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Family Lore

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Family Lore

Written by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe, Elizabeth Acevedo, Sixta Morel
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'Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds' KILEY REID, author of Such A Fun Age

The Marte women are preparing for a gathering that will change their lives forever

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides to host her own living wake – bringing together her family and community to celebrate her long life – her sisters Matilde, Pastora and Camila are concerned. What has she foreseen?

But Flor isn’t the only one with a secret. Matilde has tried to hide the extent of her husband’s infidelity for years, and now must confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora – always on a mission to solve her sisters’ problems – needs to come to terms with her past. And Camila, the youngest sibling, has decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted. Alongside their struggles, the next generation of Marte women face their own tumult of family obligations, infertility, and heartache.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the intertwining stories of these sisters and cousins, mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, to ask the ultimate question: what does it take to live a good life, for yourself and those you love?

 Genre Fiction Historical Magical Realism World Literature
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Critic Reviews

"Acevedo is a master of time. Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds. Tender, moving and altogether lovely. Not one word is wasted here" (KILEY REID, author of SUCH A FUN AGE)
"An exuberant, polyphonic story of one family’s reckoning with their past . . . Acevedo’s background in spoken-word poetry shines through in the energy and lyricism of her prose . . . But the novel’s greatest triumph is in the warmth of her portrayal of these women, their strength and stubbornness, and the inseparability of love and grief"
"There is potent magic in these pages, passed down through this lineage of powerful sisters who have captured my heart. How does Acevedo do it? Reading Family Lore is like an embrace, and I am filled with nostalgia for a family I have never had and could never have imagined" (RUTH OZEKI, author of THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS)
"A labyrinthine tale of sisterhood and the chaos of love . . . the depth, grace and nuance Acevedo gives her characters is palpable; her love for these women comes through with arresting clarity . . . Pearls of magic and wisdom, hard but not hardened, the story of the Marte sisters is a treasure to behold"
"The women's stories intertwine, establishing a fully realised family portrait with all the quirks, resentments and secrets that characterise it"
"Acevedo expertly maneuvers through the complex and singular stories of each of these women and all that unites them. It was a joy to experience each character’s expressive and gripping story; to acknowledge their truths and to recognise some of the women in the lives of women around me. A remarkable accomplishment" (ABI DARÉ, author of THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE)
"Acevedo’s treatment of magic as an everyday possibility is compelling but there is also magic in the wonder, surprise, frustrations, and joys the characters experience in their relationships with one another . . . her obsession with imagery, interiority and making every word count is what makes her descriptions and dialogue sing; her characters think and speak in voices that feel distinct and alive."
"The most magnificent, intricate story of a family and a group of women . . . the perfect accompaniment for a long summer read. A magical, intergeneration story from an assured debut novelist . . . [a] beautiful book"
"Flor is throwing herself a wake and reminding us that "even a long life is too short". So while we are here "let's eat, and dance, and be alive". Acevedo has written unforgettable characters who breathe new life into how we grieve, age, take care of each other. Family Lore is a big hearted novel, a wonderful debut!" (ANGIE CRUZ, author of DOMINICANA)
"A dazzling portrait of a family with dark secrets around every corner"
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