The Curse of The Flores Women by Angelica Lopes

The Curse of the Flores Women is a multiple timeline and multiple perspective novel, switching back and forth between the past and the present. This isn’t a romance, but more of a journey of a group of women, fighting against the rules of that time period. The book occurs during a time, when women were nothing more than property . They had little to no rights, and could own very little, often not having a say in who they married. Upon marriage, all of their holdings became the property of their husband. The women made lace objects, and as the husbands considered this a hobby, they were able to have money that the men weren’t aware of, except of course for the Flores Women, who had no men due to their curse. Most of the book occurs in a small town called Bom Retiro. In Bom Retiri is the Flores women, who are rumored to be cursed, cursed to lose love and the men they care about. In the present, Alice Ribeiro, the youngest living Flores woman, has been given the family veil, skipping her mother as she is not the youngest. the veil is the key to discovering her family’s history and secrets. The lace hides a secret language, and as she discovers these secrets, she wants to learn more about her ancestors, something until then has not been important to her. This book is a fascinating mix of modern contemporary fiction and historical fiction.

I loved the way the lace makers created a secret language, giving them a means of communication others overlooked. It makes me think of the code breakers from World War One and World War Two. I enjoyed the characters, coming to really enjoy the way they cared for each other. This was a fast, enjoyable story. If you like historical fiction, then you will like this beautiful story.
This book will quickly immerse you in it, making you need to discover what will happen next. The Curse of the Flores women is a great fictional story that is definitely worth reading. I look forward to more books by this author.

In this complicated multiple timeline and multiple perspective novel, readers explore a small town called Bom Retiro and explore why the village shunned the Flores women starting seven generations ago. Now, eighteen-year-old Alice Ribeiro, the youngest living Flores woman, has been given the family veil and the key to unlocking her family’s history. In trying to uncover the secrets of the family curse, Alice discovers her family’s history of lacemaking and how it protected their family many times over. The veil has its secrets, however, and will help Alice discover the past’s connections to her present and the strength of the Flores women that lives on in her. A fascinating work of modern and historical fiction, the different perspectives in this novel are incredibly complicated and provide many unique experiences of the Flores curse for readers to explore. Alice is a flawed primary narrator, but her rebelliousness and curiosity are incredibly relatable. The complicated chronological and geographic settings of a small Brazilian town add to the challenging nature of the Flores womens’ struggles, and Lopes’s setting is as complicated and detailed as her characters. An immersive, interesting, and vibrant novel, the Flores women’s story is worth reading, and uncovering their secrets is a fascinating adventure.

Love the idea of a group of lacemakers creating a secret code to communicate. Also, loved that this story alternates between present day and 1918, and that at the center of the story is one family and their ancestors from generations ago. I did felt more connected to the 1918 timeline, which is more fleshed out since it's central to the storyline. I felt like I wanted more of a backstory with Alice and her mother in the 2010 timeline than was presented.

Overall, this is a heart wrenching story about the resilient nature of women and the power of their voice.

This is a beautifully written feminist story that follows the lives of Eugênia, a woman dreading her upcoming marriage, and Alice, a young girl struggling with the relationship she has with her mother. When Alice begins learning about her family history, thus unravels the delicate tapestry hiding secrets that resonate through generations.

I adored the characters in this story. They're confident, independent and fierce-minded, and I particularly loved Eugênia's parts, set in the early 1900s. There's splashes of family, friendship, love and duty, but it's mostly about tradition and an interrogation into autonomy and ritualistic belief. For some reason, there was something that just didn't quite connect emotionally for me here. I loved the characters, I loved the narrative, but the language felt quite stark and almost heavy, failing to draw me in any deeper or paint a proper history that I so love about historical fiction.

The story unfolds across two timelines in Brazil, 1918 and 2010, and follows the lives of the Olveira women, who are believed to be cursed for seven generations with misfortune in love. Whether due to the curse or mere coincidence, the men who marry into the family—who have changed their surname to Flores in hopes of escaping the curse—all meet untimely deaths.

A family friend uncovers the nun’s art of lace-making, which the Flores women turn into a thriving business, gaining fame for their exquisite craftsmanship. Through this craft, the story of Ines Flores and the tragic fate of her best friend, Eugenia, is told through intricate codes weaved into the lace. This narrative, hidden in a veil, is eventually passed down to the seventh-generation granddaughter, Alice, who deciphers the tale and reconnects with her family's history.

This beautifully written story explores themes of friendship, perseverance, and the unfortunate realities of female oppression. It is both engrossing and tragic, particularly in the fate of Eugenia.

This is, to me, another one of those cases that I love the synopsis and the plot, but don't connect with the characters or the author's writing style.
Personally, I couldn't relate to any of the characters and for such a big cast, this book is too short. Sadly, it won't be memorable to me at all.
However, I do believe this book has its audience. I'm just not part of it.

What a special book! This translated, feminist historical novel really took me by surprise yet felt so familiar! This novel is a multigenerational tale of a cursed family, who pass on their secrets and bravery through their lacework. I found the story both inspirational and timeless. The family took on the name Flores, although it wasn't their actual last name. This gave me goosebumps while reading based on some of my own family lore. My own family almost took on the last name Flores, when drama in our past ensued!

I really felt a personal connection to this story that is hard to explain but is there, nonetheless!
Pictured is a lace veil that has been passed down through my own family.

Fans of feminist fiction, powerful themes, and cursed tales should pick this one up! It's a short story but leaves a lasting impression!

Sentimental, heartfelt, and enchanting!

The Curse of the Flores Women is a fresh, captivating tale set in Brazil during 1918, as well as 2010, that takes you into the life of Eugênia, a young woman who dreads her upcoming nuptials and who uses her skills in lacemaking to share her thoughts, feelings and silent cries for help, and Alice, an eighteen-year-old girl struggling with a strained relationship with her mother who, after receiving an heirloom veil from a distant aunt, endeavours to learn as much as possible about her family history that up until now she’s known little about.

The prose is expressive and fluid. The characters are headstrong, independent, and loyal. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel into a charming tale of family, friendship, drama, rebellion, emotion, secrets, love, loss, duty, heartbreak, introspection, passion, tradition, and autonomy.

Overall, The Curse of the Flores Women is a compelling, evocative, illuminating tale by Lopes that was a delight to read and has just the right amount of intrigue, culture, colourful history, and palpable emotion to be a good choice for all fans of the historical fiction genre.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes is a dual timeline mixed POV historical about a family of lacemakers. In 1918, Inês’ good friend, Eugênia, is set to marry a wealthy widower in their town of Bom Retiro but is completely uninterested in the match. In 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Alice, a descendant of the Flores women, is visited by a distant aunt who passes on a lace veil that has been in the family for generations.

What I liked was how Eugênia and Alice both express their dissatisfaction in life in their own ways. Eugênia uses her skill as a lacemaker to create a code for Inês to read, declaring for anyone who can see that her wedding day is also her funeral as she. Alice openly critiques her mother, sometimes in a way that feels a bit mean-spirited, but is largely rooted in how her mother puts her down and will even ignore Alice at times.

The layered and complex relationships between women, such as Inês and her younger sister who she cares for but also took all their father's attention, is really allowed to shine as both timelines are explored. While Alice initially has no interest in the veil, when she learns there's a code, she makes contact with her aunt to learn more about her family history.

Another major theme is how some men view their significant others as property, with Eugênia’s husband feeling entitled to her body and Alice mentioning a young woman in the news who was murdered in a pretty horrific way after leaving her boyfriend. While I wouldn't say these details are gratuitous or even take up a lot of page time, the thematic elements are constantly woven through, so readers who are triggered by such content should be aware.

Content warning for anti-Romani depictions, use of the ‘G’ slur, brief depictions of sexual assault, depictions of emotional abuse, and the mentioning of a woman being burned alive.

I would recommend this to readers looking for Brazilian literature, fans of dual timeline novels exploring social issues, and those looking for a book exploring the creation of a secret code

I highly recommend this amazing book! I could not put this book down.
It is beautifully written, and I love the way the complex story unfolds. I was on the edge of my seat.

The characters are so fully developed, and I felt like I was there with them. Lopes' writes excellent descriptive novels.

This is the first book I have read by Lopes, and she is now on my list of favorite authors. I cannot wait to read more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for a chance to review this book.

Link to Amazon review: https://www.amazon.com/review/R15UWTXSA3ZACD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Angelica Lopes, the Author of “The Curse of the Flores Women” intricately and magically weaves a well written story about Women, Sisterhood, Tradition, Folklore, and Spanish Cultural History. In this captivating and intriguing story, the author vividly and passionately describes the different generations of colorful and dramatic characters, the plot, and the scenery. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Feminism, with a dash of Magical Realism. The author describes different but related characters in two different family timelines that utilize the symbolic veil that has been embroidered with a secret message through the stitches.

Seven generations ago, the Flores women took this name, because of a “CURSE” that would cause them to be unlucky in love. The women survived on the art of lacemaking, and did well for a while. One of the women in the town of Bom Retiro, used stitches in her embroidery that were a secret message. Another overheard about this “secretive” laced veil.

In modern times, the female protagonist, Alice is a feminist fighting for equal rights for women. She inherits this veil from the family and centuries before. The secrets, betrayals, and tragedy from the past lead Alice to discovering the present and what is needed for the future. I highly recommend this thought-provoking and memorable story.

Alice Ribeiro is constantly fighting with all the strength her eighteen-year-old self can muster. When a family veil is passed down to her, Alice wants to discover the hidden history of the women in her family. Seven generations ago, the small town of Bom Retiro shunned the Flores women because of a “curse” that rendered them unlucky in love. They learned lacemaking to support themselves, but their peace was threatened. In learning about her family history, Alice learns about herself and her own resilience for the future.

In dual timelines, we learn about Alice in 2010 reacting to the assaults women still experience in Rio de Janeiro, marching in protests. She and her mother don't get along, but her aunt gives her the veil on a visit, and she learns that the stitches are a code that tells the story of a woman miserable at being given in marriage without being asked. The other timeline takes place almost a hundred years before, with the lacemaking cooperative broken by one of their own getting married to a rich and powerful man after two meetings. He has no interest in the girl as a person, only as someone to replace the wife who died and sees nothing wrong with forcing his way into her bed or hitting her.

There have always been women working to help other women out of terrible situations that men place them in. It can be something small like Alice switching seats so a woman won't be harassed by a fellow passenger, or large like Ines making arrangements so Eugenia could escape a marriage she didn't want. Learning about Ines and Eugenia helps Alice see that there is always a way to fight back, and giving them a voice helps her see a better future. The friendships at the turn of the century were strong and sustained them when those who were supposed to protect them were actually oppressors. Little rebellions are still rebellions, and lacemaking was once a woman's only means of making an independent income.

This look into Brazil's past was fascinating and very similar to the lives women had here as well. I found their story so compelling that I couldn't put the book down, and had to read it in a single sitting.

The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes is a captivating novel.
Extremely well-written and characters are all fleshed out.

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I loved this story, which blends the past and the present (or more recent past) and explores the struggles that women have faced all of their lives, especially in the early 1900s.

Women were not treated well in this small town, and the same could be said for nearly any place in the world. Men controlled everything and did not give women credit for their talents, intellect, and skills. However, this small band of lacemakers sought to change that. The story primarily follows Ines and Eugenia and the friendship between the two, with the desire to help each other escape a bad situation. Eugenia was ingenious to create a code that she stitched into the lace that told her story. I can't imagine how long it took to make the message with the varying stitches. It shows their dedication to doing their best in this world despite their circumstances.

Ines has only her family to support her, and while I like her mother and sister, her aunt is another story. Tia Firmina was righteous and thought that she knew everything. She sticks her nose into things that she presumes and creates havoc. However, each book needs to have a character or two who are disliked for multiple reasons.

