Paula

A Memoir

By: Isabel Allende

Narrated by: Isabel Allende, Cynthia Farrell

“Beautiful and heartrending. . . . Memoir, autobiography, epicedium, perhaps even some fiction: they are all here, and they are all quite wonderful.”—Los Angeles Times

In this literary classic, New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende recalls the story of her beloved daughter and her remarkable family’s past.

When her daughter, Paula, became gravely ill and fell into a coma, Isabel Allende began to write the story of her family for her unconscious child. Bizarre ancestors are introduced; delightful and bitter childhood memories are shared; amazing anecdotes of youthful years are relived, and the most intimate secrets are quietly passed along. Like Allende’s first novel, The House of the Spirits, this powerful memoir is infused with the real, the magical, and the spiritual, creating a haunting, sad, and beautiful tale.

The love for children

I love it such a bittersweet story and the love parents have for their children.

Amazing memoir ❤️ so touching and and heartwarming

Loved everything about this memoir . An incredible life journey by such a brave woman Isabel Allende. I learned so much about Isabel but I learned even more about me 💓

Enchanting

Beautifully written and captivating. Expertly woven story about love, loss and grief yet it refrained from becoming depressing. You are left with a feeling of hope and gratitude for friends and family.

Absolutely brilliant

This is a beautiful story of a mother’s love, family, life, grief and the journey of letting go. Thank you Isabelle. I loved it.

Beautiful book, good narration

I loved the juxtaposition of Isabel Allende's description of growing up in Chile (and then her life as an exile) with the sad sad story of her daughter's illness and death. It was also something of a history lesson, which we Americans can use.

The narration was a bit monotone, but otherwise very well done. Perfect enunciation and accent, with no weird breathing or background sounds like some other productions.

The writing in this book is amazing - so beautiful and evocative. It has made me want to buy the paper version, just to be able to re-read certain passages and mark the pages.