#4 in Contemporary fiction
Middlesex
- 560
- Pages
- about 10 h
- Reading time
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Premio Arcebispo Xoán de San Clemente de novela estranxeira
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Our view
“Middlesex” is a family saga first and the story of its intersex protagonist second. The opening half, given to Cal’s grandparents, is the part some readers love most. Those expecting questions of gender at the centre wait a long time, and some feel the subject is treated too lightly when it arrives. At 560 pages it is a layered, generational novel for anyone in no hurry.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than four million copies sold since its publication. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is not an autobiography; unlike the protagonist, Eugenides is not intersex. The author decided to write Middlesex after reading the 1980 memoir Herculine Barbin and finding himself dissatisfied with its discussion of intersex anatomy and emotions.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 628 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 81% of the weight and the score stays at 8.2 — the Contemporary fiction average of 7.7 barely moves it. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 52 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 576 | 92% |
Frequently asked
How long is Middlesex?
It has 560 pages — longer than 85% of the ranked books in Contemporary fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Contemporary fiction — with scores between 7.5 and 8.4, closest to this book.
