Ritratto di famiglia con superpoteri

by Steven Amsterdam, Anna Mioni (Translator)

Giordana ha 15 anni ed è alla continua ricerca di sicurezze. La sua sensibilità verso tutto ciò che la circonda la porta ad accordare una seconda occasione al padre alcolizzato, che sembra non volerne più sapere della famiglia. Giordana può diventare invisibile e, concentrandosi molto, attraversare i muri e le persone. Ben è il fratello maggiore di Giordana. Sposato con Janelle, senza lavoro e con un figlio piccolo, si sente depresso e in trappola, finché non prova l'impulso di imitare il volo di un uccello e scopre il suo superpotere. Volare lo porterà ad apprezzare di più quello che ha, e ad aiutare il prossimo in situazioni di pericolo. Natalie è la moglie di Peter, mamma di Alek e Sasha e sorella di Ruth. Quando scopre di saper nuotare velocissimo (a livelli olimpionici) trova dentro di sé una nuova forza per affrontare il comportamento ingestibile di Alek, che si allontana sempre di più da lei e dalla famiglia. Ruth è la mamma di Ben e Giordana e la sorella di Natalie. È costretta a rifarsi una vita dopo la separazione dal marito. È un'infermiera, e il suo potere è la telepatia. Si prende cura di Alek quando si intensificano le sue inspiegabili fughe, e ciò fa sì che i suoi legami con la sorella si deteriorino, fino a spezzarsi. Sasha è il fratello maggiore di Alek. Ex ragazzino timido e introverso, lo ritroviamo trentenne, gay dichiarato, mentre organizza un party di compleanno per sua cugina Giordana, ormai una brillante accademica. Il suo potere è far innamorare le persone...

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Family

309 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Is a writer living in Melbourne. He was born and raised by lifelong New Yorkers in Manhattan.

He wrote his first story about a hamster whose family was starving. A lilac bush in bloom saved everyone.

Steven Amsterdam has edited travel guides, designed book jackets, is a psychiatric nurse. Is a palliative care nurse.

Reviews

[Maria Di Biase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non fatevi trarre in inganno dal titolo: non è un libro superficiale.
Ammetto che inizialmente ci sono cascata anch'io: il termine superpoteri ha spalancato il baule della mia infanzia tirando fuori una serie di immagini legate a paladini della giustizia, calzamaglie fluorescenti, mutazioni genetiche e raggi gamma a profusione.
No. Non non è così.
Ritratto di famiglia con superpoteri è innanzitutto la storia di una famiglia normale, con tutti i problemi normali che un mondo, normale, possa generare.
Quello che c'è di straordinario, quello che rigetta la prassi, è che ogni familiare dispone di capacità fuori dal comune; doti che sembrano essere indipendenti dalla volontà del singolo, poteri che si manifestano spontaneamente nei momenti di maggior avversità.

continua qui: http://startfromscratchblog.blogspot....

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but when I was growing up (and sometimes even now as an adult), I dreamed of having superpowers. The desire for those powers—of flight, invisibility, super-speed, x-ray vision, etc.—changed based on the situation I was in at the time, but I felt fairly certain that my life, or at least that moment, would improve significantly if I possessed those skills.

When Steven Amsterdam's What the Family Needed begins, 15-year-old Giordana and her older brother, Ben, are the pawns in their parents' struggling marriage, and one day their mother decides to leave their father and take them to live with her sister's family. Despite the perpetual animosity between her parents, this move is a shock for Giordana, who had planned her entire summer around hanging out with her friends and working at an ice cream store in town. Yet when they arrive, her anger is quickly tempered when her younger cousin, Alek, asks, "Tell me which you want, to be able to fly or to be invisible." She chooses invisibility, and she discovers her ability to will herself so gives her more insight into her parents' relationship and the path her life was headed down, than she'd ever imagined.

