A powerful, affecting memoir wrung from personal tragedy, written from a mother to her gravely ill daughter

'Allende's best work to date' NEW YORK TIMES

In December 1991, Isabel Allende’s daughter Paula fell into a coma. This book was written by her beside – a memoir, a family history and a letter from mother to daughter Isabel intended to give to Paula once she’d overcome her illness.

Revisiting Allende’s childhood, her early career and marriage, and the turbulent political events of 1970s Chile, Paula is an extraordinary blend of memory and retrospective, past and present. A fascinating account of the breakdown of a country and an immensely moving description of parenthood, loss and grief, this is a wholly unique narrative from an exceptional writer.

'An emotionally charged, spellbinding memoir' WASHINGTON POST

"Beautiful and heartrending ... Memoir, autobiography, epicedium, perhaps even some fiction: they are all here, and they are all quite wonderful" - Los Angeles Times

"Allende brings the natural storytelling power so evident in her novels to this courageous testament. She shares her personal tragedy with a warmth and passion that make Paula exceptional" - Sunday Express