The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters

Lorraine Lopez Grand Central Publishing, 10/2008 ISBN: 9780446699211 Reviewed by Dawn Janine Mitchell for ReviewYourBook.com, 10/08 5 Stars Laughter and tears, the legacy of a mysterious love. The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters is the story of four sisters: Betty, Loretta, Rita, and Sophia. When they lost their mother at an early age, Fermina, the family housekeeper, became almost a surrogate mother. At her death she endows each sister with a special gift. The sisters each tell her story from childhood to adulthood, as they try to learn how to function on their own and as a family, without the presence of Fermina, who also has a mysterious past that they soon begin to unravel. I found myself deeply involved with the storytelling. The author, Lorraine Lopez, knows how to write a beautiful story of sisters that is funny but also heartbreaking at times. It is realistic fiction that doesn't come along very often. The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters is a wonderful book that I would recommend reading.

After reading The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters, by Lorraine Lopez, I am astounded. Lorraine Lopez is the author of Call Me Henri, which won the Paterson Prize for Young Adult Literature, and Soy la Avon Lady and Other Stories, which won the inaugural Miguel Marmol Prize for Fiction. She has also had several short stories published in various magazines, is an assistant professor of English at Vanderbilt University, and the associate editor for the Afro-Hispanic Review. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband. The Gabaldon sisters lost their mother at a very early age and it was their Pueblo caretaker, Fermina, who held them together during that rough period, with love, compassion, and humor. Upon Fermina's passing, she told them of a special gift each would receive, selected just for them. Twenty years later, the girls wonder about these supposed gifts and if the woman who bestowed them was a witch or plain crazy. Loretta- with the power to heal animals, Bette- the ability to spin stories, Rita- the power to curse others, and Sophia- having the skill to incite laughter; the women delve into their family and Fermina's woven history. As secrets and mysteries are revealed, it shows the Gabaldon sisters who their guardian, Fermina, really was and teaches them the truth about themselves, as well. I'm going to issue an age warning, stating I feel this book is appropriate for ages fifteen plus, as there are sexual references, drug abuse, and some sexual abuse references. Though it is very tactfully and eloquently told, it is still present. I am intrigued by how the idea for The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters came to Lorraine Lopez, which is told in her biography in the back of the book. She comes from a large extended family with ties to central New Mexico. Her adopted grandfather was biological son of his adopted father's brother and a Native American servant- a Pueblo woman who worked in the family's home. After having the son, she had a daughter who was surrendered by the family to an orphanage. What a heart-breaking and astonishing story, and one that made for an interesting fictional tale, (or idea), for the book. The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters, by Lorraine Lopez, is an original, inventive, fierce, and engaging story, sure to invoke thought, tears, and laughter. With a blended mix of tongues, cultures, traditions, and history- it will captivate you from beginning to end, and is a book that will remain with you long after you finish. Kelly Moran Author and Reviewer

Whenever I read a book, I can't help playing favorites. There is always one particular character that stands out, the one I follow with more attention and care, the one I'd like to meet and become friends with. Now, it is difficult to choose among the four Gabaldón sisters. Not because they all are lovable, but rather because they are so human that one is almost afraid of hurting their feelings by singling one girl out. Then it is difficult for an animal enthusiast not to fall for Loretta, for a wine lover not to sympathize with Bette la borracha, for someone who has ever wanted her curses to become real not to emulate Rita...But it was Sophia who won my heart. My relationship with her had started several years ago. It began when I read the short story "Sophia" included in Soy la Avón Lady and Other Stories, winner of the 2002 Miguel Mármol Prize. There, the roly-poly, big-mouthed teenager ends up in a dangerous situation, so dangerous that the reader isn't sure if she will survive it. But the nerdy, fashion-afflicted, and above all, poignantly funny Sophia couldn't die so early, could she? Thankfully, it turned out that she couldn't die. Her first appearance in The Gifted Gabldón Sisters starts with the words: "Once a pint of time..." From then on Sophia embarks on a journey through life making people laugh, laughing at herself and sometimes laughing at the lousy cards that la vida hands her. Award-winning novelist Lorraine Lopez takes a look at family life through the lens of the individual. The sisters long to discover their true identities. Did they receive "a gift" from Fermina, their late housekeeper, a gift which makes each of them unique? And who actually was Fermina? How was she related to them? In their search for answers, they fight and make up; they love and betray each other; they fall and rise. They survive a lecherous uncle, spineless bosses, a long trip through Route 66 and their good-for-nothing husbands. And in the end, they discover their own true gift.

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. Lopez's 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 everyone's briefcase.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer on 09/17/2008 Loretta, Bette, Rita, and Sophie Gabaldón lost their mother when they were very young. The ancient housekeeper who helped raised them promised each girl they'd receive a gift after her passing. Over the following two decades, the girls grow into women, each of them uniquely gifted. One heals, one tells splendid lies, one curses, and one makes others laugh. Time can only tell whether or not the gifts are blessings. The bonds of sisterhood are explored and tested as the sisters Gabaldón search for meaning in a sea of questions about their family. Each chapter is told in a different sister's point of view, and each voice is beautifully rendered through first, second, and third-person narrative, and past and present tense--a different style for each of the sisters. On the surface, the story may seem complex, maybe over-ambitious. But Lorraine López skillfully weaves the story of five women into a complete saga. Her use of scenery, emotion, and flat-out characterization is entrancing. I smelled the kitchen aromas and cringed at bad karaoke. I saw the sisters as young children, then mothers. I enjoyed the characters and was sorry to parts ways with them. Each sister was wonderfully flawed, yet deliciously vibrant. It would be a joy to meet them again. 4.5 Books