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book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
When Isabel Allende’s daughter became gravely ill and fell into a coma, the author spent days at Paula’s bedside. At her own mother’s urging, Allende began to write the story of her family for Paula in an attempt to connect her child with her ancestors, “…so that when you wake up you will not feel so lost.”
Evocative, heart-rending, luminous, suspenseful, triumphant – I cannot think of enough adjectives to describe this beautifully written memoir. Allende lays her soul bare on the page. She brings her own grandparents, uncles, cousins, parents, brothers, friends to life as she attempts to reach the comatose Paula. Her family connections are full of world-famous people – not the least of which was her uncle Salvador Allende – and she had a rather privileged upbringing. She traveled extensively with her mother and stepfather, who was a diplomat, and attended private schools. But all her advantages could not protect Allende from life’s setbacks and tragedies.
With unfailing honesty she relates everything – from being sexually molested as a child to being a television star, from a sheltered young woman to a feminist and political exile, from a traditional wife and mother to a reckless love affair with an Argentinian trumpeter. She also includes many examples of her deep connections to the mystical and spiritual; it’s easy to see why she writes magical realism so well.
The work moves back and forth from Allende’s history to the events in Paula’s hospital room. Those scenes at her daughter’s bedside were some of the most emotional. The fierceness with which Allende fought to bring her precious child back from the abyss, the refusal to take “No” for an answer, the determination to bring her daughter back to California and her home overlooking San Francisco Bay – these passages in the book reveal the woman today, while the scenes relating her history show how she came to be this strong woman.
It took me a while to get into the book. The writing is very dense; a paragraph can last three pages. But once I got used to the rhythm of her writing I was totally immersed and engaged. Allende’s gift for storytelling is evident. There were passages that evoked laughter, sections where I recognized my own relationships with my brothers or grandparents, and scenes that had me in tears or gasping aloud. Towards the end of the book she writes this:
I try to remember who I was once but I find only disguises, masks, projections, the confused images of a woman I can’t recognize. Am I the feminist I thought I was, or the frivolous girl who appeared on television wearing nothing but ostrich feathers? The obsessive mother, the unfaithful wife, the fearless adventurer, or the cowardly woman? Am I the person who helped political fugitives find asylum or the one who ran away because she couldn’t handle fear?
The answer, of course, is that she is all these women. Her experiences may be unique, but her reactions are universal.
Evocative, heart-rending, luminous, suspenseful, triumphant – I cannot think of enough adjectives to describe this beautifully written memoir. Allende lays her soul bare on the page. She brings her own grandparents, uncles, cousins, parents, brothers, friends to life as she attempts to reach the comatose Paula. Her family connections are full of world-famous people – not the least of which was her uncle Salvador Allende – and she had a rather privileged upbringing. She traveled extensively with her mother and stepfather, who was a diplomat, and attended private schools. But all her advantages could not protect Allende from life’s setbacks and tragedies.
With unfailing honesty she relates everything – from being sexually molested as a child to being a television star, from a sheltered young woman to a feminist and political exile, from a traditional wife and mother to a reckless love affair with an Argentinian trumpeter. She also includes many examples of her deep connections to the mystical and spiritual; it’s easy to see why she writes magical realism so well.
The work moves back and forth from Allende’s history to the events in Paula’s hospital room. Those scenes at her daughter’s bedside were some of the most emotional. The fierceness with which Allende fought to bring her precious child back from the abyss, the refusal to take “No” for an answer, the determination to bring her daughter back to California and her home overlooking San Francisco Bay – these passages in the book reveal the woman today, while the scenes relating her history show how she came to be this strong woman.
It took me a while to get into the book. The writing is very dense; a paragraph can last three pages. But once I got used to the rhythm of her writing I was totally immersed and engaged. Allende’s gift for storytelling is evident. There were passages that evoked laughter, sections where I recognized my own relationships with my brothers or grandparents, and scenes that had me in tears or gasping aloud. Towards the end of the book she writes this:
I try to remember who I was once but I find only disguises, masks, projections, the confused images of a woman I can’t recognize. Am I the feminist I thought I was, or the frivolous girl who appeared on television wearing nothing but ostrich feathers? The obsessive mother, the unfaithful wife, the fearless adventurer, or the cowardly woman? Am I the person who helped political fugitives find asylum or the one who ran away because she couldn’t handle fear?
The answer, of course, is that she is all these women. Her experiences may be unique, but her reactions are universal.
marialauradibello's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
tophat8855's review against another edition
3.0
Listened via Hoopla. This is the first book I've read by Allende- perhaps I should also try her fiction. This is a memoir, wrapped around a letter to her dying daughter, and is heartfelt and also very informative about the history of Chile and Venezuela in the 1970s. I was born after all that and history classes don't go much past the Vietnam war, so I was lacking this knowledge. Worth a read.
tawfek's review against another edition
4.0
English/عربي Review.
Paula By Isabel Allende.
Isabel Allende is a witch! you will feel like she is a kind witch that believes in everything in the world, however fantastical it might be, she has no religion, but she believes in all fantastical religions! Truly a charming individual!
After reading her auto-biography and before reading her novels, i can guess that they will be amazing and magical just like their author.
The Story of Paula is very touching, i found myself unable to control my tears, in many parts while reading this book.
If i said i was sad during more than half of this book, it wouldn't be an exaggeration, i think most people who read it, probably felt the exact same way
Paula By Isabel Allende.
Isabel Allende is a witch! you will feel like she is a kind witch that believes in everything in the world, however fantastical it might be, she has no religion, but she believes in all fantastical religions! Truly a charming individual!
After reading her auto-biography and before reading her novels, i can guess that they will be amazing and magical just like their author.
The Story of Paula is very touching, i found myself unable to control my tears, in many parts while reading this book.
If i said i was sad during more than half of this book, it wouldn't be an exaggeration, i think most people who read it, probably felt the exact same way
bitterbiscotti's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This book will make your heart melt with the history of one of the most amazing women that have ever existed.
yarafadel's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most beautifully melancholy books I’ve ever read. I cried at the last pages - something that has not happened to me in a long time. I was able to clearly watch as Allende was living every emotion, I left this book having an exact feeling of what each moment felt, who Paula was, and how magical and superstitious Allende is. I look forward to meeting more of her spirits!
razana0's review against another edition
5.0
“ كتاب سيبقى مرتبطا في ذهن القارئ بزخم تجربة مؤثرة لا تُنسى "
tgrvs78's review against another edition
5.0
Imaginative and prophetic. This was such an endearing read that details grief in such an raw and inventive way. Allende is such a treasured story teller.