Family Lore centres around Flor Marte, who can predict when people will die, planning her own wake. This novel explores the Marte family and their complex relationships to each other.

I’ll start off by saying that this book had some beautiful quotes and there were some interesting observations on the struggles that women face in society.

However I found the structure of this book quite tedious as in each chapter we were given an anecdote from their past which didn’t always feel relevant and killed the momentum of the plot making this book incredibly slow paced. Also I felt there were too many characters and I found it difficult to connect with them.

There was quite a lot of sexual content in this book which I wasn’t expecting and at times it felt over the top and too vulgar to the point it came across as cringey.

Overall, having read Clap When You Land and With The Fire On High, I was so excited to read this but found myself very disappointed.

A multi generational story told through the women of the family, most of whom have a supernatural gift of foresight to one degree or another.  There are quite a few characters and the narrative jumps around a lot, especially as the point of view switches with each new chapter and there are a lot of (mostly short) chapters.  This made the pacing of my reading experience a little awkward at times. This is unquestionably a beautifully written story, but if it had been a little longer perhaps I could have got to know some of the lesser used characters a bit more. Having said all that I did like this novel but I think I preferred the author's earlier books.
3.5 stars

A wonderful story of Life within one family from the Dominican Republic. The book has a magic all of its own and was a wonderful read. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I think that this was a brave novel.
It tells the story of a family originally from the Dominican Republic (DR) who have moved to the United States of America.
The family are gifted in many different ways but still don't have life easy in their new life.
I guess that it is the story of many immigrants in the USA.
The matriarch decides to have a living wake, and this affects the feelings of the other family members.
I found the concept interesting, and for the main part enjoyable, even though some was hard-hitting.
Although I took school certificate (GCSE) Spanish, this involved the studying of European Spanish language and culture not South American language and culture, I struggled to follow quite a bit of the text.
As this spoilt the story for me I have only given the book 4 stars.
If the book had contained more explanations of the parts of the dialogue that were specifically DR or 'American' it may have squeezed five stars.
Thanks to the author for a thought-provoking book, and to the publisher for an advanced reading copy for honest review.

My students love Elizabeth Acevedo so this will definitely be a purchase for them. In her adult debut, she discusses family, legacy, traditions and magic, Acevedo weaves her literary craft wonderfully once again!

Many readers, including myself, must be grateful that Elizabeth Acevedo has decided to branch out from writing youth fiction to adult fiction like ‘Family Lore’ that embraces uncomfortable but pertinent contemporary issues.
‘Family Lore’ is centred around a Dominican-US-American family of four sisters, all of whom possess magical spiritual powers. Although there are multiple perspectives, the majority plot is narrated through interviews that Ona (one of the sisters’ children) completes. By talking at length to various family members, Ona is able to delve into the family’s history and traditions, both formed in their birth country of the Dominican Republic, and in their current New York community. Multifaceted and therefore at times confusing, this is a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to make sense of the past, and to creatively reinvent it.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free digital ARC that allowed me to familiarise myself with this fresh voice in the contemporary fiction market.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC to review!

3 stars!

I really wanted to like this more and it really is written beautifully, but for me, I just couldn’t keep an interest in the story, I think this is due to me being unable to follow who was who. This is just how it was for me, and obviously this won’t be the case for everyone. That’s the reason for my rating. But the way it’s written I loved. I will definitely look out for more from Elizabeth Acevado, just sadly couldn’t connect with this one,

Beautiful writing throughout this book, however I found it difficult to sustain interest because of the multiple perspectives , who were not distinct enough to tell apart. Overall, it fell short on characters and not enough magic to warrant the description. 2.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I have really liked two of Acevedo's books and thought her latest YA was okay. I was interested to see what she would do with this book, her adult debut, but this was such a disappointment.

There are so many POVs and it's hard to keep up with every single one of them. I think the main character was Ona because only her POV was told in first person, but besides her all the voices blended together and I could barely keep track of who was who, anymore. Besides, none of them were interesting enough for me to care whenever I was yanked between POVs.

Because of the POVs, the story was all over the place. The majority of it was spent in flashbacks or recalls that were poorly transitioned into and out of. There wasn't even world-building to explain why Flor and her family had magical powers. I can't remember if there were others outside the family who had magic or how normalized magic is in society. I don't need a super detailed, complex magic system, just a few lines every now and again fleshing out how the magic worked.

Overall, this was a dud for me. I know Acevedo is a good writer, and I like that she has tried something different with each one of her books, but, unfortunately, it didn't work in this book for me.

