Beyond excited that Elizabeth Acevedo has ventured into adult fiction! A touch of magical realism and a giant dose of family, Family Lore features a family full of strong, dynamic, powerful women. A must read!

In "Family Lore," we meet a family of women with special gifts. The novel centers on four sisters (Matilde, Flor, Pastora and Camila) and their families. Flor's gift leads her to plan a "living wake," and the story revolves around that event, jumping backward and forward in time and developing the story through multiple female perspectives. I liked the fact that the story is women-led, and the character development in this novel is strong. Elizabeth Acevedo succeeds at developing a unique family culture, which (as a multicultural reader) I love to see. I enjoyed this book and the great cover art makes me want to grab it when it's in print!

Elizabeth Acevedo — previously known for her YA work — makes her adult debut with the novel Family Lore which explores the lives and family history of a group of sisters and their daughters who emigrated from DR to New York. When one of the sisters invites the family to her living wake they all must come together and support each other. Acevedo has some serious writing chops that she often displays in Family Lore, but certain parts of the story drag, and she gets bogged down in her narrative structure, which feels tedious at points. Even so, she has created some very memorable female characters living interesting and true lives that explore family, feminism, immigration, and Latina culture that many readers will love.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I have read Elizabeth Acevedo's young adult novels, and thoroughly enjoyed her first adult novel, Family Lore. Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila are sisters. Flor has a unique gift--she can predict the day of someone's death. Flor decides to have a living wake for herself and invites all her family. What should just be a wake ends up being the impetus of tumult for each sister. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy.

Everyone in the family's got a gift: knowing someone is going to die, having a "magic vagina"--just go with it--and so when one of them decides to hold a living wake, it's an opportunity for everyone in the family to tell their story and define their relationship with her, and the family in general. It's a rambunctious novel, full of surprises and some very silly things, but also sometimes fun and a tribute to Dominican women in the US--which some view as being in exile. I think it could have used some editing to tighten things up, and there are some very tedious sections that don't add much, so 3/5.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel Family Lore.

Those familiar with Acevedo’s work will instantly recognize her distinctive, candid voice. In writing Family Lore, Acevedo deftly transitions from YA fiction to adult fiction without losing what makes her a powerful writer, the ability to represent people as complex and beautiful. Mix Acevedo’s signature style with the intriguing plot premise of a living wake and sprinkle it with a bit of magical realism, and what do you get? A narrative that is sure to win countless accolades and awards, while simultaneously cementing the versatility of Acevedo’s authorship.

I was given the ability to read Elizabeth Acevedo’s adult fiction “Family Lore” as an ARC with #netgalley. 😍 I LOVE this author—and I especially loved Clap When You Land. I was curious to read her adult work and it did not disappoint. A family spanning generations moving from the DR to New York, 4 sisters with special gifts (yes-I think four!), and their families navigating their complicated lives and their relationships to each other. I loved each character, even through their flaws. I got to know this family and was taken into their world. Such a beautiful storytelling and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Thank you sooo much for letting me read early @netgalley and I would definitely say, when this comes out, give it a read!

I will go anywhere Elizabeth Acevedo wants to take me. This book is everything. I could spend endless time with the poetry of these words. The love and humanity in these pages is stunning.

I loved this inter-generational story of a Dominican-American family. Their emotional and literal journeys will stick with you well after you're done reading.

Thanks to Ecco and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a wonderful tale of a family of sisters, secrets, their rich culture and death. Flor has been able to predict a person's death since the age of 5. She decides that rather than predict or wait until her own death, she wants to have a living wake for herself so that she can attend.

Has Flor seen her own death? What secret is she keeping from her sisters?

Told during the 3 days prior to the wake, this is a fun, suspenseful story of a family of women navigating their familial history and helping each other.

Highly recommend!

e-arc provided by Netgalley

I'm going to be honest since this follows so many people in one family I had a hard time keeping track of who was who, the writing is beautiful (duh it's Elizabeth Acevedo) but this just didn't hit me the same as her other books.

Family Lore is a great story about cooky sisters and was a lot of fun to read. I found the writing a bit confusing at times but the story is compelling and the characters believable. The Marte women are a quite a bunch and full of unpredictable antics. We learn about each woman and her special talents and secrets as they all try to figure out what is going on with Flor, the sister who can predict death.
This multigenerational novel is a great read and I highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is everything I knew it would be as her first adult novel. This is a family epic about the Marte women and all of the ways they are bonded together. All of the ways they are bound to their spiritual gifts. Not only does Acevedo provide us with stories about their childhoods and how each woman became who they are, she also helps us to understand the nuances of each relationship and the root of what has prevented each sister from fully becoming self-actualized in their own life. In the author's letter at the beginning, Acevedo reminds the reader that there is no single origin story to a novel or really to anything. She was inspired by the women in her life, her mother and aunts, to tell Family Lore and to center the story line on the ways that the women in a family hold one another throughout lives journey.

