Family Lore Sabiduría familiar (Spanish edition)

Elizabeth Acevedo, ganadora del National Book Award, regresa con su primera novela para un público adulto: una magnífica oda a la sabiduría del linaje femenino con un toque de fantasía caribeña
Por la sangre de las mujeres Marte corre una magia que les concede dones especiales. Creciendo en República Dominicana, y luego al migrar a Nueva York, las hermanas Flor, Matilde, Pastora y Camila aprendieron a valerse de ellos, y de la fuerza de su vínculo, para protegerse de las hostilidades del mundo. Pero también, a callarse sus deseos, temores y anhelos más profundos. Por eso, cuando Flor anuncia que va a celebrar un velorio en vida, el matriarcado se conmociona: su don es predecir la muerte, pero ella se niega a admitir si ha llegado su hora. O la de alguien más.
Sabiduría familiar sigue a las Marte a través de este período liminal, mientras se preparan para el velorio de Flor y lo que vendrá después. Con excepcional maestría, y su inconfundible y deslumbrante voz poética, Elizabeth Acevedo teje la epopeya de las Marte: una familia sinigual que, como cualquier otra, deberá romper el conjuro del silencio para empezar a escribir su futuro.
«Un relato laberíntico en torno a la sororidad y el caos del amor... Sabiduría familiar, después de todo, no trata acerca de prepararse para la muerte, sino de deleitarse en la oportunidad de vivir». —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
From bestselling, National Book Award–winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, a magnificent ode to the wisdom of the female lineage with a touch of Caribbean fantasy.
In the blood of the Marte women runs a magic that bestows upon them special gifts. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, and later migrating to New York, sisters Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila learned to harness these gifts and the strength of their bond to protect themselves from the hostilities of the world. But they also learned to keep their deepest desires, fears, and longings to themselves. When Flor announces that she's going to hold a living wake, the matriarchy is shaken: her gift is predicting death, but she refuses to admit if her time has come. Or someone else's.
Family Lore follows the Marte women through this liminal period as they prepare for Flor's wake and what will come after. With exceptional mastery and her inimitable and incandescent poetic voice, Elizabeth Acevedo weaves an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—the journey of a unique family that, like any other, must break the spell of silence to begin writing their future.
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Community Reviews
Throughout the first third of the book, I had to work to read. Understanding the family dynamics, the “rules” of the world, and the structure of Ona’s narrative took my full attention. It wasn’t until about the halfway point when things started to click and—somewhat suddenly—I feel in love with the Marte sisters & their daughters. It was like the magic of the story finally settled in and enveloped me throughout the remaining chapters. Ona weaves in the former generation’s pasts alongside the present events—centered around her mother, who has dreams which foreshadow death, announcing that she will be hosting her own living wake—and the end result is a compilation of heartbreak and comfort.
“Family Lore” is built on a foundation of magical realism, and the book uses this to entwine the more uncomfortable scenes of the book with the romanticized moments that the characters encounter together. Every single character grew on me as I continued to read, and while I have my favorites—Pastora and Yadi, hands down—I truly enjoyed every section, as told in each of their voices.
This is a book I will definitely be picking up a copy of when it officially releases in August (and my collection of Acevedo’s writing will continue to expand!). It’s truly a beautiful narrative that encompasses family, femininity, and love in all of its forms. Truly a stunning read!
Thanks to @netgalley and @eccobooks for providing me with this copy
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