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bookishbucketlist1992's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
There is some serial content for children aged 9-11mldavisreads's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Adult contemporary fiction. I have loved Elizabeth Acevedo's young adult books, so I had been looking forward to her first book for adults. I went back and forth between the audio and print versions. This was partially due to trouble keeping track of different characters at the beginning, which was helped by the cheat sheet in the front of the print edition.
Flor is a woman who has a gift of sight, primarily in having dreams about death. So when she decides to have a living wake in her honor, the whole family is put on alert. Flor has three sisters: Matilde, Camila, and Pastora. Her daughter Ona and niece Yadi are also involved in the story. Narration of the chapters switch between all of the women. As the title suggests, this story deals a lot with their roots, which are in the DR. Ona is an anthropologist at a university, so this story is set up partially as interview transcripts with various family members. This is definitely a character based story rather than a lot of action, which is part of the reason it took me awhile to read. But once I got a hold on the differences between the characters I was able to dive in to the story a little more. I wanted to see how Flor's wake went, I wanted to see how the other characters grew. The last few chapters seemed to tie up a lot of plotlines quickly in a neat bow, which was a bit jarring after the slower pace of the rest of the story.
Flor is a woman who has a gift of sight, primarily in having dreams about death. So when she decides to have a living wake in her honor, the whole family is put on alert. Flor has three sisters: Matilde, Camila, and Pastora. Her daughter Ona and niece Yadi are also involved in the story. Narration of the chapters switch between all of the women. As the title suggests, this story deals a lot with their roots, which are in the DR. Ona is an anthropologist at a university, so this story is set up partially as interview transcripts with various family members. This is definitely a character based story rather than a lot of action, which is part of the reason it took me awhile to read. But once I got a hold on the differences between the characters I was able to dive in to the story a little more. I wanted to see how Flor's wake went, I wanted to see how the other characters grew. The last few chapters seemed to tie up a lot of plotlines quickly in a neat bow, which was a bit jarring after the slower pace of the rest of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infertility
There is a lot of sexual content, including one character who openly discusses her p@rn preferences.booknerderika's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
This is not at all what I had expected. The writing was beautiful, as always with Acevedo, so I wasn't surprised by that. The topics and the way things are discussed so openly and intimately that it feels almost intrusive is what caught me off guard. I loved the way that the stories were all intertwined and how new bits and pieces of each character are revealed as the story progressed. There were some scenes and topics that made me stop and process the things that weren't being said. I am torn on how I feel about the end because it felt so sudden yet it also gave perfect closure. The full circle moment of new life at the same moment of death was perfect. I have still been thinking about this book even though I finished it a couple of days ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Infertility, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death
Porn Addictiondeedireads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Family Lore was right up my alley: beautiful, heartbreaking, and crackling with life. These characters are so well written, and Acevedo’s talent as a poet shines.
For you if: You like family sagas with many POVs, magical realism, and prose by poets.
FULL REVIEW:
If you can believe it, Family Lore was my first Elizabeth Acevedo. (I’ve always meant to read her books but they’ve just slipped through the cracks of my TBR every time!) And it’s no surprise that I liked it very much: a character-driven story about strong women and their relationships, magical realism, and prose by a poet? Sign me right up.
The book focuses on six women from the Dominican-American Marte family: Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila (all sisters); plus Ona (Flor’s daughter) and Yadi (Pastora’s daughter). Nearly all of them have family “gifts,” and Flor’s is that she can see someone’s death ahead of time. So when she decides to throw herself a living wake but won’t say why, naturally everyone is concerned. At the same time, Matilde is reckoning with a lifelong bad marriage, Flor is struggling to conceive, and Yadi’s teenage love is suddenly back in town. The narrative bounces between them all, and between past and present, as we hurdle toward the wake.
This book isn’t going to be for everyone (especially if you have trouble keeping track of a lot of POV characters, are squeamish about bodily functions, or feel embarrassed by bold references to sex and sexuality), but there’s no denying Acevedo’s mastery here. It took me a bit to really get into the story — and I had to forgive some pretty glaring factual errors about my alma mater, Binghamton University (I’m 99% sure she originally wrote about Cornell but changed it at the last minute) lol — but once I did, I was all in. I found this book beautiful, heartbreaking, and crackling with life. These characters are so well written, and Acevedo’s talent as a poet means there are some really breathtaking sentences in here. Acevedo also reads the audiobook herself, which always leads to such a great listening experience.
I’m glad I read this one, and Acevedo’s backlist is more firmly on my TBR than ever.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Family Lore was right up my alley: beautiful, heartbreaking, and crackling with life. These characters are so well written, and Acevedo’s talent as a poet shines.
For you if: You like family sagas with many POVs, magical realism, and prose by poets.
FULL REVIEW:
If you can believe it, Family Lore was my first Elizabeth Acevedo. (I’ve always meant to read her books but they’ve just slipped through the cracks of my TBR every time!) And it’s no surprise that I liked it very much: a character-driven story about strong women and their relationships, magical realism, and prose by a poet? Sign me right up.
The book focuses on six women from the Dominican-American Marte family: Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila (all sisters); plus Ona (Flor’s daughter) and Yadi (Pastora’s daughter). Nearly all of them have family “gifts,” and Flor’s is that she can see someone’s death ahead of time. So when she decides to throw herself a living wake but won’t say why, naturally everyone is concerned. At the same time, Matilde is reckoning with a lifelong bad marriage, Flor is struggling to conceive, and Yadi’s teenage love is suddenly back in town. The narrative bounces between them all, and between past and present, as we hurdle toward the wake.