Very different from her previous books but certainly not disappointing! This book reminded me of Isabel Allende books. A bit of magical realism, culture and traditions, multiple generations.. I loved getting to know the Martes sisters. They are all so real and strong. It would have been useful if there was some list of names. Overall, i really enjoyed this book!

A multi-POV story throughout a single family, this book covered so much. It's centred around the living wake of Flor and each of her family who are involved along the way. This was such an interest point to centre a story on, everyone's own journeys radiating out from the centre point of Flor. Each of the sisters and the two nieces were so well written and developed. Often, these stories become confusing or you only really latch on to a couple of characters. But here it was all so richly written. Really interesting and full of heart.

Acevedo presents a complex family narrative, exploring various characters, points of view, and storylines. While some readers may appreciate the intricacies of this approach, I personally found the multitude of characters and perspectives to be overwhelming, leading to confusion and loss of interest. I also struggled to find the magical realism convincing, and I'm not generally a fan of explicit sexual content especially when it doesn't seem to serve the story.

Whilst I enjoyed this novel, the frequent use of Spanish, with no translation offered, was slightly annoying and made me feel that I was missing something. I’m always drawn to book about family dynamics and this book certainly drew you into the Marte womens’ world and their relationships.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Family Lore
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Elizabeth Acevedo
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary/Magical Realism
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: eARC
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 10th August 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 10th July 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5

”How do lineages of women from colonized places, where emphasis is put on silent enduring, learn when and where to confide in their own family if forbearance is the only attitude elevated and modeled?”

Family Lore describes a family from Dominican Republic where the females have affinities. Flor can tell when someone is going to die. Pastors can tell when someone is lying. Matilde doesn’t have an affinity but her dancing sounds magical. Yadi has an affinity for limes. Camila is a herbalist. And Ona, who holds the perspective of this novel yet isn’t quite our main character, has a magical alpha vagina, which is as cool as it sounds.

This is Elizabeth Acevedo’s first adult novel and she has blown me away. She writes incredibly, in such a touching and deep way that really resonates in the soul and yet there is a touch of lightheartedness there. I found this book emotionally provocative and magical.

Throughout this multigenerational story, trauma is prevalent, drawing on female experience and basing this on a background of Dominican anthropology. There are heaps of cultural references, tons of Spanish, and enough sadness and joy to last a reader a lifetime.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨

I think this may be the first book by Acevado that wasn't aimed at a YA audience and good for her, the transition was great. I enjoyed this book, I found it a little hard to keep up with the big cast considering the book was so short.

4.5/5 stars

I had high hopes going into this because I’m a sucker for multi-POV family sagas, and Family Lore did not disappoint.

Flor Marte can predict when people will die, so her family members are alarmed when she decides to throw herself a living wake. The story moves backwards and forwards through the family’s lives, exploring their various conflicts and secrets. It’s narrated by one of the second gen characters and she inserts her own reflections as parenthetical asides while recounting her cousin’s and aunts’ stories. This narrative choice felt like a fresh take on a multigenerational family saga and left me wondering what parts of the story were altered or left out in the process of sharing oral histories.

It was so easy to relate to all the characters. One of them reminded me of myself and I was constantly reminded of my loved ones in many of the sisters and side characters. They were all so frustrating and endearing.

Much of this was a solid 4-star read for me, but the ending and Acevedo’s beautiful prose bumped it up to a 4.5.

My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to Elizabeth Acevado, Canongate and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.
Family Lore is a really beautiful, emotional and cultural read.
I fell in love with the characters that Elizabeth created. Each woman in the Marte family has a ‘magic’ power, from prophesising death to being incredible at sex! I really loved this element, because it really pulled me in and made me listen closely to what each character was saying.
This book was set over 3 days. It is centred around Flor, who can prophesise death, and the days leading up to and the day of her living wake. This book really questions life, what it means to be alive and fulfilment in life – there were definitely points where I was getting emotional.
Interestingly, Elizabeth is really ingenious in using a research project to give the reader a look into the Marte sisters childhoods in the Dominican Republic. (Sidenote: I loved all of the Dominican Republic cultural references from their childhood, which continued throughout the Marte sisters adult lives in NYC.) I hope I’m remembering this correctly: Ona (Flor’s daughter), an anthropologist, is researching her maternal family’s lives in the Dominican Republic and what it meant to grow up there. This was a really interesting way to have an insight into the Marte sisters childhoods, alongside their memories in their POVs. I would have loved to have had more of these transcriptions and for it to be used more towards the end of the book (sort of closing it off); However, on the other hand by not closing it off, it did give the plot a very natural feel – making the story feel like we were actually getting an insight into a family for 3 days, not reading a story which has to have all the sidelines closed off by the end.
We’re given the opportunity to have a deep-dive into the lives of the other Marte sisters and their daughters/nieces through multiple POVs. The multiple POV structure that Elizabeth used really helped me grow a connection with each of the characters, and to see a vulnerability and unique perspective of each character that I wouldn’t have gained if I was seeing each character from one POV. I didn’t find the POVs confusing – each character had a very unique voice and I grew close enough to each that it was easy to move between each POV.
I really liked that there were lots of instances where it was left to the reader to interpret a thought or action of a POV character or someone they were describing – I loved being able to interpret what I wanted myself, instead of being told by a character.
Overall, this story was so elegant and poignant, Elizabeth is such a soulful writer. I really took my time reading this book and I wish I could read it over again. I fell in love with the characters and I’m really sad to see them go. Normally I would beg for a sequel after a book I loved, but I think Elizabeth has left the book perfectly – I love that I can interpret the future for these characters whichever way I want.
Thank you again to Elizabeth Acevado, Canongate and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

