Elizabeth Acevedo is the 🐐. Adored FAMILY LORE, her latest novel about a multi-generational, Dominican-American family full of magic & a bit of mess — all the makings of a realistic family portrait. Grateful to Ecco Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one before it hit in August. Have since forwarded to others in a book exchange for my best reads of 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

The moment I saw "Table of Principal Persons" listing traits such as "heiress with a taste for limes" to "magical alpha vagina" to "seer (mainly of deaths)," I knew we might be in for a wild ride! Compelling and layered multigenerational storytelling.

I’m a huge Elizabeth Acevedo fan and wanted to love this one so much, but it just didn’t flow quite as well for me as her past YA novels. I enjoyed all of the characters and their relationships and the unique personality traits and experiences that made each of them stand out, but I wasn’t able to stay on track with the story and really feel connected to what was going on. I will definitely read more of Acevedo’s work in the future and look forward to her next adult novel.

This book is beautifully written, and I kept noting certain lines that stood out. However the characters did not grab me and make me feel really invested in each of the different stories. It took me until about 50% in to really feel connected to any of the people and by then I was finding it hard to remember all the details and who they applied to.

Generations of women tell their stories and share what they have learned throughout their lives. A touch of magical realism fuels the connection between the members of the family as they prepare to celebrate the life of one of their own. A touching story about what we mean to each other.

Elizabeth Acevedo just has a way to weave words into beautiful pieces. I will continue to read anything she writes.

While I still adore Acevedo, I didn't absolutely love Family Lore - however, I think this is largely due to my reading preferences, how I read the book, and not the story itself. First, I opted to read the book via audio - and unfortunately, with the plethora of characters, it was difficult to keep track of who our current narrator was.

Next, I typically don't love generational family sagas - they tend to be more character driven, while I need a fast-paced plot to really keep me intrigued.

However, you can tell Acevedo is still poetic, even out of her usual novel-in-verse format.

ai love Elizabeth Acevedo, but this book sadly didn't do it for me. It felt unresolved somehow and I just never ended up caring enough for the characters. But it is clear she is a talented writer.

Acevedo continues to be a phenomenal author, capturing little moments and feelings of her characters in a way that really puts you there with them. However, I struggled with the many different POVs, which is not something that I usually struggle with. I'm not sure if it's the POV combined with the time changes, or that I would find myself switching POV just as I was sinking into the story of one of the characters. It made it more difficult to finish, when I usually devour Acevedo within a sitting or two. If you're looking for a story that dives slowly into the depth of a multigenerational family, then this is for you.

Family Lore

Es una novela que yo hubiera querido leer cuando era más joven. It’s the novel that gives all the flowers to the aunties you grew up with, and reminds you that they’re flawed, gorgeous human beings. This book just reminded me so much of what it’s like to be loved by these powerhouse women, and that regardless of magical ability, that love is a magic in and of itself.

It’s a nonlinear tale that spans decades of the magical Marte family, in particular the women and everything they’ve done and survived between 1950’s to present day.

Family Lore’s nonlinearity points to how tricky it is to understand the histories our families span. It’s also a book that’s deeply interested in bringing to light conversations that our families don’t always have space for. It’s also a Dominican AF book that’s always an invitation for readers of all backgrounds, but felt especially personal to me as a latine reader.

This is a book that will stick with me for a very long time. Words in English or en español can’t describe how excited I am to share this with the tias in my life.

Family Lore is the multi-generational, magical realism story from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Acevedo. I loved seeing the family dynamics between all the women and how each one faced their own hardships and life situations, especially when their abilities were involved. However, this didn't resonate with me as much as I wanted. I was so looking forward to Acevedo's first adult novel, but it left me feeling like...okay. There was so much said about how mothers and daughters and sisters relate to each other, and how women have to present themselves in society. Or even about how they challenge the ideas of how women have to present themselves. And it also said not enough on any of the topics that were talked about it. This doesn't deter me from reading more Acevedo, and honestly it makes me excited to see what else she will do in the adult fiction sphere.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Family Lore is a story of sisters, mothers, their loves of their lives (or potentially lack thereof) and a family that extends across generations and places. I loved the scenes in the DR and I loved the NY setting. I really liked seeing the youngest generation grow into their own and deal with the trials and joys of being in their 20s/30s. The older characters were very sweet and their sisterly relationships had me thinking about how we take care of our family. I loved the slight magical realism of the book found in the special powers each sister had. This story was truly a 4.5 star read for me!

