The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters

This remarkable novel kept me spellbound on the afternoon the hem of Hurricane Ike lashed my neighborhood, but still I kept reading. Although I understood that the novel had reached its conclusion, the gift quest had ended, I was sad to put the characters away. They have the acid edge that some of Lopez earlier characters, but the Gabaldon sisters each exhibit a soft vulnerability as well. Lopez moves with ease among first, second, and third person perspectives, giving each sister her due while creating a perfectly balanced novel of a family in survival mode. Lopezs rich characterizations of the girls named for movie stars coupled with a strong clear plot make for a stunning and delightfully complex read. Unlike many books with a single heroine who is put upon or without flaw, these women can be mean and shrewd and we still cheer them on. Sexy, pitch-perfect, and superbly-written, this book should be on every book club list as well as in everyones briefcase.

Every character is simultaneously original and familiar. I publish The Latinidad List, an annual round-up of the years best titles by and/or for Latinos, and The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez is a standout among 2008s novels. (To see the rest of the list, visit [...]

In Southern California, their mom named her four daughters after Hollywood actresses she enjoyed. When she passed away while her children were young, their dad raised them with the help of caretaker Fermina; though in reality Fermina raised the kids with the help of their father. When the ancieno Fermina realized she was dying after a century of life, she tells her beloved girls she will give each of them a special gift that they must use wisely. Bette Davis obtains the skill of making anyone believe anything no matter how farfetched or exaggerated she says; Loretta Young has the ability to heal injured animals; Rita Hayworth can curse anyone with bad things happening to them; and Sophia Loren has the uncanny gift of making anyone even those depressed and despondent laugh. Over the next two decades they help each other and wonder about Ferminas paranormal gifts; as they investigate their family tree and the background of their caretaker, the four GIFTED GABALDON SISTERS begin to question what was bestowed on them. This is an intriguing paranormal sister-lit tale with psychic elements crossing the story line. The four siblings rotate viewpoint, which enables the audience to understand their differences and more important their similarities and concerns; this makes each seem real even with possession of otherworldly powers. Fermina for the most part remains mystical and with each revelation her mysticism grows. Although the intermingling of Spanish throughout enhances the sense of reality, it also slows down the plot for many readers who stop to interpret within the context of the paragraphs. Still Lorraine Lopez provides a unique refreshing paranormal family drama. Harriet Klausner

This book was fun reading. The Authors vivid insight into life of that time period was accurate and full of tender recollections - and some rather harsh. It rambled on a little too long with too many characters - but very entertaining and lots of laugh out loud observations and situations.

The book is written in such a way that each chapter is one of several sisters voice (Im not even sure how many sisters there were!). Also between the chapters are documents found and written about another character in the book. I never really followed the meaning behind the research documents and keeping track of which sister was which was extremely complicated. Im an avid reader. I think if the book was better written this would not have been a problem. Bottom line, I didnt really care too much about what the sisters went thru. There would be times when it seemed that it was getting interesting only to have the chapter end and then the story line not pick up again. Dont waste your time.

The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters is a beautiful tale beautifully told. It is the story of Bette, Loretta, Rita and Sophie, four sisters who are inherently different yet share a common bond. This bond is an overwhelming desire to understand Fermina, the family housekeeper, and the gifts she said they would receive following her death. Each sister struggles to understand and control the gift she thinks Fermina has bestowed upon her. Lopez follows each sister through the twenty-year search for answers and allows the reader to share in their triumphs and bemoan their failures. Finally, the sister come together to learn the truth. The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters is a touching tale of family and finding ones role within it. Lopez has a true flair for words that lets the reader become part of the story.

The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez follows the lives of four sisters named for classic movie beauties: Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Sophia Lauren, and their brother Cary Grant Gabaldon, and their mysterious connection to their Indian maid Fermina, whose hidden letters and notes contain shocking revelations about the Gabaldon sisters. Motherless, the girls increasingly resent their father and rely on each other to get through Catholic school and beyond. Fermina, it was rumored, hung out with friends who dabbled in magic. The girls believe that Fermina left each one a magical gift unique to her, including telling believeable lies, healing animals, making others laugh, and the power to curse people to die. Along the way, they struggle through abusive relationships, childbirth, and heartbreak. Each chapter is narrated by a different sister, and interspersed between these are WPA archives of interviews with Fermina that gradually reveal the girls lineage piece by piece. The magic is largely psychological, but Lopez captures the cultural nuances of two decades that seem to pass in the blink of an eye, from the mid-1960s to the 1980s, and paints a lush, loving portrait of a chaotic family bound by secrets and tradition. Hispanic culture permeates the pages with hints of chile and hot buttered corn tortillas dripping with butter and a drizzle of lime, with the smoky incense of churches, and in the Spanglish spoken by family and relatives. Each of the girls must make her own way into the world, each fighting a personal demon: alcoholism, drug abuse, absent husbands, sexual orientation. They find strength in their shared memories and secrets, and return two decades later to fulfill a long-delayed journey to discover the real gift that Fermina left for them. Lopezs style is familiar and engaging; each sister has a unique voice and worldview, from the cynical and emotionally scarred Bette (who swears constantly and drops acid on her wedding day) to Rita, whose quick temper curses people to horrible fates (she ends up silent for most of her school years in order to avoid cursing people inadvertently). The four narrators are effective, although the flashbacks provided in the supposed WPA interviews felt disjointed. The writing style wouldnt have been permitted in actual reports; the supposed narratives are written in a highly ornamented style that the uneducated subject being interviewed wouldnt have been capable of expressing. But other than a few small missteps, this is a rewarding novel that reminded me of Joanne Harriss

I loved reading about sisters that act like sisters really act. Lopez has a gift for painting families.

I thought the premise of this book was intriguing- 4 sisters who have been given gifts by their live-in housekeeper, Fermina, who died. I expected more magical realism than what materialized in the book. The interplay between the report on Ferminas history and the contemporary story was interesting and the final solution to her relation to the family was good, but I had a hard time relating to any of the girls as they grew up. This one just missed the mark for me.

This book had enough plots and subplots to keep me entertained throughout. However, the magic part of the book was very minor. It was more general family chic lit with just a hint of the magic subplot.