However, he doesn't make it easy for us to accept it. When Lefty and Desdemona are accepting of their new relationship they remember who they really are and they themselves have doubts and guilts. This causes the reader to remember and feel on the same page as them. We want to accept it but at the same time it's hard to forget that they are brother and sister. Yes, their circumstances make it easier for them to agree with their feelings, but their memories are always connected to being brother and sister. Desdemona feels guilt when she thinks of her mother, and what her mother would think of them. I think it is essential that they do create their romance on board the ship, it makes their new life together seem a little more credible and real. It makes a new memory for them. I'm interested in what they tell their future families, and how their story comes out. Cal's narration feels void of emotion, it's mostly fact. Cal seems to be thinking scientifically and perhaps that's the only way he can accept himself. His situation and life was caused by something he had no control over, and somehow he has to learn to live with his life. I wonder if he feels angry, sad, confused, fusterated. I wonder what he truly thinks of his grandparents life.
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jessicalee
First piece published in the school’s newspaper
Posts: 79
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Post by jessicalee on Sept 30, 2007 22:18:47 GMT -5
This is a very different book for me, but I'm really enjoying the story so far. I was afraid I wouldn't like it because of the incest, but strangely enough, it hasn't really bothered me. I really love Cal's sidbars and explanations. I see that Cal thinks scientifically about everything, and the logice he imparts into the story really makes it unique.
I agree with bookaddict about Lefty and Desdemona creating their story on the ship. They needed to escape from their old life, and create a new life where they weren't brother and sister. Another part stood out to me also, but I can't remember if it was in book 1 or not because I read ahead. I also wonder what Cal truly thinks of his grandparents life, and if he is angry because of his situation.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Oct 1, 2007 14:34:16 GMT -5
I hadn't really known how to describe it until you (bookaddict) said that Cal is speaking "scientifically." I knew there was something weird about how he was presenting it, not necessarily weird in a bad way, but that's a great word for describing it.
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Post by bookaddict on Oct 2, 2007 20:04:15 GMT -5
i'm wondering if Cal figures all this out about his family while he is living, or if he is now looking back on his life and finally getting the answers in death.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Oct 3, 2007 15:47:48 GMT -5
I've kind of been wondering that too, bookaddict. I mean, unless Cal was told all of this by the people in the story, like on their deathbeds, I'm not sure how he knows it all. Part of it could be his imagination, I suppose, but it's interesting to think about where he got this information. Diaries perhaps? Desdemona could've kept a diary and recorded all of this, and Cal could've found it or been given it.
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Post by Dominique on Oct 4, 2007 0:14:08 GMT -5
I've been thinking about this too, like Kristie I thought maybe it's a whole back story he's made up in his imagination, but I don't really think so. Or that maybe some of it comes from the scientists investigating his family history, but I don't think it's that either. Some of the detail about Desdemona's dreams could have come from her dream journal, if she analyses what her dreams mean instead of just transcribing them in it I suppose some of the details about their relationship could come from that? It's a bit of a mystery.
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Lu
Administrator
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Post by Lu on Oct 4, 2007 1:11:13 GMT -5
I finished Book1 yesterday, I'm a bit late.
I'm really enjoying Middlesex so far, I love Eugenides's style and the way Cal tells his story, it's wonderful. I have to admit I did not expect it being so good. I was probably too afraid I wouldn't like it but, as jessicalee, it hasn't bothered me, I mean, I just don't feel like judging the characters.
It's a mystery to me too and I've been wondering when Cal will tell how he got his informations. I haven't really thought about Desdemona dream journal..that's a good supposition.
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Isa
Administrator
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Post by Isa on Oct 4, 2007 7:29:44 GMT -5
Could he be just an omniscient narrator? I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character is an omniscient narrator, but hey, whatever works! And in this case, I think it's working really well so far
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Post by Dominique on Oct 4, 2007 21:02:39 GMT -5
That's a good point, I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character is an omniscient narrator of events outside of his time who isn't dead and where it isn't explained how he knows in some way, but that could be what Cal is. I suppose if that's so it's a bit experimental, which could also contribute to the book winning The Pultzier Prize.
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