I read / listened to this book simultaneously, going back and forth between the two editions. The audio book really gives you the lilting flavor of the poetic prose, and much of it is read by the author. On the other hand, for some reason, the audio book does NOT read aloud the chapter headings that tell you which family member is narrating. This can be very confusing as it often takes some time before it becomes obvious whose story is being taken up.

The novel tells the stories of the women of a multigenerational Dominican-American family — each with a gift that is not wholly of this world. It begins with one of the sisters — Flor — demanding a wake for herself in three days. Since her gift is predicting the day of someone’s death, her family naturally expects the worst, though Flor won’t answer any questions. The prose is lyrical, moving between present and past and among the three sisters and the two cousins of the next generation.

The story is slow paced and completely sensual — it is a story of sensory experiences and personal feelings, not a story of plot or thought. That was interesting to me because I realized that I personally prefer more thought and a little less feeling and experience, but I can appreciate the flow. The stories center on women — all the men are described from the women’s perspective which is another interesting way of telling of a story.
I enjoyed the story but you do have to be in a patient mood, as the story unfolds slowly with a different sense of time than I’m used to. Read after the caffeine in your system is spent, else you will not be able to settle in to the language the way you should.

I enjoyed the culture and the voice of the author throughout this book. It wasn't my favorite by Acevedo but I'm still glad to have listened.

Content warnings: child abandonment, parental abuse, infidelity, miscarriages, sexual assault, physical violence

If you enjoy sweeping family histories comprised of intricate generational experiences layered on top of one another, you'll love FAMILY LORE. Acevedo will easily hook new readers as she moved into writing Adult Fiction.

For me personally, this is lacking the magic of Acevedo's YA books and I found myself getting lost in trying to follow the threads of the plot with so many characters jumping in and out of the narrative (along with the time line jumping back and forth). It's all well executed, the miss is on me as a reader for this one.

Elizabeth Acevedo, Sixta Morel, and Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe do a good job with the audiobook narration, though their voices blend together so it wasn't always easy to notice there was a change in narrator while listening.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and HarperAudio in exchange for an honest review.

While not for everyone, I loved that the perspective constantly shifted between each of the 6 different characters and moved around in time. This may have been a bit more confusing reading the print book vs listening to the audio but it worked very well for audio. The narrators were excellent and helped to give each woman a different voice. I enjoyed reading about how the sisters all supported each other in their own way and how their dynamic changed as they got older. I can see this being a good book club pick as there is a lot to be able to discuss.

This was a real treat of a book. For fans of Latin American magic realism, this will be a huge hit. It reminded me most of Cristina Garcia's work such as Dreaming in Cuban more than Like Water for Chocolate, Mexican Gothic, or House of Spirits. The strong Dominican women living in New York City, but still connected to their homeland was very Cristina Garcia, however Family Lore was very current and non-apologetic about what real women think and say. This will be one to discuss.

This book was amazing the family history the Inter generational connection! I love anything by Elizabeth Acevedo and her adult book did not disappoint! Highly recommend to anyone looki no to read!

Acclaimed Young Adult author Elizabeth Acevedo’s first novel for adults is about a multigenerational family of Dominican women as they navigate the complexities of sisterhood, marriage, motherhood, migration and magic. Yes- magic. You see- magic runs in the family. As the novel opens- Flor, who can foresee death- sees her own, and decides to have a living wake. What follows is 3 days of preparation for the event and through that- we hear the stories of the lives of her sisters, daughter and niece. Written in a beautiful prose, this novel will appeal to readers interested in the Latinx Diaspora, magical realism and women's stories

The narration was even, warm and engaging.

I have traditionally loved Acevedo’s work, but this one just didn’t speak to me the way her YA works have. I always love her narration, and that was no different here. I found the structure of this story hard to follow. The timeline jumped around so much that I couldn’t always follow who’s story was happening when, etc. I enjoyed the characters and the idea behind the story, but there was just too much jumping around for me.

One of my most anticipated books of 2023, this adult debut from the incredibly talented Elizabeth Acevedo, tells the story of the many women of the Dominican American Marte family. Told from multiple POVs in a series of interconnected short stories, we get very personal accounts of life, love, fertility and more. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like Hello beautiful by Ann Napolitano. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!