Eugenia is married off to a local Colonel because her parents believe he will take care of her. This may be true, but when someone like her has been spoiled to do what she wants, marriage to a man who wants to control her is not in her best interest. Her story is sad, and I felt sorry for her situation.

Vitorina is a major character, but she does not become integral to the story until much later. She is trying to avoid the situation with her mother and potentially having to be a companion for her whole life. I chuckled at her attempts to engage the local school teacher in conversation and more. She has her eyes set on him, and he better watch out.

The present-day character is Alice. She is 18 and not sure what she wants from life. Her adventure to discover the truth about a veil she inherits opens doors with her mother, which improves their relationship.

There is so much to enjoy about this book. I loved learning about lace making, how women dealt with forging their own path, and how their wants and desires are no different from what we want today in this life. When translated, a book can be hit or miss in how well it is translated into English. As I immersed myself in this book, it felt like I was reading a book written in English, and I did not notice any hiccups with words or phrases.

The book is shorter, only 230 pages or so, but I felt like it could have been much longer. There are many unanswered questions, and we are left to speculate how the stories of certain characters ended. Despite that, there is some resolution as we learn what Alice discovers in her research into her family's history. The book's primary focus is the past, and I would have liked there to be more in the present with Alice, her mother, and her aunt.

I still loved the book and highly recommend it. We give it 5 paws up.

Thank you Netgalley & Amazon Crossing Publishing for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️


This book is a stunning exploration of female power, friendship, and the weight of family secrets. The story jumps between 1918 and 2010, following the Flores women as they navigate love, loss, and lacemaking.

In 1918, Eugenia's story broke my heart. Trapped in an arranged marriage, she uses her lace to secretly communicate with her friends, embedding messages in the intricate patterns. Her courage and resilience in the face of oppression are inspiring, and her story feels hauntingly relevant even today.

Fast-forward to 2010, and Alice's journey is absolutely captivating. She inherits a family heirloom - a lace veil with a hidden story - and uncovers her family's history, learning about the power of her own voice and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves cultural fiction, feminism, and stories about strong women. It's a beautiful, emotional ride that will leave you feeling empowered and inspired. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are well-developed, and the story is both poignant and uplifting.

If you're looking for a book that will make you feel all the feels, look no further. This one's a winner!

An interesting concept that wasn't given enough room to breathe. Lopes has attempted to fold the stories of seven generations into a 200 page novel and it didn't work. I would have enjoyed spending more time with the lace makers. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Wasn't for me but fans of world fiction should give it a try.

In a Nutshell: An English translation of a Portuguese novel, focussing on a group of lace makers who lives are connected to the Flores curse. Interesting plot, powerful themes, complicated characters. Recommended to literary fiction readers. Check the triggers though.

Plot Preview:
2010. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eighteen-year-old Alice is a rebel, fighting the patriarchal society and the female oppression in Brazil. When a relative passes a family heirloom – a lace veil – over to her, she discovers some secrets sewn into it. The secrets come from seven generations ago, in 1918, when a group of women discovered lace-making, and used it to change their lives. They would gather at the Flores house and work, even though the Flores women were shunned by many townspeople for being cursed to be “always unlucky in love.” As Alice learns more about the past, she discovers the strength and the struggles of the women who came before her.
The story comes to us in two timelines, with Alice’s contemporary timeline in her third person perspective, and the historical timeline in the first person pov of Inês, one of the Flores women.

This novel was first published in Portuguese in 2019 as ‘A Maldição das Flores’. This English translation is due to be published on 1st July 2024.
I am not commenting on the translation quality because I have no idea whether the original Portuguese work was converted to English effectively. I didn’t feel like I was reading a translation; that’s a positive, I guess.


