The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir - Paperback

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

The sequel to Isabel Allende's beloved bestselling Paula--a loving portrait of a makeshift extended family whose beating heart is its remarkable matriarch--a strong, stubborn, fiercely loyal, and loving woman--who must carry on after an unbearable loss.

In this powerful memoir, Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her life after the death of her daughter, Paula. But The Sum of Our Days is not a tragedy; narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, it is a remarkable story of life that is as exuberant and passionate as Allende herself. Baring her soul, Allende reflects on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory--and tells poignant stories of the wildly eccentric and eclectic tribe who become a new kind of family.

What does it take for a family to heal after the unthinkable?

• A Mother's Grief: A candid look at the years following the death of her daughter, Paula, as Allende navigates sorrow not with tragedy, but with passion, warmth, and life.
• An Unconventional Tribe: Meet the eccentric and eclectic family that forms around her, a chaotic circle of stepchildren, grandchildren, and friends who redefine what it means to belong.
• Dealing with Addiction: An honest and heart-wrenching account of her stepdaughter Jennifer's battle with addiction, and the search for hope in the midst of a family crisis.
• Spirituality, Humor, and Hope: Discover how Allende finds light in the darkest of times through reflections on motherhood, marriage, memory, and a touch of everyday magic.