The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters

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 [...]

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 Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López is at once a coming of age story, a testament to the enduring nature of family ties, and a portrait of Chicano subculture in Los Angeles. The book begins in 1966 as the Gabaldón sisters struggle to adjust to life without their recently deceased mother. The girls live in Los Angeles with their father, their brother and an aging Hopi housekeeper named Fermina. Each sister is named after a movie star: the eldest (an eighth grader) is Bette Davis, and then there is Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, and Sophia Loren Gabaldón, who is an infant when their mother dies. (In case youre wondering, their brother is named Cary Grant Gabaldón.) About a year after their mother dies, Fermina, who has lived with the Gabaldóns as long as the girls can remember, succumbs to pneumonia. Just before she dies, Fermina promises that each girl will soon receive a gift. The girls are naturally curious about the nature of the gifts and this becomes a central, yet underlying story line. Each chapter is narrated by a different sister. The reader follows their lives over the course of twenty years as they attend college and find jobs; fall in love, marry and divorce; and have children. Each Gabaldón sister has a distinctive voice that the reader quickly comes to know and recognize. In chronicling the lives of the Gabaldón sisters, López portrays in vivid and often comical detail the nuanced form of interaction that is unique to sisters. They are brutally honest and sarcastic, yet full of love and loyalty. Interspersed throughout the book are notes taken in 1938 by a journalist who was researching the housekeeper Ferminas life for FDRs Works Progress Administration. These notes - which for much of the novel, the Gabaldón sisters dont know exist - reveal a secret about Fermina. This secret will have a profound impact upon the girls when they finally discover it. López has been favorably compared to Julia Alvarez, and there are indeed parallels between this novel and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters is about the immigrant experience from the perspective of future generations. Its about family, sisters, fathers and daughters. And it speaks to the universal human need to know our cultural and familial roots as a means of understanding who we are and where we came from.

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.

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 theyd 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 sisters 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 The reviewer may have received a free copy of this novel from the publisher, author, or other representative in this books interest. This has no impact on the quality or consideration of the review. Wantz Upon a Time has not and will not accept money in exchange for reviews.

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.

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

The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters begins in Los Angeles in 1966. We meet the four sisters - Loretta, Rita, Sophia, Bette and their brother Cary - all named by their late mother after movie stars. The girls are still mourning their mother. Their beloved housekeeper, Fermina, becomes ill as well. She has always promised that when she passes on she will give the girls each a gift. When she dies, the girls try to discover what each gift is. They arent tangible items, but maybe the gifts are abilities...... Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the sisters. Interspersed are tantalizing excerpts from Ferminas life, beginning in the 1930s, taken down by a data collector from Work Projects Administration. This novel traces the lives of the girls through joy and heartache. Through it all runs the memory of their mother. Each girl remembers her differently. And Fermina - who was she really - her life with them is a bit of a mystery. The women in this story are the dominant, strong characters. I was caught up in the lives of the Gabaldon sisters. Their bickering, angst, joy and passion for life was intoxicating. Although they make some bad decisions in life, their acceptance of what life brings, their devotion to their children and their love for each other is compelling. The story rings true and real, with no sugar coating. As we follow the sisters lives, we also follow Ferminas in further reports from the WPA until the two tales meet and we discover who Fermina was and what the gifts truly were. This newly released novel is a story that will appeal to sisters and friends. It would be an excellent suggestion for a book club. Ferminas life is drawn from Lopezs own family history.

Believable, I laughed I cried. Im going to have my sisters read it too! Im going to look for other works by this author.

The mother of four sisters dies, leaving them to be raised by an unobservant father and a beloved housekeeper, who has her own mysterious past. Unfortunately for the girls, the housekeeper dies shortly after. The girls are pretty much left to their own devices. They feel a void and begin to search to find out who their mother and their housekeeper were. The sisters lives are examined over more than twenty years as they reach maturity, go their separate ways, and reunite. Each chapter is taken by a different sister who reports the happenings from her vantage point. Using first-person, second-person, and third-person points of view, the tale unfolds in a smooth, easy-to-read fashion. Each girl has her own voice, and the reader has no difficulty following what could be a difficult read. The characters are believable--each one is well written so that personality flaws are evident. They squabble, but the bond of family is tight. Warning: A good bit of profanity is used throughout the book.