The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446699217
ISBN-13: 978-0446699211

About the book:

When the four young Gabaldon sisters lost their mother, it was Fermina, the old Pueblo caretaker living in their house, who held them together with her love and protection. Upon her death, she promised the girls they would each receive a special gift, selected just for them. And as time passed, what she bestowed - hands that can heal, a skill for spinning stories, the ability to incite laughter, and the power to curse others - emerged, bringing both blessings and tragedy. now, twenty years later, unsure of whether the woman who had loved them so was a fairy godmother or a witch, the sisters delve into the patched and woven history of their family. Here shadowed secrets wait patiently to be released into the light...to show the gifted Gabaldon sisters not only who their guardian really was, but the truth about themselves.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book from Miriam Parker, as I had heard such good things about it. I was initially intrigued because I heard that there was magic involved and to me there is something about books that have magic in them that just make me want to read them. And, although there was magic it was more in the storytellying than anything else.

"The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" is the story of four sisters: Betty, Loretta, Rita, and Sophia. These girls all suffer the loss of their mother at a young age and the family housekeeper, Fermina, becomes the closest thing to a mother they have. She tells the girls that when she passes, they will each receive a special gift from her. And, they do. But, whether each gift is positive or negative remains to be seen. And what about Fermina - who was she to be able to bestow these gifts on her wards?

This story is told from the perspective of all four sisters, and although a less gifted author might have struggled to make this easy to read I found that Lorraine Lopez truly has a remarkable gift in being able to engage her readers and keep the stories from becoming muddled and hard to decipher.

This is the first book that I have read by Lorraine Lopez and I really enjoyed it. Books that focus around family are always my favorites, and this is one that I would highly recommend!