In each of the book's related vignettes, which take place over the years, each of the characters suddenly discovers they possess a superpower. Some are truly meaningful—Alek's older brother finds he suddenly has the ability to forge romantic connections between people by simply touching both of them; Giordana's mother, a nurse, finds she suddenly can hear people's thoughts—and others' are somewhat arbitrary, such as Alek's mother, who discovers she can swim with almost superhuman endurance. But all of these characters (mostly) use their powers for good, not evil, and find that the powers changed them in different ways than they imagined.

Although I found some of the stories more compelling and emotionally engaging than others, I really enjoyed this book and the magical world it created. I did wish that Amsterdam did more to resolve each of the characters' stories—while we see all of them years after we've learned of their superpowers, we don't know if these skills were temporarily inherited or permanent, and how they made it to a later point possessing those powers. And I loved the emotion of the final story, which finally gave more insight into Alek, who is somehow at the center of everyone's stories, although its resolution had the potential to negate everything that happened before it.

This is a beautifully written book, almost lyrical at times, and if you have the power to suspend your disbelief, you'll find yourself emotionally engaged in an utterly unique set of stories, which while fantastical, don't require you to like fantasy or science fiction.

[Jborghi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Members of a family develop special abilities as they grow older and experience the mundane traumas of life. This is the central conceit of “What the Family Needed” an interesting, though flawed, collection by Steven Amsterdam.[return][return]Made up of an uneven set of short stories, “What the Family Needed” attempts to incorporate superpowers into a literary exploration of family dynamics and personal difficulties. In this way, it is similar to “Fortress of Solitude” by Jonathon Lethem. However, while superpowers are generally a sub-plot in “Fortress of Solitude”, used to illustrate several of the novels themes, they are at the forefront of “What the Family Needed.” Every story follows a similar pattern: a character is faced with a comparatively mundane difficulty (loneliness, difficulties in his or her marriage, etc) and then develops superpowers that, at least superficially, appear well suited to overcoming that difficulty. Unfortunately, more than a few of the stories feel like filler. Difficulties are described in such broad strokes that they approach cliché or simply excuses to write about superpowers. Many of the characters are insufficiently fleshed out, their so uninteresting that it is difficult just to flip forward to get to the super powered bits.[return][return]That isn’t to say there isn’t anything to like in “What the Family Needed.” As much as some of the stories feel like filler, others are rather effecting. In some of the stories, the addition of superpowers serves to illuminate tragedy and difficulty rather than to distract from it. Though not deeply described, some of the characters are interesting enough to rise above their cliché surroundings. Taken together, these stories may not add up to a particularly compelling narrative, but several are worth reading on their own.[return][return]Going in, I really wanted to like “What the Family Needed”. Superficial similarity to novels like “Fortress of Solitude” doesn’t do the novel any favors however. As good as several of the stories are, and some are quite good, others are easily skipped. Even the final story, which explains the deus ex machina in the earlier stories, feels unnecessary. It (mostly) fits with the comic book elements of the earlier stories and it (mostly) fits with the literary elements- but like the collection itself- it doesn’t fit together well.

[Tanya Eby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished narrating this. Now, no one has specifically told me that I shouldn't post reviews on books I narrate, but I generally don't, just because it's not my job to judge. My job is to give characters voices to the best of the ability. That said, I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I say that loudly.

There's a quiet gentleness to this piece that is deceivingly simple. The story is, actually, quite complex. It's told through stories that interconnect, through one family's experiences. And that's probably all I should say.

I was truly honored to narrate this. It's a lovely book and worth taking a chance on.

[Dhanaraj Rajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up by chance. But had a wonderful time reading it. It is about two family. There are totally seven members. And the 7 chapters in the book are dedicated to each member of the family. Each member is with a supernatural power (eg: able to be invisible, able to fly, ability to be a cupid, etc.). But then through the narration of each one's character the story evolves and you begin loving the story more and more as it progresses. In simple words, to me, it is a book on human relationships with all its happiness, doubts, anxieties, trials, struggles, griefs, etc. And the narration is what makes it interesting. Read it and you would not regret reading it.

