[5YD]⇒ PDF The Sum of Our Days A Memoir PS Isabel Allende Books

The Sum of Our Days A Memoir PS Isabel Allende Books

Download As PDF : The Sum of Our Days A Memoir PS Isabel Allende Books

The Sum of Our Days A Memoir PS Isabel Allende Books

Such an intimate memoir as Isabel Allende is known for, does not disappoint. She describes her tribal family as its unquestioned matriarch. All the ups and downs, losses and gifts of her life, make up The Sum of Our Days. Because it is also and particularly a family story, so it is not just her days, but a collective of "our days." Although the narrator is the driving force, she learns that to continue to be the director of her tribe will deprive them of her gift of herself. Her story is one of stripping away her personal armour and control. It is then that she finds the rewards of a life well lived and well loved. As with her other books, this one is spiritual and imaginative, and the reader emerges feeling enriched with her imagery.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir (P.S.) (9780061551840): Isabel Allende: Books,Isabel Allende,The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir (P.S.),Harper Perennial,0061551848,Literary,Personal Memoirs,Allende, Isabel,Authors, Chilean - 20th century,Authors, Chilean - 20th century - Family relationships,Authors, Chilean;20th century;Biography.,Authors, Chilean;20th century;Family relationships.,Chilean authors;Biography.,20th century,ALLENDE, ISABEL - PROSE & CRITICISM,Authors, Chilean,Autobiography: literary,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Literary Figures,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Personal Memoirs,BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography : Literary,Biography & Autobiography : Women,Biography & AutobiographyLiterary Figures,Biography & AutobiographyWomen,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,DRAMA Caribbean & Latin American,DRAMA Women Authors,Family relationships,GENERAL,General Adult,Non-Fiction,United States,Women,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Literary Figures,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Personal Memoirs,Biography & Autobiography : Literary,Biography & Autobiography : Women,Biography & AutobiographyLiterary Figures,Biography & AutobiographyWomen,DRAMA Caribbean & Latin American,DRAMA Women Authors,Women,Biography Autobiography,20th century,Authors, Chilean,Biography,Family relationships,Allende, Isabel - Prose & Criticism,Biography And Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Autobiography: literary

The Sum of Our Days A Memoir PS Isabel Allende Books Reviews

For some, family is a matter of pure biology. For others, it is the forging of bonds that become central to our identities and begin to form a people who are interdependent and no longer isolated and left to their individual devices. It takes creativity, patience, and permeable boundaries. There is reconciliation, but there is also pain and loss. There is no magic here, but there are the whispers of the spirits.
I found this book compelling, filled with wisdom, grief, and full of life. I've read and loved many of Allende's books and having an insight into her life was rewarding to me as I knew so very little about her personal challenges. Allende bares her soul as she shares thoughts on family, the tragic loss of her daughter, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, and addiction. What a qintessential matriarch one views as you read this revealing memoir on the intimacy of her family, or "tribe" as the grouping is called. The characters...related by blood, marriage, or absorption...come into vivid view through her splendid writing.
It made me want to read or re-read all of Allende's books. More importantly,it made me want to get back to writing my own memoir-in-progress with renewed inspiration. All things become part of a beautiful whole in the light of Allende's writing. She gives voice to the fundamental tragedy and hope of being human -- to never be apart from those we love, even if our love is so expansive it threatens to take over the world. Allende seems like the secret best friend I carry around inside of me who nurtures the passions I am constrained from expressing.
I had not read Ms. Allende's books before because I knew something about her history and felt her writing would only involve South American political issues. How wrong I was. This book is autobiographical and filed with countless stories of humor, tragedy, political intrigue, familial connections, and just wonderful day-to-day experiences. Her triumphs and failures, confidence and insecurities are all laid out for us to share with her. I did not want the book to end and look forward to reading more of her work. The writing is exceptional and well worth the reader's time and interest.
Isabel Allende's biographical writing is every bit as wonderful as her fiction. It is very interesting for me to read about the personal life of a writer whose work I have been reading for many years. Her web site should be visited after (or before) reading this book, as there are photographs of all the people she writes about in The Sum Of Our Days. She is a fascinating woman with an equally fascinating life. I love the way she communicates with loved ones who have passed on. I have had this experience many times in my own life, and it is always good to be validated.
In terms of literature, a bit of a disappointment -- it certainly isn't a candle on "Paula," and I kind of agree with the reviewer who said it seemed hastily written. It does, and there's little of the lyrical language that made "Paula" such a treat.

On the other hand, it IS interesting to see more of the whole "tribe" here, and people are depicted more as real people, including Isabel herself. I was shocked and surprised to find that Paula, who came across as almost too saintly in the last book, didn't like children, but it made me like her a lot more as a real person. (Perhaps it was just her youth; I can imagine her, like many woman, wanting a child as she got older.)

I'd say this book is best for people who have already read a lot of Allende and are interested in her and her family. I wouldn't start anybody off with this one, and even for diehard fans, the hardcover price may be a bit much. I'd say wait for the paperback or borrow from a library.
Thank you Ms. Allende, for sharing your life with us with so much truth, honesty and compassion, not only for the people of your tribe, but also for yourself. There is a lesson in this for your readers- to open our hearts and share the love and kindness within and be kind to ourselves as well... To be able to dissect your life, your fears, pain and loss in your messages to Paula, has been an inspiration for me and I am sure, everyone of your readers who have lost a child too soon... I will reread this dialog and share your words of wisdom over and over again! Thank you again from my heart...
Such an intimate memoir as Isabel Allende is known for, does not disappoint. She describes her tribal family as its unquestioned matriarch. All the ups and downs, losses and gifts of her life, make up The Sum of Our Days. Because it is also and particularly a family story, so it is not just her days, but a collective of "our days." Although the narrator is the driving force, she learns that to continue to be the director of her tribe will deprive them of her gift of herself. Her story is one of stripping away her personal armour and control. It is then that she finds the rewards of a life well lived and well loved. As with her other books, this one is spiritual and imaginative, and the reader emerges feeling enriched with her imagery.