4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gifted Author, September 18, 2008
This review is from: The Gifted Galbadon Sisters (Paperback)
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
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written but heartbreaking, November 26, 2008
This review is from: The Gifted Galbadon Sisters (Paperback)
Rating: 3.75 stars
"The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" is about four sisters who were taken care of by a mysterious elderly woman named Fermina. Upon Fermina's death, the girls all seek to discover the special gifts Fermina claimed to have left for them. Each chapter skips ahead a couple of years and the story takes readers from childhood to adulthood. The story is told by each of the sisters in alternating chapters with varying points of view, from first person to second person to third person.
This book was nothing like I expected. Most of the chapters reveal devastating and sometimes difficult hardships that the sisters faced, with little pause for comic relief. I was expecting a tale of magic and intrigue, but the primary plot left no room for mystery because the secret the sisters were searching for throughout the novel was revealed earlier on to the reader.
Having said that, I really did enjoy Lorraine Lopez's writing itself. Her unique use of different perspectives was refreshing and kept my attention. Lopez's strength definitely lies in her vivid descriptions because each character and setting managed to come alive for me, which perhaps was what made some parts of the book so incredibly heartbreaking.
"The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" is a worthwhile read, despite its lack of suspense and melancholy themes. Lorraine Lopez is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
[...]
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gifted, Indeed, November 6, 2008
This review is from: The Gifted Galbadon Sisters (Paperback)
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
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