[Owen Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching examination of a troubled family, with extra magic realism.

In the first chapter I thought What the Family Needed was a domestic drama focused on two family units awkwardly combining with the tantalising conceit of an eccentric child granting super powers as a form of consolation. Then the second chapter shifted to a new character and, more importantly, marched forward a decade.

It took me to the third chapter to pick up on the fact that What the Family Needed may actually be a short fiction collection about a tight-knit cast of relatives, disguised as a novel. Because it took me so long to grasp what Amsterdam was going for here, I didn't really come to appreciate it till the last few instalments.

Though I didn't care for a couple of the POV characters (Sasha for his snide meddling and Peter for his unspoken homophobia), I was most bothered by the erratic portrayal of Alek. However, the final chapter revealing the nature of his power and how it relates to the rest of the family and their gifts put things into sharp focus for me. Suffice to say he is not the manic flake most of his family believe him to be. Also certain inconsistencies in the unifying plot are justified, at least to my overall satisfaction.

I suspect What the Family Needed might well frustrate readers drawn to this book's literary sensibilities, due to the reflexive and often far-fetched logic you need to apply throughout. I am a frequent reader of superhero comics and existential sci-fi and even I didn't always follow the weirder elements of this book. Indeed, What the Family Needed is the kind of novel I can see myself re-reading, if only for personal edification.

For now though I will say that What the Family Needed is a rare literary 'novel' that endeavours to explain its speculative aspects and thereby creates a gratifying resolution. Even so I believe Amsterdam could have created a better book by tying up certain plot threads sooner or at least making sure they remain at the forefront of the reader's mind throughout.

Hazy critique aside, I did enjoy What the Family Needed. I recommend it to sci-fi readers with patience for irregular pacing, slow introspection and other foibles of literary storytelling.

[Amy Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a person who writes books about "normal" people acquiring supernatural abilities, I was intrigued to see Amstterdam's take. I was really disappointed in this book. I think he's probably a great writer, but not a great story teller. An entire family's history is told over thirty years. Each member has their own chapter which moves the time along, but also acts as kind of a contained short story (I used a similar device in my first novel- so I'm not against the idea.) However, the characters get their superpowers and then you never really hear from them again. Did their power remain with them over the years? Did it make them happy? Was it even real? And the powers are so cliched- the teenage girl who can be invisible, the trapped stay at home dad who can fly, the gay fabulous one who is suddenly cupid. I can suspend disbelief enough to buy that this all happened, but I can't buy into to concept of no real closure for these characters.

[Michael Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5. This is a set of connected vignettes, each telling a story from the life of one member of a family. The gimmick is that each family member has some sort of super power. Amsterdam does a great job of keeping everything pretty low-key in spite of the Incredibles-ish setup, and the book is really about the challenges of families and how love makes you want to fix everything that goes wrong in people's lives. I really loved Amsterdam's first book, which had a similar structure, but the disconnectedness of the stories jarred a bit more here, at least until the final story, which helped to make sense of everything that had come before. He's a hugely talented, imaginative and readable writer - looking forward to his next book.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be 4.5 stars, and only because I need to hang on to half a star for Mr Amsterdam's next book, which will doubtless be even better. I think he's great. I also think my reasons for thinking so are entirely irrational and thoroughly tied up with what I like. So if you like what I like, you'll like this, and a lot.

[Leo Summa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Erano tutti separati, sparpagliati come pianeti, senza che nessuno chiedesse all'altro se andava bene così.