I can’t believe I haven’t given feedback yet! Acevedo’s first adult book and it was perfect. Still felt like an Elizabeth Acevedo book with slightly more adult language, adult content, beautiful and moving. I really loved it and as always can’t wait for her next book.

Every family has their drama. The difference is that this one's is magical. Every woman in Flor's family has her own special ability. Camila has a penchant for healing, Pastora can read people's truths, and Ona has a magical vagina. Flor can see death. And when she decides to host a living wake, the rest of her family assumes she has foreseen her own, even though she won't tell them. In the days leading up to the wake, dynamic family drama unfurls as each woman deals with her various griefs.

Those familiar with Acevedo's previous work know that she usually writes her novels in verse. For her adult debut, she sheds the verse but the prose remains rich and lyrical. Transcripts of interviews with each woman weave together stories from both past and present to reveal the roles life and death have played in each of their lives, as well as the roles the women have played for each other. I loved the way each of the women in the story have a distinct personality which is thoroughly fleshed out. Combining six main characters and six POVs in one novel can sometimes be dissonant or difficult to follow, but as soon as I got to know each of the sisters I could instantly tell who was speaking. And the thing that makes them so likable is how flawed they are. Each of them has her own hang-ups and prejudices. They argue with each other and don't always do the right thing. But it becomes clear that love is what connects them all, and as such they will be there for each other when it really matters.

You may notice a caveat in there, I found the book easy to read after I got into it. Although I originally picked Family Lore up in July,  I found it slow and difficult to keep track of all the characters. I read a third of the book before I decided to give it a break. It took months before I felt motivated to pick it up again, but I am actually really glad I did because this time, I was engrossed. Suddenly, everything made sense and I was able to see the book much more clearly.

The looming specter of oncoming death allows Acevedo an outlet to explore death, but also life. Because while it is largely about grief, it is also a celebration of life. Each character is navigating through a treacherous life as best as possible. They face a lot of obstacles, but they each find a lot of joy as well. And it is that joy and the love they find in each other that uplifts their lives. Family Lore is a love letter to sisterly and mother-daughter connections, an exploration of death and life, but it is also just a book that will make you laugh and cry. I think Acevedo's adult debut was a soaring success, and it makes me excited to see what she tackles next.

I alternated listening to and reading Family Lore (thank you @librofm and @eccobooks for my advanced copies!) and am sort of obsessed 🙌🏻

It's been a labour of love for me trying to find reads with magical realism that I enjoy - heavy on the labour. For some reason I've always felt compelled to find a way to try and enjoy this genre even though it never seems to be for me. This read, however, has just the right balance and I actually looked forward to my long commute everyday to listen in!

And Elizabeth Acevedo as narrator? 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

The writing was beautiful and the story of each woman's special abilities was so interesting to read.

This story dives deep into the lives of the four Marte sisters, their relationships, marriage, and children.
You get an intimate, bird's eye view into their struggles, their flaws, and their relationships with each other. There is just something intangible about the way Elizabeth Acevedo tells a story. Every time you pick up one of her books, you know immediately that you will be irretrievably pulled into her beautiful writing. As the reader, you are just content to be there breathing in the words on the page, and Family Lore was no different.

Definitely a winner! I was really looking forward to reading this book and so enjoyed it. I loved the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Elizabeth Acevedo!

Family Lore was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 being that Elizabeth Acevedo's prior works and writings have been so powerful and beautiful to read. I struggled with the pacing of the first half of the novel and did sometimes feel that the multiple POV's added a touch too much confusion to the plot. The plot and story in the second half definitely felt engaging and kept me intrigued until the very end. I look forward to more adult fiction and/or poetry from Acevedo in the future.

If you like a multigenerational family saga, this is the book for you! The way the story explores family ties and the way women are forced to move in the world across different time periods and places was really interesting. I really enjoyed the audiobook.

I really wanted to love this one as I've enjoyed all of her YA books. This one just wasn't for me. I couldn't build a connection with the characters and it read a bit disjointed to me.