Family Lore is told using culture, tradition, ritual, ceremony and myth. The epigraph shared before the narrative is a poem from Lucille Clifton, Won't you celebrate with me, where she reminds us that everyday something has tried to kill her and has failed. A red carpet rolled out before the introduction of the Marte women and their spiritual gifts, trials endured, and triumphs. Matilde is the eldest sister and the only one without a clear spiritual gift which she has always struggled with. I think I enjoyed the growth of her character the best as the sister in a loveless marriage who has tolerated infidelity due to her own feelings of low self-worth. In the end, she truly understands her gift may look different but it is very much still a gift. The other sisters: Flor, Pastora, and Camila each have special roles to play in the narrative centered upon their protective nature towards one another. Each sister remembers their mother, Mama Siliva, differently. The reader is left to wrestle with whose version of the long-dead matriarch they will remember the most. When Flor plans a wake for herself the family becomes anxious and wonders if she's going to die and when except Flor never concretely answers anyone's questions. Just like the family, the reader is going to have to wait until the end of the story to find out what the seer of the family knows that she is unwilling to tell.

Bravo a thousand times to this celebration of Dominican culture and folklore, Latinx women, and family! Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

"Every end is the stage for a beginning."

In her author's letter, Acevedo says she wrote with an eye on "The way families hold secrets, tell one another's truths, and protect one another." That was the story she wanted to tell and she nailed it!

Family Lore is a multigenerational family saga. The story of the Dominican American Marte family and the women therein. All of the women are special. Each has her own talent, her own special abilities and her own secrets. Their powers represent “past, present and future as well as beauty, poetry, and fear". “Families" says Acevedo, "real or fictitious are always messy”. In the Mare family their special talents help them to live life to the fullest, despite its challenges.

Flor, the sister who can predict within minutes when someone dies, announces that she wants to throw herself a wake while she is still alive to enjoy it. Everyone is immediately suspicious, no family member has done this before. Given Flor’s powers, they wonder if Flor knows something that she’s not telling. All of the family, including her daughter, Ona, are trying to understand why she wants this. Is she ill? Has she kept it a secret until now? The story weaves together the lives of the sisters, aunts, cousins and nieces, past and present. The Marte’s women look at their family history as a way to predict what will come next. With their special gifts they can face challenges that can bond them or harm their relationships.

Emotional. Poignant.Touching. This is a fun story, although a bit hard to follow at times (hence 4 stars). The characters are as imaginative as they are unforgettable and the story is written in a delightful prose. This is Acevedo's first novel for adults. (I've loved her YA's). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NOTE: Be sure to read the Epigraph. Publication Date: August 1, 2023. Special thank you to #NetGalley and #ecco for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

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I think this book would hit harder and have broader appeal without the magic.

The writing style took some time to adjust to between points of view and the interviews.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the way that the author depicts intergenerational bonds and the power of womanhood. One of my favorite parts about reading this was how all of the relationships were connected with each other and how each individual relationship was dissected and explored. The magic system was interesting, although it definitely was not the biggest component of the story at all. This book primarily explores intergenerational relationships, death, and the power of community. I really enjoyed this, and I'm excited for this book's release!

Family Lore will be released August 1st, 2023!

I’ve wanted Acevedo to write an adult novel for some time. Her YA books simply fly off the shelves of my library, and are incredibly powerful. This novel doesn’t disappoint. It’s just incredibly beautiful and lush. This
intergenerational family saga reads like the best of Julia Alvarez, which I do not say lightly. I fully engaged with this family, seeing so much of who they are and wanting to know more. I’m impressed with well this author interspersed poetical language while keeping the story moving forward. This is a technique not many have. Acevedo has this talent. So incredibly well written. I loved it. I hope she continues to write for adult audiences. Not that YA can’t be enjoyed by adults, but this book spoke to my spirit so deeply. I hope to read more.

I adore this author’s work, so I was looking forward to this. I was put off by the mysticism aspects of the book. Perhaps that is just my preference as a reader. I love a multigenerational, woman-centered novel, but I could not get into this one.