Sfido qualsiasi lettore a guardare la copertina di questo romanzo, a leggerne il titolo e a non pensare di avere tra le mani la versione romanzata del celebre lungometraggio Pixar Gli Incredibili. In realtà basta leggere la quarta di copertina per rendersi conto che così non è, ma evitate di farlo perché la casa editrice non si fa remore nel palesare alcuni elementi del romanzo che, teoricamente, dovrebbero sorprendere il lettore dopo un considerevole numero di pagine. Al massimo, se non volete fidarvi del vostro istinto e non siete il tipo di lettore che rischia spendendo soldi su un prodotto che non conosce, leggetevi giusto i primi righi della trama, o, magari, questa recensione (Come tirare acqua al proprio mulino – prima puntata).
Sia nel romanzo di Steven Amsterdam – quest’autore ha un nome troppo figo – sia nel lungometraggio della Pixar, la narrazione segue le vicende di una tipica famiglia americana, nella quale ogni componente possiede un particolare superpotere. La differenza sostanziale tra i due prodotti sta nel modo con cui i membri della famiglia gestiscono la loro peculiarità e come questa si rapporti alla loro quotidianità: ne Gli Incredibili i protagonisti sono consapevoli dei loro poteri da sempre e rientrano nello stereotipo dei veri supereroi che combattono i cattivi e salvano il mondo, anche se la società li vede come un pericolo pubblico e cerca di soffocare la loro natura; in Ritratto di famiglia con superpoteri, invece, la natura dei personaggi è, sostanzialmente, quella di essere umani, i poteri intervengono solo in seguito nelle loro vite e non li renderanno mai dei superuomini, loro non combatteranno alieni ma problemi molto più terreni e quotidiani.
Giordana, Natalie, Ben, Ruth, Sasha, Peter e Alek: ognuno di essi è il protagonista di uno dei sette capitoli che raccontano il romanzo, sette storie che s' intrecciano e snodano in una brillante saga familiare in cui l’elemento sovrannaturale fa da collante agli eventi, alle gioie, alle frustrazioni e ai drammi di una famiglia (quasi) ordinaria. Ogni personaggio è colto in un momento di stallo relazionale e personale, e quando il superpotere si manifesta da un momento all’altro, esso è accolto quasi come un processo naturale, ciò di cui si ha bisogno in quel momento per riuscire ad andare avanti (il titolo originale del romanzo, infatti, è proprio What the family needed). Lo vediamo con Ben, ad esempio, che ottiene la capacità di volare proprio quando il suo matrimonio sembra essere in crisi e la sua stessa esistenza costretta ai dettami della moglie e ai bisogni fisiologici del figlio.

Aveva cominciato ad andare più a fondo, volando sopra i cortili privati e vicoletti nascosti dove vedeva cosa faceva la gente quando credeva di non essere vista. Com'era prevedibile, piangevano tra sé, facevano sesso, fissavano il vuoto. Si facevamo rapire da un libro, si guardavano intorno in attesa che qualcuno li notasse.

