The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir

Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor and wisdom, The Sum of Our Days is a portrait of a contemporary family, tied together by the love, strong will, and stubborn determination of a beloved matriarch, the indomitable New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende.

"An inspiring and thought-provoking work." —Denver Post  

Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of the tragic death of her daughter, Paula. Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, this remarkable memoir of grief and loss is as exuberant and as full of life as its creator. In a mother's story that is powerfully universal, Allende bares her soul while sharing her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory—and recounts stories of the wildly eccentric, strong-minded, and eclectic tribe she gathers around her and lovingly embraces as a new kind of family.

This deeply moving story from one of the world's most beloved women writers explores:

• A Family Memoir: Allende’s poignant reconstruction of her own life after the tragic death of her daughter, Paula, and the eclectic tribe she gathers around her in a new kind of family.
• Candid Reflections: Soul-baring thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality, infidelity, and addiction, all shared with the author’s signature warmth and wisdom.
• Stories of Resilience: An exuberant and life-affirming narrative that finds humor and strength in the wake of unimaginable pain.
• For Readers of Isabel Allende: A must-read for fans of The House of the Spirits, this memoir offers an intimate look into the heart and soul of the indomitable matriarch herself.

In this heartfelt memoir, Isabel Allende reconstructs her own life in the wake of tragic loss—the death of her daughter, Paula. Recalling the past thirteen years from the daily correspondence she shared with her mother in Chile, Allende bares her soul in a book that is as exuberant as its author. She recounts the stories of the wildly eccentric and eclectic tribe she gathers around her that becomes a new kind of family.

Throughout, Allende shares her thoughts on love, motherhood, spirituality, 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 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, tied together by the love, fierce loyalty, and stubborn determination of a beloved, indomitable matriarch.

“Allende is a genius.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Surely one of the most graceful and yet haunting writers alive.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Allende projects a women’s point of view with confidence, control, and an expansive definition of romance as a fact of life.” - Time magazine

“A vibrant voice, which is at once introspective and forthright…an inspiring and thought-provoking work…The insights resonate, on page after page.” - Denver Post

“THE SUM OF OUR DAYS is terrific. It’s funny, insightful, moving and filled with Allende’s unique voice.” - USA Today

“Allende’s THE SUM OF OUR DAYS adds up to an exuberant love letter—not only to her daughter, but to her tribe and anyone lucky enough to belong to one.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Allende’s trademark magical realism is ever present...This high-spirited, emotionally packed book enables readers to get a closer look at the life of a much-loved writer.” - Library Journal

“A powerful memoir” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“...Ms.Allende...executes this epistolary memoir with the same authenticity and poetry that grace her fiction...Ms. Allende is a survivor worth reading and emulating.” - Dallas Morning News

“A warm meditation on family and love…A book to be savored and reread.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A deeply revealing memoir . . . Allende’s insight is keen, her prose polished and her language hypnotic . . . This is a book to savor.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)