A review by magsapt
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

Family Lore is the story of how three generations of women survived, adapting to circumstances, to misogyny and, most importantly, to each other. It is a book about trauma, life and, above all, death - how to prepare for it, how to accept it and how to just let go. 
Sometimes you do not realise how good a book is until you discuss it with someone and a few days have passed. Family Lore is one of Acevedo's best books, although it was not always my favourite as I read it. And this, I must confess, has nothing to do with the author's inability to tell a story or write beautiful prose (a style we're not used to seeing Acevedo use), but with my own biases. My only problem with this book was
Ona's power, and that says more about me than the author. It made me realise how embarrassed I still feel when it comes to talking about female sexuality and how, even though I'm a woman, I still have a lot of work to do to get comfortable with the topic. Do I think Ona's power was best suited to this story? Not really. But should it have made me uncomfortable? I don't think so. And why should it, if it's just a woman talking about her connection to her body? Ona is confident about her sexuality and writes about it openly, without taboos or shame. That's one of the lessons I think we should take from this story, an example to follow rather than perpetuate the shame around it.

What I really liked, though, was the multiple POVs, which worked wonders for me. I think Acevedo knew how to give each character a distinct voice. The author is a master at exploring relationships. This was undoubtedly the best part of the book. We got to know each woman's feelings for the other and how their dynamic changed over time as they married and had children. 
However, even though this is a book about women, for women, I would've liked to see more
of brother Samuel, even if only to see how he relates to his wife and daughters. We see that after he got married he stopped being close to his siblings (which is unfortunate), but I don't think his POV would have damaged the story. On the contrary, I think it would have enriched it because his daughters have powers and his wife didn't like that. Samuel's daughters grew up without support, estranged from their father's family, and away from strong and independent women, and I would have loved to see Acevedo's perspective on that.
 
Something the author excelled at was her description of emotional abuse and how people can actually change.
Mamá Sílvia was the most complex character in this story and her arc was brilliant. Nothing in the world is enough to forgive her for the abuse she inflicted on Pastora, but I would like to think that she learned something from it and tried to make amends through Yadi.
It was beautiful to see. 
Overall, I give this book a perfect 4-star rating. It has some things that could've definitely been better, but the story, the plot and the creativity (characteristic of Acevedo) will warm your heart. 
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