Nonostante faccia da chiave di volta, però, l’elemento fantastico non è mai preso troppo sul serio, non vi si indugia eccessivamente, - difatti il lettore viene lasciato libero di darla vinta alla finzione, prendendo per vero tutto ciò che viene raccontato, o interpretare il tutto come l’allegra metafora di un processo di maturazione - perché la vera protagonista di questo romanzo è proprio l’umanità di tutti i giorni. Perché i protagonisti sono uomini e donne che sbagliano, si perdono e si ritrovano per poi, magari, riperdersi ancora e ricominciare tutto daccapo. Le loro vicende sono divertenti, toccanti, malinconiche, quotidiane e originali al tempo stesso, e sì, magari saranno anche piuttosto americane, ma la sottile nota di ironia unita alla freschezza dei personaggi e alla profondità di certi periodi che Amsterdam riesce a infilare nello scorrere fluido della narrazione rendono il tutto incredibilmente piacevole e interessante.
La sistemazione temporale dei sette racconti, che seguono un arco temporale lungo trent’anni ma distano vari anni l’uno dall’altro, insieme alla mancanza di un narratore onnisciente può, all’inizio, lasciare perplessi, ma basta un po’ di attenzione per riempire i vuoti tra un capitolo e l’altro, collegare i vari eventi e unire i vari pezzi del puzzle. Tutti i protagonisti, del resto, hanno una psiche davvero ben delineata e, nonostante le loro storie siano relativamente brevi e il passaggio da un POV (point of view) all’altro piuttosto brusco, è molto facile entrare nei loro panni, affezionarsi a ognuno di loro, ai loro pregi, difetti e intrinseca comicità.
L’unico elemento che mi ha lasciato perplesso è l’ultimo capitolo, il settimo racconto con protagonista proprio il bizzarro e irresistibile Alek, il filo rosso che fino alla fine sembra collegare tutti i personaggi, e che ci rivela il suo potere davvero particolare, rimescolando forse troppo velocemente le carte in tavola e concludendo il tutto con un finale che da l’aria di essere artificioso e poco chiaro. Ho apprezzato il quadretto conclusivo, ma le ultime pagine mi hanno dato l’impressione che l’autore volesse concludere il tutto con quel senso di sospensione che chiude ogni capitolo, senza però precludersi un finale da vino e tarallucci.
Nonostante ciò, però, Ritratto di famiglia con superpoteri si rivela, come molti romanzi della ISBN, una vera chicca letteraria valida che vi consiglio con la stessa eccitazione che ho avuto nello scoprire un nuovo valido autore. A questo punto spero che qualcuno traduca anche l’acclamato romanzo d’esordio di Steven Amsterdam, Things we didn’t see coming .

Oh, date anche un'occhiata al sito dell'autore. Geniale.

Link al blog: http://sanguedinchiostro.blogspot.it/...

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

You expect that the problems in the bottom drawer or in the back of the closet or wherever you've hidden them will stay there forever. p16

Of course they don't. They may actually be subliminally driving the lives they have been banished from. " Does every action have a pathology behind it?" p127

Here's another one for the department of speculation.
What would you wish for if you could acquire or develop a superpower of your own?
Steve Amsterdam has cleverly linked seven stories behind the veneer of a families life, each story being devoted to one of the family members POV. I found myself rooting for them all, surprised that I came to care for them much more than I thought I might.

If your stars aligned with someone elses, you might chirp about it for a bit, but in the end you will always feel alone. p181

[Letizia Loi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stelline. Non è un libro eccezionalmente bello o avvincente, ma è molto scorrevole e "realistico". Per quanto una famiglia con superpoteri può esserlo; al nocciolo sono persone che affrontano problemi di tutti i giorni e i loro poteri fanno solo una differenza minima.
Credo che l'intento di questo romanzo fosse semplicemente intrattenere il lettore - senza nessun messaggio recondito, perché alla fine non conclude nulla - e in quello è riuscito bene.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me ages to pick up this book - I renewed it at the library once before I even opened it - but once I started I couldn’t put it down. It’s an intriguing premise and gently told. The subtlety developed implications of small superpowers shows what a talented thinker and wrote Amsterdam is. I definitely recommend it for a quick, light but thoughtful read.

[Pino Sabatelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una stella e mezza

[Wendy Bousfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amsterdam’s second novel is an exceptionally moving work of magic realism. The destinies of two families are intertwined over three generations. Fleeing from her alcoholic husband, Ruth finds refuge at the home of her nurturing sister, Natalie. With her are her teenaged son and daughter, Giordana and Ben. Natalie and Peter have two sons, Sasha and his endearingly goofy younger brother, Alek. The plot proceeds with startlingly (intentionally disconcerting) leaps in time. Over the next three decades, Giordana and Ben marry. Sasha, who is gay, yearns for a stable relationship. World-traveler Alek disappears inexplicably for long periods. Each family member is, in turn, POV for successive portions of the book.

