The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir
3.5/5
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About this ebook
In this heartfelt memoir, Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of tragic loss—the death of her daughter, Paula. Recalling the past thirteen years from the daily letters the author and her mother, who lives in Chile, wrote to each other, Allende bares her soul in a book that is as exuberant and full of life as its creator. She recounts the stories of the wildly eccentric, strong-minded, and eclectic tribe she gathers around her that becomes a new kind of family.
Throughout, Allende shares her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory. Here, too, are the amazing stories behind Allende’s books, the superstitions that guide her writing process, and her adventurous travels. Ultimately, The Sum of Our Days offers a unique tour of this gifted writer’s inner world and of the relationships that have become essential to her life and her work.
Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, The Sum of Our Days is a portrait of a contemporary family, bound together by the love, fierce loyalty, and stubborn determination of a beloved, indomitable matriarch.
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune, and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, The House of the Spirits. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.
Read more from Isabel Allende
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Reviews for The Sum of Our Days
17 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed the style of this memoir, as well as the exposure to a different way of living. It seems to me that she wrote this for her readers, and it probably wasn't the best book of hers to read first since I'm not familiar with any of her books.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Didn't enjoy this as much as all her other books. She seemed to be gathering and dispersing information about family members and friends rather than engaging in a narrative of interest to her readers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I have liked most of Isabel Allende's novels that I have read and it is so interesting to hear what is going on in someone's life as they are creating such beautiful works of fiction. Her writing is just so beautiful. I agree with Mom, I give tons of credit to the translator.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful book quirky and full of life, what a story :-)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Who knew Isabel Allende had such a sense of humor? I saw her read excerpts from this at a book reading in Chicago, and she had us all cracking up. Of course, this was not as gripping as Paula by any means, but it provided neat insight into the author's more recent life/influences for her stories.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A meandering, slower-paced memoir that shows Allende's love for her family in every sentence. I enjoyed the family anecdotes and her vivid descriptions of daily life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This memoir is the most self reflective of Isabelle Allende's 3 memoirs. I really enjoyed how it gave me much more of a insight into both Isabelle herself and the writing behind some of my much loved novels of hers. I want to re read house of the spirits ( again!) and the infinite plan now I know a bit more about the writing of them. It was also heart warming to see that the author I so admire is probably a most lovable nightmare to live with! she reminded me of my mother some what: small in stature but fierce in heart and with family the greatest thing of all.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Isabel Allende’s memoir, The Sum of our Days, is written in an intimate, casual style that is very readable. That said, it is hard to believe that so much drama could really exist in one family. After awhile, even shocking events had the effect of being just more of the same. Still, the writing was good and I recommend this book for fans of Allende’s novels. It lends insights into her family life, her spirituality and the books she wrote.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I'm not overly enthusiastic, but still, I continue reading because I want to know the rest of the story. It is a story that slowly grows on you once you get to know the people better. The author writes about the daily life of herself, partner, kids and friends. Their dreams, their sorrows. (In English: "The sum or our days"
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I really enjoyed reading about Allende's family. She talks of many challenges and doesn't hold back when it comes to giving her opinion. She's frank and honest and I admire that. Writing about your own family cannot be easy. One thing that really moved me is that she addresses Paula, her daughter that passed away, as if she is still there. As if she is just filling her in on what has happened since her illness. I was so touched by this.I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the family members and how they called themselves a "tribe". Their strength and loyalties came through for me. Reading this book was like visiting a very close-knit family at dinner time. Warm and inviting. I'm also glad that she shared some of the writing process with her readers. I am always fascinated with the creation process. Overall, it was a satisfying memoir and memoirs are not usually my thing.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Allende shares her views on motherhood, love, and writing in what at times seems to be an extension of her work Paula. Through the book she talks to Paula and recounts her family's histories and her inspirations for her stories.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is a sequel of sorts (for lack of a better word) to Allende's earlier memoir, Paula. I found the writing style in this book to be far less intense, precise, evocative, and engaging. Yes, her "tribe" and their various different trials and issues are still mostly interesting, and I found some wisdom in her words and perspectives. However, I felt a distance in her words and emotions that were not present in Paula. Of course, she is covering a much longer span of time in Sum of Our Days (1993 - 2006) without the anchor point of Paula's illness, so perhaps I am seeing the difficulty of writing across a large expanse of memories with the same focus and presence as was found in Paula, which only encompassed the span of one very difficult year - even though so much of the book discussed her entire family history. By the end of the book, I almost got the impression that maybe, she is done with writing for a while. I sensed a kind of a weariness with the process. I certainly don't feel that she has another memoir in her - I got a feeling that she cameto a point where she was even boring herself while writing it, and eager to be done with it!