Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Review: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez


Having lost their mother in early childhood, the Gabaldon sisters consider Fermina, their elderly Pueblo housekeeper, their surrogate Grandmother. The mysterious Fermina love the girls as if they are her own, and promises to endow each with a "special gift" to be received upon her death.

Mindful of the old woman's mystical ways, the sisters believe Fermina's gifts, bestowed based on their natural talents, magically enhance their lives. The oldest sister, Bette Davis Gabaldon, always teased for telling tales, believes her gift is the power to persuade anyone, no matter how outlandish her story. Loretta Young, who often prefers pets to people, assumes her gift is the ability to heal animals. Tough-talking tomboy, Rita Hayworth believes her gift is the ability to curse her enemies. And finally, Sophia Loren, the baby of the family, is sure her ability to make people laugh is her legacy.

As the four girls grow into women they discover that Fermina's gifts come with complicated strings, and what once seemed simple can confuse over time. Together they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and the family secret that was nearly lost forever in the New Mexican desert.

In The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters the sister's stories are told from each of their points of view, with the chapters alternating between them. The chapters also jump forward in time so that you get glimpses of each of the sisters as they grow up.

I usually like stories told from different perspectives, but this one was a little hard to follow at first. There are four sisters and two of their stories are told in first person, one in third person and one in second person. I found the story in second person a little clumsy feeling. I thought it was also a little confusing, at first, to remember who was speaking with the first person chapters, even though they are labeled.

Even with this, I enjoyed this book. I found the characters lively, and their different personalities really came though. I enjoyed reading about them as they grew into adults and friends. 3 stars

Special thanks to Hachette Books for providing my review copy.

Order The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters

2 comments:

Wrighty said...

I've been looking forward to this book for a long time. I'm glad to hear you liked it. I've left you an award here:
http://wrightysreads.blogspot.com/

Steph said...

Wow, 1st, 2nd and 3rd person all in one book in different POVs? Multiple perspectives is hard enough to craft in books, I can't imagine how someone would pull all of them in different formats really, really well. Sounds hopelessly complicated =/

Steph