The first section is from the POV of Giordana, in her early teens. Disoriented by the disruption in her family life, Giordana has an insight that provides, obliquely, a key to what this postmodern writer is about: “But anything was possible. After all, a woman had written a note to her husband and had driven away with their kids. Tomorrow, Ben [her older brother] might decide it was his turn to make a sudden exit. Their mother might decide she didn’t want to be a mother anymore. Anyone could leave anyone” (2-3). As the novel proceeds, the settled routines of characters are upended, either by accident or by a life-changing decision. To borrow the title of that wonderful Grace Paley story, Amsterdam’s characters make “Enormous Changes at the Last Minute” –all with profound consequences.

To the reader, the happiness and fulfillment of every family member matters profoundly. At a moment of need, each discovers that he or she has a super power. Giordana and Ben are the first. Taking his older cousins on a tour of the house, Alek asks: “Okay, tell me which you want: to be able to fly or to be invisible” (5). Giordana chooses invisibility, Ben flight. Finding shortly thereafter that she can become invisible and walk through walls at will, Giordana comes emotionally to terms with her parents’ separation. She rides a bus to their former home; confronts her childlike, but rather threatening father; and escapes when he tries to detain her. A decade later, married to his cousins’ babysitter and father to a child, Ben escapes from a depressingly static routine when he discovers that he can fly. Other family members discover their respective superpowers in response to their own need or to the need of someone they love.

The book’s ending is uplifting and powerfully moving. The last character whose consciousness we share is Alek, whose disappearances and odd sense of reality have been an enigma both to his family and the reader. When Alek makes one of his rare visits to his parents, all the family members come together, celebrating their love for Alek and for others in the family. Through hitherto unexplained gifts, each has emerged from a period of emotional drought or crippling pain. It is Amsterdam’s rare gift as a novelist to love his characters and make the reader cherish them, too.

I am anxious to read Amsterdam’s first work of fiction. THINGS WE DIDN’T SEE COMING (2011).

[Wade McGinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised that I liked this book enough to give it 5 stars after reading some of the ratings on goodreads and amazon... but, being a stickler for super-powered stories, I knew I wanted to read it anyway. This is an endearing story of one family who grow into their own unique abilities that compliment their struggles. There are no bad guys to battle, no comic-book action sequences, but simply a story of using one's gifts to interact and cope with their lives at the point they needed the most support... a teenage girl can become invisible to uncover the mysteries of adolescence and divorce; a widower can materialize his wishes after his partner's death, but only so far as his wishes lend themselves to processing grief. I cared deeply for each of the characters and the conflict of the broken family. And although the compassionate ending felt a bit too surreal, it serves as a quaint closure to the book.

What do you think of stories like this? There's no rule that unnatural abilities should lend itself to responsibility to those less fortunate, especially if your own battles are enough to tackle first.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you could choose a superhuman power, what would it be? Invisibility, telepathy, flying, persuasiveness, or the ability to rewrite events as people wish? And will these powers make your life and the lives of your friends and family better?

In this novel, nominated for the 2012 Age book of the year, each member of a typical suburban family discovers that they posses a superhuman talent, which they use to help themselves, their friends and the other members of the family to cope with all the usual crises that beset any normal family. There is divorce, the problems of finding love, the difficulty of maintaining relationships after the birth of a child, homosexuality, and the impending death of a loved one.

Each chapter is told in turns by a different member of the family as they explore the extent of their ability, and serves to advance the story, while at the same time filing in the backstory. This is a quirky novel, full of whimsy and subtle and wry humor, as each member of the family discovers that having a super power is not always a blessing.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What The Family Needed, by Melbourne-based American author Steven Amsterdam, centres around sisters Natalie and Ruth and their families. Ruth has just left her husband and has taken herself and her kids, Giordana and Ben, to stay with Natalie while she gets the basics of a new life together. We learn this through Giordana, the narrator of the first chapter. When she arrives with her mother at Natalie’s, her cousin Alek asks “tell me which you want: to be able to fly or be invisible?” Giordanna chooses invisibility … and it becomes so.

