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yvo_about_books's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Finished reading: August 6th 2024
"It’s silly to have a nickname for a nickname, but we’d always loved taking apart each other’s names and seeing how else we could arrange the letters into love."
I'm honestly still shocked this happened. I absolutely loved Elizabeth Acevedo's YA books, and I confess that I added Family Lore without even reading the blurb first. I hadn't realized it was her adult fiction debut, and I hadn't realized it was going to be a family saga with a magical realism vibe... Because I probably wouldn't be in such a hurry to read it otherwise. This type of family sagas doesn't usually work all that well for me, although there have been exceptions in the past... But sadly Family Lore wasn't one of them. I have to stress here that this is by no means a badly written book; it's simply a case of me not being a good fit for this story. Add the fact that my fickle reading mood has been acting up again, and this type of slower and more character-driven stories just don't work for me at the moment, and it's definitely a 'it's not you, it's me' problem. Family Lore is 100% a magical realism family saga a la Gabriel García Márquez, and if you enjoy this kind of stories you will most likely enjoy Family Lore as well. There is a huge cast of characters involved and a multiple POV structure to consider where we learn more about the lives of most of them. Make sure to brace yourself for a LOT of drama and issues! For me personally they overshadowed the truly interesting (and magical realism) part of the plot, but then again I'm never a fan of family drama in the first place. Like I said before, I simply wasn't a good match for Family Lore! That will teach me to read the blurb first even if I've loved the author's work in the past...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
celery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
How many different words do you need to describe a vagina?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
emotional
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
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
kcbatts's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Infertility
Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infertility, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Porn Addictioncadence99'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: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Colonisation, and Classism
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 content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Violence
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: Cursing and Violence
cassielaj's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Family Lore is a work of art. It is lyrical, magical, quiet and exuberant, full of love and hope and fear and all sorts of challenging emotions woven into a truly beautiful story.
The four Marte sisters and their two daughters have such distinct stories and voices that each chapter feels like a story of its own, yet they are interconnected so beautifully to create a complex and wonderful narrative of mothers and daughters, sisters and aunts and nieces, and the ways women love and care for one another across distance, time, and other, more internal barriers. Their magic, both individual and collective, fills this story in more ways than one. I know I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time and going back to reference the many quotes I highlighted when I just need to read something incredible.
The four Marte sisters and their two daughters have such distinct stories and voices that each chapter feels like a story of its own, yet they are interconnected so beautifully to create a complex and wonderful narrative of mothers and daughters, sisters and aunts and nieces, and the ways women love and care for one another across distance, time, and other, more internal barriers. Their magic, both individual and collective, fills this story in more ways than one. I know I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time and going back to reference the many quotes I highlighted when I just need to read something incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Violence
introvertsbookclub's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
This novel is so full and rich. From class privilege and the vulnerability of women in the face of male violence, to poverty induced gang warfare and the necessity of prison reform, this novel traversed decades, countries and lifetimes of experiences. Exploring what is gained and what is lost across generations and cultures, this story felt like an epic, complete with journeys and trials and emotional arcs.
I loved the way the story explored and celebrated the lives of two generations of women within the same family, both their individual stories and the relationships between the mothers, daughters, sisters and cousins. The narratives spent so much time focusing on traditionally female concerns, from periods, fertility and raising children to cooking and keeping house, and in doing so uncovered the intimate details of the women’s lives and their daily internal monologues. It was exciting too that they were no less interested in their desires and ambitions as they got older. The way that the novel cemented the importance of these ordinary women (with the exception of their magic) and the importance of telling their stories made this a novel I want to pass on to friends and relatives of all ages.
I loved the way the story explored and celebrated the lives of two generations of women within the same family, both their individual stories and the relationships between the mothers, daughters, sisters and cousins. The narratives spent so much time focusing on traditionally female concerns, from periods, fertility and raising children to cooking and keeping house, and in doing so uncovered the intimate details of the women’s lives and their daily internal monologues. It was exciting too that they were no less interested in their desires and ambitions as they got older. The way that the novel cemented the importance of these ordinary women (with the exception of their magic) and the importance of telling their stories made this a novel I want to pass on to friends and relatives of all ages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and Violence