[.ca] Paula Spa (ISBN 0060927208)

From Amazon.com:
"Listen, Paula. I am going to tell you a story so that when you wake up you will not feel so lost." So says Chilean writer Isabel Allende (The House of the Spirits) in the opening lines of the luminous, heart-rending memoir she wrote while her 28-year-old daughter Paula lay in a coma. In its pages, she ushers an assortment of outrageous relatives into the light: her stepfather, an amiable liar and tireless debater; grandmother Meme, blessed with second sight; and delinquent uncles who exultantly torment Allende and her brothers. Irony and marvelous flights of fantasy mix with the icy reality of Paula's deathly illness as Allende sketches childhood scenes in Chile and Lebanon; her uncle Salvatore Allende's reign and ruin as Chilean president; her struggles to shake off or find love; and her metamorphosis into a writer.

In retrospect....:
Isabel Allende is by far my favourite author, and I had always thought that 'Paula' was my favourite of her works. However, stepping back from her books for sometime, then re-reading 'Paula' recently, I have had mixed feelings regarding the work. The piece strikes me as somewhat more repetitive then I remember. While I completely understand a mother's love and the sorrow Allende must have felt during this period, her laments are almost word-for-word repetition. By far, the more interesting section of the book is that related to the family history and specifically, Paula's personality and place in the family scheme of things. Additionally, the continous use of similar metaphors and talk of spirits begins to wear down on even the most devoted of fans. Paula's condition is never explained, and while I understand that it is as simple as a websearch, I felt that it was a major oversight to put it in relation to the context of their family. Likewise, I felt that Paula's life was discussed too little, and Isabel's perhaps too much. Of course, it was Isabel's attempts to make sense of something completely senseless, and thus we can hardly blame her from trying to think of things unrelated to her daughter and ensuing sorrow. A final criticism, much of the material covered in 'Paula' is again covered in Allende's 2003 biography 'My Invented Country'. If anything, 'Paula' serves as a suitable testment to the woman's extraordinary life. Don't get me wrong, the work is still of four star quality. The writing is vivid, spiritual and alive, the story is un-put-down-able, emotions are wrenched from within, and the piece has a round cohension of which I truly admire.

get out the tissue box:
This is an absolutely brilliant book. I have reads hundreds, if not thousands, of books and this is the only one that has ever made me cry. Allende's story is more moving than I can describe. Read it and weep, then go buy a copy for your mother. That's what I did.

Took me awhile, but then...:
I have to admit that the book took me awhile to love, but then I became totally involved. About the last 100 pages held my attention more than anything. This is a remarkable journey, and one that will haunt me for years to come. Some of the historical references were interesting, but often times took away from the poignancy of the novel.

The Pain of Too Much Tenderness.:
A most poignant book by Isabel Allende. She surmounts words and feelings alike. The book lays bare the true story of her daughter's giving way too early, too slowly, and too sorely. It's a narrative that weds emotion to mystery; that nameless and dire facet of life. It reconciles contraries and makes peace with eyes too tender to shed their loved ones. Paula is not only a life-experience account, but also a true-to-heart revelation borne on human nature; how at times of utmost suffering we still manage to live on, as intimates, otherwise called memories, walk us along the remaining, and wavering, path of life. A tear and a smile, Paula.

Gripping account of the death of the authorýs daughter:
Isabel Allende's usual style of thickly descriptive, almost surreal, writing doesn't generally appeal to me. I read Eva Luna, then House of Spirits; after that, I was over it. But this book is different. Paula is the straightforward telling of Allende's colorful family history interwoven with the account of her daughter Paula's death from a rare disease. The economical writing instantly won me over, and Allende's gift for storytelling comes to the fore in the many anecdotes she shares. While Death is the book's key element, it doesn't overwhelm with pity or sorrow. As Allende distracts herself by writing this book as a long letter to Paula, who lies in a coma for months, the author distracts us as well. Absolutely superb.