This is the premise – what happens when members of an ordinary family are given super powers when it appears they need them? Natalie gains physical speed and endurance, Ruth becomes privy to the thoughts of others, Ben discovers he can fly, Alek … well, with Alek it’s complicated.

Continue reading my review ... http://tinyurl.com/cuodxbj

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few things I liked a lot about this book but also a lot of things I found lacking. The way it was written in multiple stories from different points of view over 30 years was nicely done and made the book interesting. I enjoyed reading about all the different powers and how the characters used them in their day to day life.

However, I wish the consequences of those powers had been touched on more. After the chapter in which the power surfaced, they're never really mentioned again. (only briefly in the end, in Alek's chapter) Are we really supposed to believe that a flying man wouldn't make the news?


Of course, it could be said that the strange disappearance of the powers after the chapter ends was because of Alek changing reality. But I think that doesn't really make it more satisfying.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

they had me at the "incredibles" reference - anything with normal people getting superpowers is awesome, in my mind. i liked the use of the passage of time (really interesting, considering my last book was kate atkinson's life after life, where time is a huge variable too). it was hard for me to suspend disbelief that multiple people wouldn't be 1) completely freaking out upon this discovery and 2) not tell anyone else about it...once you get over that, the story is really engaging, especially when you come full circle to the last chapter. i think this might have been more entertaining with shorter chapters and a return to the same character POV at least twice, but overall i really liked the idea and how it turned out.

[Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on 'super powers' without turning the characters into heroes. The book follows an extended family through many years as each acquires a special ability that helps them through their life. The book is divided into individual stories of family members as they age and acquire their powers. The one main aspect of the stories is Alek who seems to have been able to give his family members their unique gifts. I would have given more stars, but I found the book to be a bit confusing, especially pertaining to Alek and how he had attained his powers which I had hoped would be explained in his own chapter, which was the last, but alas it really wasnt. I liked the book, but had hoped for more closure.

[Oanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it is wrong to compare books, but I cannot help it: I read this in close proximity to reading Things We Didn't See Coming and I much preferred Things. But then, I do have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic survival stories.

This was certainly very good, and Steven Amsterdam writes people and relationships very well. The voices did all seem fairly similar but the ideas were very intriguing.

Of course, reading novels about people have supernatural powers make me wonder what mine would be. What do I need most?

[Marley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had wanted to read this book for a long time and it finally found its way into my hands. I was worried because I usually don't read anything rated under 3.5, but I gave it a whirl. The writing was not great. The more I read, the less I wanted to keep going. Sadly, I didn't get far before I put it down.

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to admire a writer who comes up with an original idea and then manages to sustain it through an entire novel. What the Family Needed (Sleepers Publishing 2011) by Steven Amsterdam is a beguiling take on the version of the family with superhuman powers – think The Incredibles but with literary aspirations. In this family drama / speculative fiction hybrid, we are taken on a journey over the decades with this family, each section from the point of view of a different character. It is the story of a family finding itself, and navigating its complex interrelationships, in a very ordinary way, but it is also simultaneously the story of each of the individuals discovering access to very special powers. Invisibility, the power to fly, the power to grant wishes – these skills are stumbled upon by the characters separately and independently, in private moments; wondered at as possibly the result of stress or psychiatric disturbance or a too-vivid imagination; and finally utilised to enhance the circumstances of loved ones, to occasionally trick fate or rewrite history, or to change the course of the lives of those around them. The premise of this book is unusual, strange and magical, but with belief suspended and an open mind, all sorts of possibilities become apparent. This supernatural aspect of the book, however, does not detract from its basic narrative concerning a family of ordinary people living their lives through ordinary days. At the book’s opening, recently separated Ruth and her two children Giordana and Ben have arrived to stay temporarily at her sister Natalie’s home. Along with her husband Peter, and their two boys Alek and Sasha, these are the main characters in the narrative, and we follow their lives through schooling, illness, family trauma, sexuality, employment crises and grief. I found myself becoming a little confused in the last third of the book, with the near misses and changes of pace difficult to reconcile, but overall I enjoyed the wry humour and the astute observations of family life and relationships, and I especially admired the author’s capacity to provide a wholly convincing world of superpowers. And who wouldn’t want that?

