Family Lore

A Novel

De: Elizabeth Acevedo

Narrado por: Elizabeth Acevedo, Sixta Morel, Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK!

Winner of the NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction

Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

From National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes the story of one Dominican American family told through the voices of its women

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent 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.

A Best Book of 2023 from: Washington Post * Good Housekeeping * Real Simple * Harper's Bazaar * Elle * Time * NPR

©2023 Elizabeth Acevedo (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Not for me

I wasn't expecting the sexual content and that really threw me. The story was hard to follow moving in and out of people and places.

Excellent storytelling and amazing writing!

Elizabeth Acevedo is an excellent writer. Her stories are a pleasure to listen to.

Well drawn

There is so much that I can see in the words written by Elizabeth Acevedo! My favorites were the dancing scenes of Matilde--I could see and feel the excitement! I also liked the descriptions of the gifts of each sister and of Ona and Yadi. I didn't need all of the sexual detail, but that might be for younger readers. I love the idea of having a wake before one dies, in order to give your family something positive to remember... I guess the only thing missing was a plot, but I was so taken with each individual woman's story that I didn't miss it until just now.

Poetic language

I loved listening to Elizabeth’s poetic description to every part of the plot. The use of Spanish language was exquisite. It was breathtaking!

Absolutely Beautiful!

The most beautiful story told of family, traditions, legends and so much more. Thank you Elizabeth for writing this glorious book! As a Dominicana I related so much.

Absolutely stunning book!

This book brought me back to my roots. I felt like I was back in the campo, sitting under the Mango trees. Elizabeth is an amazing writer who has pure magic when it comes to telling a story. I highly recommend!!

I loved it

Books that I’ve enjoyed on audible from Elizabeth, Acevedo, and I love that she reads books and brief lives into each character, this was one of my favorites. I could not stop listening, I enjoyed every detail and learning about all of these fascinating women in the family from this novel.

Culture

I loved the way the Author displayed her culture proudly! She gave confirmation as well as explanation of the culture.

Was disappointed

I kept hoping the story would grab me but I found it difficult to follow the characters. Was hoping this had been a historical family lore. I’m not a prude but parts of the book were not my preferred reading choice.

Great Journey

I got caught up in this world with its vivid characters and 2 locations, the different generations. I'm surprised at how people thought there was too much sex. It wasn't gratuitous, just normal life of normal people. It's probably too much for younger teens, but not adults. A beautiful book!