3.5/5 Stars

I was so looking forward to reading Elizabeth Acevedo's adult debut and I'm extremely grateful I got the chance to do so before its official release.
My favourite aspect of the novel were definitely all the references to the Dominican Republic and its culture, which was very present in the main characters' daily lives. The book was infused with such characteristic aspects and they truly added so many layers to the storyline.
The novel itself tells the story of four unique sisters, some of which have particular powers. Thanks to a narration set on multiple timelines, we get to discover their bond and how deep it goes, which was fascinating and in some cases also very eye-opening. My only problem is that sometimes it was difficult for me to gather all these information we are given and remember which story belongs to who, especially the ones regarding something that happened in the past. I also appreciated how the author introduced the new generation and I wish we could have seen more of the meaningful bond that Ona and Yadi share.
The whole story is told in a slow and gentle manner, which is to say it is not a fast-paced book. Not a problem per se, but in this particular case I sometimes found myself wandering away from the novel and not really eager to pick the book up to see what was going to happen next, but that's just my experience.
Even though I had minor issues with this, I will say this is a solid novel infused with elements that truly show Acevedo's skills and care for her characters and their story.

I have loved Elizabeth Acevedo's Young Adult and so was intrigued to read this novel. This is not a verse novel like The Poet X but the prose is just as poetic. This is a family saga with a sprinkling of magical realism thrown into the mix. We have four sisters, Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila and two offspring - Ona and Yadi, some of whom seem to have a gift of sorts. Flor can predict a person's death, Pastora can see a person's truth, Camila is a herbalist, Matilde works her spells on the dance floor, Yadi is a kitchen wizard and Ona has a magical vagina!! Anyway - Flor decides that she wants a living wake which throws the whole family into a tizzy. They are convinced that Flor has foreseen her own death and so this wake is her way of say ing goodbye , something she denies. Even Pastora who 'sees' the truth believes her. The chapters in the book are in the voices of the women, and occasionally we get interruptions from Ona who is interviewing all of her family. Through their reminiscences, their conversations, we learn all about them - how the sisters' stories are interconnected, how they've lived and loved. I loved all these characters, but my favourite is definitely Flor. I'd love to see what the author does next.

It seems I am in the minority with how I feel about this book and the style of writing so I feel this may be a personal dissonance with the material and nothing to do with the actual book itself.

The book is about the inter-generational perspectives of the women of the Marte family and how their lives and histories interweave past and present in the run-up to a living wake for Flore, who can predict death and has presumably predicted her own. It is more a tale of women's history, with magical realism elements - the majority of the women have some supernatural power that has become part of the everyday in small unremarkable ways, the fantasy is very light in the same vein as books like 'A hundred years of solitude'.

The prose is beautiful and very lyrical, it is poetic and you really have to savour the words to get the most out of it. It is more about what has come before and is more about the vibe rather than the action, the slow drawing you into the rich tapestry that us their lives. I can truly see why some reviewers have given this 5 stars, but I also have to be honest about my own level of enjoyment.

For me, some voices were stronger than others and I sometimes felt confused by the switch between interview and narration and the different points of view. Also, I am not a fan of magic realism, I prefer my fantasy to be more well, fantasy. Also, there are a lot of words and phrases in Spanish and being a British millenial, I learned not a word of Spanish in school and so am completely alienated from entire chunks of text. Is this a plot device or is it just assumed that all readers will have some working knowledge of Spanish? (Entirely plausible if this book is mainly aimed for a US readership). I would suggest some footnotes for translation were put in.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in return for an honest review