Paula - Softcover

Allende, Isabel; Peden, Margaret Sayers

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060927216 ISBN 13: 9780060927219

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1996

Synopsis

With an enchanting blend of magical realism, politics, and romance reminiscent of her classic bestseller The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende presents a soul-baring memoir that seizes the reader like a novel of suspense.

Written for her daughter Paula when she became ill and slipped into a coma, Paula is the colorful story of Allende's life -- from her early years in her native Chile, through the turbulent military coup of 1973, to the subsequent dictatorship and her family's years of exile. In the telling, bizarre ancestors reveal themselves, delightful and bitter childhood memories surface, enthralling anecdotes of youthful years are narrated and intimate secrets are softly whispered.

In an exorcism of death and a celebration of life, Isabel Allende explores the past, questions the gods, and creates a magical book that carries the reader from tears to laughter, from terror to sensuality to wisdom. In Paula, readers will come to understand that the miraculous world of her novels is the world Isabel Allende inhabits -- it is her enchanted reality.

About this title

Review:

'Allende's best work to date...she has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity.' New York Times

'Allende's writing is so vivid we smell the countryside, hear the sounds, see the bright birds, smell and even taste the soft fruit. Moving through Paula's last days, we enter that world, and share it, gladly, sadly, gratefully, and ultimately changed by the very reading of it.' Julia Neuberger, The Times

'This is a tender, moving and vivid record of a mother's agony at the bedside of her daughter. “Paula” begins as a long letter as a way of giving her back the life that is ebbing away...the result is a mesmerizing story. In flawlessly rich prose Allende shares with us her most intimate feelings...an emotionally charged, spellbinding memoir.' Washington Post

'Allende brings the natural storytelling power so evident in her novels to this courageous testament. She shares her personal tragedy with a warmth and passion that make “Paula” exceptional.' Sunday Express

From the Back Cover:

In December 1991, Isabel Allende's daughter Paula fell gravely ill and sank into a coma.

'Allende's best work to date... she has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity.'
NEW YORK TIMES

'Allende's writing is so vivid we smell the countryside, hear the sounds, see the bright birds, smell and even taste the soft fruit. Moving through Paula's last days, we enter that world, and share it, gladly, sadly, greatly, and ultimately changed by the very reading of it.'
JULIA NEUBERGER, 'The Times'

'This is a tender , moving and vivid record of a mother's agony at the bedside of her daughter. 'Paula' begins as a long letter as a way of giving her back the life that is ebbing away... the result is a mesmerising story. In flawlessly rich prose Allende shares with us her most intimate feelings... an emotionally charged, spellbinding memoir.'
GABRIELLA DE FERRARI, 'Washington Post'

'Allende brings the natural storytelling power so evident in her novels to this courageous testament. She shares her personal tragedy with a warmth and passion that make 'Paula' exceptional.'
CLARE BRISTOW, 'Sunday Express'

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0060927216
• ISBN 13: 9780060927219
• Binding: Paperback