[La Lettrice Raffinata · Rating 4 out of 5]

PERÒ ANCHE TU ALEC... STAI CALMINO!

“Ritratto di famiglia con superpoteri” di Steven Amsterdam è un romanzo familiare con una peculiarità che si evince facilmente dal titolo: tutti i membri di questa famiglia sono dotati di poteri speciali, molto simili a quelli dei supereroi fumettistici.
I protagonisti del romanzo non sfruttano però le proprie abilità per arrestare i criminali indossando tutine aderenti e mantelli, perché i loro poteri sembrano destinati appositamente a risolvere problemi ben più quotidiani ed aiutarli nei momenti di scoraggiamento emotivo.
Il romanzo non segue una trama ben delineata (sembra quasi una raccolta di racconti), ma nel finale si ottengono comunque delle risposte chiarificatrici sull'origine e la natura dei superpoteri. Il punto di forza dell'opera è indubbiamente nei suoi personaggi con i quali è facile empatizzare in poche pagine, mentre lo stile non mi ha del tutto convito perché spesso scivola nell'informalità rivolgendosi al lettore e ricorre pigramente a degli elenchi per fornire informazioni che potrebbe invece amalgamare alla narrazione.
Il volume ha una struttura particolare, infatti non presenta dei normali capitoli ma delle parti distinte che seguono il POV di uno specifico personaggio, pur mantenendo la narrazione in terza persona al passato. Attenzione però all'edizione italiana targata ISBN: se volete evitare spoiler indesiderati limitatevi a leggere l'introduzione sulla parte bassa della cover, perché la quarta di copertina vi rovinerà completamente la lettura con anticipazioni indesiderate.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, that ordinary people suddenly acquired a super power and then did...something...with them, the story didn't pan out in a satisfying way as far as I'm concerned.

First, there was no explanation of why people got super powers anyway, other than they were given to them by an individual who somehow had the ability to do that.

Second, these dysfunctional characters who got said powers didn't really do much with their powers beyond concealing them and occasionally using them for minor purposes that were largely uninteresting.

I give the story 2 stars and walk away disappointed.

[Joella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very intrigued by the idea of this book: family members gaining a "superpower" in a time of need. (Superpower is in quotations because swimming like an Olympian is not a superpower.) I felt let down, like the author could have done so much more with it. None of the characters' stories ended with a resolution of how the superpower helped improve their lives. The timeline was: struggle, gain superpower, explore superpower, minor setback, acceptance, the end. I would expect superpowers to help a lot more than that. While we did technically get an explanation of where the powers came from, I do not feel it was fleshed out enough, particularly for the character of Alek.

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting concept--a broad view of a family (two sisters and their spouses/exes and children) who are bless/cursed with some kind of superpower; each one unique-flight, invisibility, etc. A section of the book was told from each characters' point of view. I guess I didn't really like the book that much, though, because I didn't feel a connection between the characters, and I'm not sure it felt as though anyone went through any kind of transforming arc or anything. I mean, in the end, what is your point?

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story was interesting - that people could develop a super power that provides them with what is needed at a moment of emotional stress. The power is not used for the common good of the community (eg Superman) merely utilised by the owner for some unspecified time; it’s unclear if the power wanes.
I found there were too many protagonists and the the final gathering of the threads in the final chapter rather absurd, even for such a fantastical theme.

[Sharon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read - each person gets a super power to help them get through their particular woe. We could all do with that every now and again!
I didn’t like the last chapter it was a bit muddled and tried to explain everything- better to just have left everything as a bit of magic.