book #01-02 of 2011: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides & The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevski
Title: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides [New York 2002]
Summary: "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver-s license...records my first name simply as Cal." So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of 1967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. [Source].
Review in 5 words or less: Captivating | Excellent characterization | A wonderful story about a family but also about self-discovery and self-acceptance | Must-read |
Personal Rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ of 5.
Fake-cut to the review: Read me!
Title: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevski [Russia 1880]
Summary: The Brothers Karamozov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the "wicked and sentimental" Fyodor Pavlovich Karamozov and his three sons-the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual strivings, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture. [Source].
Review in 5 words or less: Very complex plot | Outstanding characterization | Characters have the tendency to ramble & the author loves to get off topic | Epic, beautiful story |
Personal Rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ of 5.
Fake-cut to the review: Read me!
Summary: "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver-s license...records my first name simply as Cal." So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of 1967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. [Source].
Review in 5 words or less: Captivating | Excellent characterization | A wonderful story about a family but also about self-discovery and self-acceptance | Must-read |
Personal Rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ of 5.
Fake-cut to the review: Read me!
Title: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevski [Russia 1880]
Summary: The Brothers Karamozov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the "wicked and sentimental" Fyodor Pavlovich Karamozov and his three sons-the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual strivings, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture. [Source].
Review in 5 words or less: Very complex plot | Outstanding characterization | Characters have the tendency to ramble & the author loves to get off topic | Epic, beautiful story |
Personal Rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ of 5.
Fake-cut to the review: Read me!