Bookish Yays:
😍 The characters in the historical timeline, whether functioning as friends, siblings, employees, parents, daughters, or husbands, are varied and interesting. Not all of them are likeable, which adds to the depth of the story. I especially liked Vitorina, Inês, and little Cândida.
😍 Because of the curse’s supposedly lasting seven generations, we get to see plenty of characters and their stories. Thankfully, not every single generation’s travails are detailed out. Though a test of our memory, keeping track is easy, as the author offers enough clues to help us keep everyone straight.
😍 Both timelines have rebellion and women empowerment as a common theme, with light also being shed on the status quo in Brazil wrt gender equality then and now.
😍 The novel often goes meandering into offshoot subplots related to events in the past or connected to minor characters. All of these mini-stories are interesting, but don't initially appear to be related to the core plot, until you finally see their relevance. This appears to be a common feature of South American writing, so if you already know the genre, you can ready yourself accordingly. I was prepared for the roundabout narration, and I really enjoyed the backstories. So, Yay!
😍 This quote: "The people who benefit from privilege can't see what things are really like."
😍 The author's note about her writing choices and the historical accuracies. Much appreciated!
😍 The stunning cover!

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 The title isn’t completely accurate as the “curse” is a side plot. The main focus is on Eugênia, but she is a ‘Flores woman” only in the sense that she worked at the Flores house before her marriage. And her story has nothing to do with the titular curse, unless we take it metaphorically. This doesn’t affect the storyline, but if you expect the curse to dominate the plot, you will be disappointed.
😐 I loved the idea of characters involved in lace making, and of using the delicate lace to transfer messages in code, and even of the work’s providing financial independence to women, but I wish there had been more details of the actual lace-making process itself.
😐 There is some blatant foreshadowing, which, while adding well to the shocks and twists, also spoils the reading experience when the event finally occurs on page. One event in particular shouldn’t have been leaked so far in advance.

Bookish Nays:
😕 The book is just 220 pages long (in the Kindle edition; 235 pages in the paperback.) We have three prominent female characters in the historical timeline, one FMC in the contemporary timeline, and seven generations of curse-impact stories. Imagine fitting this all into this length! I rarely ask for books to be longer, but in this case, the novel needed several more pages to fill in the gaps and avoid the hurried feel.
😕 I didn’t get why a first-person voice was used for the historical timeline. There were so many events that Inês wouldn’t have known in such detail about, so seeing her narrate all the happenings so extensively in first person was odd.
😕 The blurb makes the novel appear to be a contemporary story, but the main plot unfolds in the past. The modern-day timeline, though having its little agenda about showing the prevailing male patriarchal thinking in Brazilian society, is primarily a framework to know the historical events. It could still have functioned well if Alice’s character had been well-developed, but her role is quite flat. We know much about what she does, but rarely get to understand the whys of her rebellious nature.

All in all, I feel this novel would have worked even better had it focussed only on the historical events, and extended the character arcs with more depth. Despite this, it is still a powerful story about how women in historical Brazil, despite societal constraints, followed their own acts of rebellion against those suppressing their voices.

Definitely recommended if you are looking for a quick OwnVoices work with some strong feminist themes and set in Brazil.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Crossing for the DRC, and Brilliance Audio for the ALC of “The Curse of the Flores Women”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Content warning: Domestic assault, sexual assault, death, gender discrimination.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes in exchange for an honest review. This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story. It was fascinating reading about the past and present and how women endured and then sought to change their situations. I also really appreciated the codes in lace. My mom, a textile artist, would have really enjoyed this.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a wonderful family saga full of rich history. The power of women comes through so strong throughout this book. The characters past and present are excellent. Highly recommend

This story is amazing and so so sad, which is typical of women's history.
Once I started the book I could not put it down. I had to know what happened and how it happened and how life turned out for all the survivors. I had to know how the women navigated things.
We forget that it was scarcely 100 years ago that women got the right to vote in America, and not yet 100 years ago for Brazil.
I loved the blind representation in this book. As a secretary for deafblind services I know these kids can do amazing things and that they "see" the world differently. Books just usually do not represent it all so well. The birds were an amazing touch.
I want to read 100 more books just like this.