A review by _weirdreads13
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I am so disappointed with this lecture.  As a Puertorrican (I'm a fellow Caribbean, I have an attachment to La Kiskeya), I really really wanted to loved this book, to the point that I would love to have it in my shelf.  Elizabeth really had a good premise for the book: the story of a family saga and a woman grieving her life and family.  I think the lack of depth in the stories of the character's is what made me lack enjoying and connecting with the book.  Another thing that I felt was a "killing vibe" of my lecture was the jumping between times (present and past).  I think the timeline in the stories will change suddenly and without any given reason or connection.  I even wrote down what I felt needed more depth in the story:
  1. The different perspective between the daughters and their mothers: It's obvious that Mamá Silvia, Flor, Pastora, Camila, Ona and Yadira had different relationship with their mothers, according to the time each one were born.  Why Mamá Silvia despised her daughters, except Camila?  How Flor and Pastora view sex, different from their daughters that were exposed to a different culture?
  2. Silvia's and Susano's past: if this is a family saga, why was not the past of the matriarch and the patriarch included?  It was because of them that everything started.  And don't think "but then Elizabeth would have to start with Mamá's and Papá's family", no, this is the story of the Marte family, and because of them and how they raised their kids is why the story developed itself.
  3. La Vieja's mount: how did she get mounted?  It will be interested to see more in depth this character and the impact she had on Pastora and Flor.
  4. More about Samuel, the brother: what do you mean you are going to give me a family saga and leave out the brother?!  "It's a tale of sisters".  No, it's a family saga.  What was his role in the family history?  How he impacted the sisters' life?
  5. Flor and Nazario: developing a "relationship" between them, making something happened would make Flor to have a deep secret.  I feel that what happened in the book was superficial.
  6. Camila: she was the youngest of the daughter and she was raised differently from her sisters and, again, it's a family saga and she was not often included in the story nor how was her relationship with Flor, Matilde, Pastora, Samuel, Mamá and Papá.  Adding her by the last part of the book was not in the bingo card, which takes me to the next point.
  7. The connection that could develop between Pastora and Camila: they have something in common, they are the youngest of the children and both were harassed by the same pendejo.  I would love for their story and relationship to have more depth.
  8. Matilde's marriage: again, superficiality is what killed the depth and connection of the character's and their story.
  9. Flor's character: the main character, the next matriarch, the person who the story goes around the story of her marriage?  Which is the "continuation" of the Marte family?  And the struggles the marriage went through?  Flor's feelings toward her marriage and life in general?
  10. Ona's infertility: the daughter's story was like reading a teenager's story: confusing, suddenly changing, emotionally and irrational with their love story.  What Ona really wanted?  How it affected her?  How it affected her relationship?
  11. The nun: another character who is from the family and you are not going to tell me the impact of the character on the Marte family?
  12. Yadira's role in the book: the most misunderstood character.  I didn't understood her role nor the reason of her perspective in the book.
  13. Flor's role in her family: for me, Flor was the most special of the family (obvio), but I wish to see more of her role in the family.
  14. Flor's grief: by the end of the book we can understand that Flor knew she was dying.  It will be so cool an amazing to see more of the process of Flor grieving her life while she reminiscence of the past.  This would have give the story a huge different perspective on every story of the Marte family (which remind me of Erik Erikson's theory: despair vs integrity, the last "stage" of a person's life. I'm not saying that the book should be an analysis of Flor's life, but I believe I put this here because I've been studying for my test, LOL!)
As a person who is fascinated by people and their story (if you couldn't noticed by me involving psychology theories, LOL), I really really wanted to love this book.  I will give the benefit of the doubt to Elizabeth, because it was her first adult novel.  I will read from her too Clap When You Land which is kind of too another "family saga" and see if there is difference between the two genres and how she writes them.

In conclusion: this book had so much potential but it felt superficial.
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