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"Sisters Matilde, Pastora, Camila, and Flor thought they knew each other well, until Flor--inspired by a documentary her daughter Ona made her watch--decides she wants a living wake, a party to bring her family and community together and celebrate the long life she's led, while she's still around to enjoy it. She's not ill, as far as anybody knows, but Flor does have a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. Has she foreseen her own death, or someone else's, or does she have other motives? She refuses to say. But Flor isn't the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband's infidelity, but she now must confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor's wake motivates this driven woman to attempt to solve her sibling's problems. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi, reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; and Ona, married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it's worth it to keep trying--in having a child, and in the anthropology research that's begun to feel lackluster. Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, the Dominican Republic and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo's inimitable voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces - one family's journey through their history helping them better navigate all that is to come"--… (more)
User reviews
Four sisters from the Dominican Republic live in New York: Flor, Pastora, Matilde, and Camila. Each have an ability - Flor sees death in her dreams, for example, and Pastora can tell the truth of what you're
All four women and two cousins - Flor's daughter, Ona, and Pastora's daughter, Yadi - take turns telling the story, a collection of narrative, interviews and asides by Ona, who is an anthropologist by trade. Much of the narrative is a short period of time leading up to the wake, but they also reflect on the past in the Dominican Republic, dealing with a difficult mother, poverty, and other challenges. Yadi and Ona each have conflicts in the present, as well: an old boyfriend of Yadi's is out of jail, and Ona desperately wants a child. There is a lot going on, and I didn't love the sexual aspects (Ona has a magic vagina?), but the family bonds and characters are strong and kept me reading.
Gotta say this certainly isn't x rated as one complainer said in an online book group. It's certainly frank about female sexuality, but that's only to its credit.
They looked upon their
Each sister was born with a special gift. These gifts were acknowledged within the family and treated seriously, even though most people would look upon them as strange coincidences. The lives of the sisters and their daughters went back and forth in time as their stories come together resulting in a big event as the finale.
There are so many wonderful topics of discussion in this novel that would be great for book clubs. There are also many topics in the book that are a bit spicy and explicit, so audio users may want to keep their earbuds in while listening in mixed company.
One of the things I loved about the book was the inclusion of the Dominican culture and the customs within the family. I felt the book was a bit long and some parts didn’t seem to matter in the big picture, but overall I really liked the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this to other readers and give my honest review.
In a family where the women often have unexplained magical talents, middle sister Flor (who can sometimes foresee deaths) calls everyone together for her own living wake; Flor's daughter Ona (who studies history/cultural
Flor has four daughters, and each of them (even the oldest
This is a lovely web of family relationships, but like all webs is very complicated. There are a large number of characters over several generations and also a number of phrases specific to the Dominican Republic that I had to look up, especially prominent in the stories Flor tells of her DR childhood. Have you heard the exclamation “!Fuacata!’ ? Not quite what I guessed it to mean, but much more. How about the Taino?
I’m glad I read it, but this first adult novel didn’t quite move me the way Ms Acevedo’s YA books have done.