I suspect that Middlesex was spoiled for me by high expectations.  I keep seeing this book on the “if you liked this (critically acclaimed book), you will like this” lists. It has been rated very high on Amazon and Good Reads.  I thought it entertaining, with lots of wacky characters.  The writing was good. But I had expected more and keep trying to figure out what didn't deliver. It attempted to be a modern work of historical fiction, mostly the 50’s to the 70’s in Detroit, but the sense of place did not rise to the point of becoming a character, it merely provided the situation for the next scene.  It seemed to make the story over-reach, grasp for the next scene (which makes the book seem very long).  But it was entertaining, and a different story than normal.  Next time, I’ll skip looking at the rating before reading the book!