Wordsmith Wednesday

"Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister,
and Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man"
"Sisters", Irving Berlin

Truth be told, the whole sibling things has always been a point of jealousy for me. We always seem to wish for that which we don't have, and as an lonely only, I always begged and pleaded for at least one other person to share things with. (Well, maybe not share)(More like admire from an approved distance).

So when I get the opportunity to read about a batch of siblings - sisters, brothers, sisters and brothers - I jump at it. I always find that it gives me a fresh perspective on things, and it really is an eye-opener for me to get a glimpse into what it must be like to live one's history alongside another being.

I remember being quite excited at the beginning of this book - there were 4 sisters, plus a middle brother to boot. I was ready to be dazzled by the ever-changing dynamic. And I was.

At the beginning.

When we first meet the sisters (and brother) - Bette Davis, Loretta Young, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth and Sophia Loren Galbadon - we are given wee parcels of information of their personalities and quirks. Intermeshed with this introduction is the deathbed promise of their caregiver Fermina, that each will be bestowed with a "gift" that will give them soulful, magical powers to carry them through their days.

I must admit, I was quite charmed by the sisters initially. Some were kind, some were dour, some were a canvas just beginning to be cautiously fleshed out.

But then, with the progress of the book, I began to become a little confused.

This is at least 2 or 3 stories that are jam-packed into one. There is a lot going on.

There is the story of the family's dynamic.

There is the story of their elderly caregiver, and the slow reveal of her personal history, through socialogical reports and records (where these came from we don't really find out until near the end - I became pretty impatient for this tie-in)

There is the story of the times (and they are a'changin', babe).

There is the story of each of the sister's evolution.

There is the mystery of how the caregiver came to become part of the Galbadon mix.

If I were to read a story of any one of elements in and of itself, I would truly enjoy it, and no doubt be immersed.

What I found kind of irksome, a third of the way through, was my perceived lack of interconnectedness between all the stories.

Plus, I always felt as it there was always a grain of something missing. Something that I wanted to know, but was perhaps not deemed necessary. Each chapter seemed to leave a little bit out.

I find that if I'm reading a novel that really really grabs me , I usually am so immersed that I don't have to constantly backtrack because I feel like I missed something.

With this, I did feel the need to constantly backtrack.

And backtracking to me is a waste of my time.

I used to be awestruck by big families - my curiosity as to how they could possibly all live (at least semi-harmoniously) under one roof was always keen and usually never sated. I always believed, looking at things from my only-child POV, that things must be so-o-o-o chaotic and confusing.

Now, I'm thinking I might be right.

I would LOVE to give away 4 copies of this book, so that you can read it and tell me what I just didn't get.

If you're interested in the challenge, e-mail me at :

baronessvonb@gmail.com

and tell me just what it is that makes your sister (or reasonable facsimile) gifted.

First 4 to enter get a copy.

Contest ends Sunday, January 11th. Entries must include mailing address (Canada or US only, no post office boxes, please).

Wordless (Almost) Wordsmith Wednesday

It has taken far too long, but I'm halfway through - and LOVING - this book.

What have I learned so far?

That, mercifully, this book has nothing whatsoever to do with Diane Gabaldon (seriously - have you seen the size of her books? And I thought I had a lot to say...).

I have learned that there is - once again - substantiated evidence that there is no substitute for the life experience of experiencing life with siblings. Sisters, to be precise. (Pardon me while I pout just a little - us only children can be rueful that way. Wah).

Also thrown in for the eerie/transcendental factor is the family's caregiver, an ancient Hopi Indian woman with mystical powers.

The story spans from 1966 to 1987; I am more than willing to file away my own nasty flashbacks from that era (a lust for Fortrel and an uneven shag hair cut) in order to immerse myself in the Los Angeles 70's of the Gabaldons.

I am hooked, hooked, hooked on these sisters whose movie-obsessed mom named them for her favorite stars: Bette Davis, Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth and Sophia Loren (there's also their brother, Cary Grant Gabaldon, but he's really pretty much in the background).

This is a story about the power of the X chromosome. And oh, the power these chicas wield - they are brainy and mean, sassy and hilarious.

I can barely write this for wanting to get back at it. Stay tuned for the official summary next Wednesday!

Wordsmith Wednesday

Well, aren't you all somethin'?

Dare I say it?

Yes, I believe I will.

You are spooktacular.

All I know is that one year soon, when I win me the lottery, I'm having a big ol', bobbin' for apples, eyeballs-floating-in-the-fruit punch, Vincent Price meets Christopher Lee meets Dark Shadows Halloween party. And each and every one of you creative geniuses is invited. You, my dears, put the "A" in "A-Game"! (I guess technically you put two "A"s in - that is how freakin' amazing you are!!)

Here I was, thinking that when I ran my Spooktacular Baroness Book Giveaway and asked for your favorite Halloween outfit, I would hear about the pedestrian. The store-bought. The easy.

Silly, silly me.

Instead I got this:

Dear Baroness:

The best costume I have ever donned was when I went as a Cat perched in her litter box. I used a large box made to look like a litter box. I filled it with quick oats to resemble kitty litter and had it strewn with the larger tootsie rolls. I had the appropriate ears, tail and whiskers. I wore black gloves and in hidden in the palm of my hand I had a ball of real cat fur that I had collected from combing my cat. I was in the box in a cart and wheeled in front of the judges. The human wheeling me stopped in front of the judges and pretended to comb me. She stopped and I acted like I was horking up a hairball(as only a cat can do) and I then proceeded to drop it at their feet. My boss (as this contest was held at work) leaned over and grabbed a tootsie roll out of the litter and ate it. Needless to say the crowd went wild (well, I ask you - who doesn't love a good firm tootsie roll?)

and then these (in no particular order):

1. Dead Bride - complete with tire tracks across the front of the wedding dress (nice touch!)

2. Dolly Parton & Scarlett O'Hara (contestant did not say if these two costumes were worn simultaneously. Houston, we're gonna need some bigger drapes!!)

3. Raistlin, the golden-skinned mage from the Dragonlance series of books, complete with gold fingernails. (Rocked the fake bake golden hue YEARS before it rose to popularity. Such a visionary...)

4. A clothesline. Along with 3 friends, Contestant X and her co-horts wore all black, tied themselves in clothesline and used those clothesline pins to hang up socks and underwear. (Apparently this was a quasi-adult version of the kindergarten line, so they wouldn't lose each other during the evening. Kind of awkward though during makeouts with the werewolf dude - that was a costume, right? - or the limbo line)

5. Caroline Bessette-Kennedy. Contestant "Y" wore a cashmere sweater set with a pencil skirt a big fake rolex and a fake diamond ring. She sewed plastic seaweed from the fish store all over her outfit. She admits, "Tasteless but topical". (Tasteless? Really? I would have thought there was a slight saltiness and the distinct aroma of kelp)

6. Cereal killer. Contest "Z" and her pint-sized accomplice murdered mini cereals and taped them to his shirt. (How does one murder cereal, I wonder? Ah yes, with grapefruit juice. That was one sucky breakfast, let me tell you something)

Last, but not least,

7. The Wet tshirt Contest Winner, complete with large foam, um, .... enhancements (is that what you kids are calling them nowadays?)

All I can say is " ".

Really.

I have no words. I am awestruck.

Well done, one and all! Start keeping an eye peeled for your goodies in the mail...

The next book up on deck for review on Wordsmith Wednesday is "The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" by Lorraine Lopez: