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 [...]

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

While the character relationships within this family were very interesting and easily relateable to my life, I found the constant switching of view points and years in each chapter hard to follow. Once I felt like I was getting to know one charachter, another would jump in and describe them differently. There were several weird incidences in this book and odd habbits of the sisters. The end of this book lacks a true finish and left me feeling annoyed since I had figured out what their gift was early on in the book, which was NO gift at all! Just the transcripts throughout the book. It was a quick read and an intersting story but I am not sure I would reccomend it to others.

Whenever I read a book, I cant help playing favorites. There is always one particular character that stands out, the one I follow with more attention and care, the one Id 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 isnt sure if she will survive it. But the nerdy, fashion-afflicted, and above all, poignantly funny Sophia couldnt die so early, could she? Thankfully, it turned out that she couldnt 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.

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.

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.

This was a good book, I got a little confused with the different girls but it was interesting.

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 Ferminas 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 Ferminas 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. Im 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 fathers brother and a Native American servant- a Pueblo woman who worked in the familys 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

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.

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.