This book isn’t going to be for everyone (especially if you have trouble keeping track of a lot of POV characters, are squeamish about bodily functions, or feel embarrassed by bold references to sex and sexuality), but there’s no denying Acevedo’s mastery here. It took me a bit to really get into the story — and I had to forgive some pretty glaring factual errors about my alma mater, Binghamton University (I’m 99% sure she originally wrote about Cornell but changed it at the last minute) lol — but once I did, I was all in. I found this book beautiful, heartbreaking, and crackling with life. These characters are so well written, and Acevedo’s talent as a poet means there are some really breathtaking sentences in here. Acevedo also reads the audiobook herself, which always leads to such a great listening experience.
I’m glad I read this one, and Acevedo’s backlist is more firmly on my TBR than ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Infertility, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
cadence99's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a fantastic first read for me from Elizabeth Acevedo. Her writing is deeply lyrical, and drew me in so easily to the narrative of this family’s story. Thought it’s not normally my favorite format, I REALLY loved the shifting points of view and flashes back and forth between timelines here. In written form, the flow felt so natural, weaving in remembrances of life as the book simultaneously works toward its conclusion. However, I’m really glad that I read a physical copy and not audio, because I think I would’ve had a much more difficult time following the narrative.
One think I didn’t LOVE here was that it felt VERY clear that the author was making their debut into adult fiction- there is no mistaking that there are adult themes at play, to an extent that they felt overused.
This book was an emotional, funny, and hopeful anthology of a family’s love. It left me feeling deeply connected to the characters and to their history
One think I didn’t LOVE here was that it felt VERY clear that the author was making their debut into adult fiction- there is no mistaking that there are adult themes at play, to an extent that they felt overused.
This book was an emotional, funny, and hopeful anthology of a family’s love. It left me feeling deeply connected to the characters and to their history
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Medical trauma, Violence, Alcohol, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism, Classism, and Colonisation
mandi_lea's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Death, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Child abuse
jmeighan's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Acevedo tells a powerful story about family and female relationships. The female characters are the focus in this story. They are powerful and conflicted; strong and struggling; supportive and fiercely loyal. Acevedo explores what is said and unsaid between family members and offers her characters opportunities to heal the wounds of the past.
I listened to the audio version of this novel which is primary narrated by the author. Acevedo brings a performance that adds another layer of emotion with her vocal storytelling. I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance readers edition of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I listened to the audio version of this novel which is primary narrated by the author. Acevedo brings a performance that adds another layer of emotion with her vocal storytelling. I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance readers edition of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Violence
spongebobbiii's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infertility
gabbylikestoread's review against another edition
4.0
In Family Lore, we meet the women of the Marte family as they grapple with love, secrets and what it means to give someone their flowers while they can enjoy them.
I’ve loved Elizabeth Acevedo’s work since I started reading again a few years ago. The Poet X is one of my all time favorite books! She has a phenomenal ability of creating characters that you feel like you know personally.
With Family Lore, she does the same thing but with a twist. It’s her first adult novel and hosts multiple points-of-view that spans decades. An epic, in every sense of the word.
I enjoyed learning about these sisters, Flor, Matilde, Pastora and Camila, as well as their daughters, Ona and Yadi. Each woman has a story that could’ve been a book of her own! It’s a wonder that she was able to convey from each POV without the story feeling drawn out or too long.
Since Ona is an anthropologist, we learn about her family history as well as the history of the Dominican Republic. The traditions that shaped the sisters and affected how they raised and nurtured the next generation. Speaking of, I loved seeing how the relationships between the women played out: mothers & daughters, aunts & nieces, sister & sister. For example, Flor & Pastora have a special relationship that began when they were young and continued throughout adulthood and the same can be said of Matilde and Camila. They are all sisters but they way they interacted with each other differed due to the circumstances of how they grew up.
The one thing that prevented this book from being a 5 star is definitely the sexual components. I listened to the book via audio, which is the BEST way to read Acevedo’s work because she narrates, and it was hard to avoid those parts in that format. I annotated as I went to flag where I should skip over those parts during a reread.
I did really enjoy this book! She took big risks and executed it very well.
I’ve loved Elizabeth Acevedo’s work since I started reading again a few years ago. The Poet X is one of my all time favorite books! She has a phenomenal ability of creating characters that you feel like you know personally.
With Family Lore, she does the same thing but with a twist. It’s her first adult novel and hosts multiple points-of-view that spans decades. An epic, in every sense of the word.
I enjoyed learning about these sisters, Flor, Matilde, Pastora and Camila, as well as their daughters, Ona and Yadi. Each woman has a story that could’ve been a book of her own! It’s a wonder that she was able to convey from each POV without the story feeling drawn out or too long.
Since Ona is an anthropologist, we learn about her family history as well as the history of the Dominican Republic. The traditions that shaped the sisters and affected how they raised and nurtured the next generation. Speaking of, I loved seeing how the relationships between the women played out: mothers & daughters, aunts & nieces, sister & sister. For example, Flor & Pastora have a special relationship that began when they were young and continued throughout adulthood and the same can be said of Matilde and Camila. They are all sisters but they way they interacted with each other differed due to the circumstances of how they grew up.
The one thing that prevented this book from being a 5 star is definitely the sexual components. I listened to the book via audio, which is the BEST way to read Acevedo’s work because she narrates, and it was hard to avoid those parts in that format. I annotated as I went to flag where I should skip over those parts during a reread.
I did really enjoy this book! She took big risks and executed it very well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Cursing
thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Infertility, Animal death, Death, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Miscarriage