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.

Portrait

Isabel Allende, born in Peru and raised in Chile, is a novelist, feminist, and philanthropist. She is one of the most widely read authors in the world, having sold more than eighty million copies of her books across forty-two languages. She is the author of several bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and Paula. In addition to her work as a writer, Isabel devotes much of her time to human rights causes. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and received the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award and the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, and in 2018, she received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. She lives in California with her husband and dogs. You can visit Isabel Allende at IsabelAllende.com or follow her on Instagram @AllendeIsabel, on Facebook at Facebook.com/IsabelAllende and on X @IsabelAllende