Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Book Review: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez

BIG THANKS to Miriam and Hachette Book Group for this book!

“The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters” by Lorraine Lopez

Published by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group

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.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was expecting the same things as you, so this one fell a little flat for me.

Anna said...

Other reviews I've read pretty much say the same thing. I think I'll pass on this for now. Thanks for the honest review.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric