Book cover of Paula

Book description

When Isabel Allende's daughter, Paula, became gravely ill and fell into a coma, the author began to write the story of her family for her unconscious child. In the telling, bizarre ancestors appear before our eyes; we hear both delightful and bitter childhood memories, amazing anecdotes of youthful years, and…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Paula as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I was moved to tears reading about how Isabel Allende copes with her daughter’s coma in her memoir, Paula, a series of written letters telling her daughter about her own life and family history.

I was struck by how honest she was about her most vulnerable moments of despair when she was grieving and desperate for her daughter’s healing.

Allende’s reflections on her exile after the 1973 Chilean coup highlight the surreal nature of how we go through our daily lives when the world is literally falling apart around us in a larger political sense, and then she shows…

If you love Paula...

Book cover of The Great West Wood

The Great West Wood by Philip Palmer,

The Great West Wood is a magic realist thriller set in Westwood - a vibrant urban village set upon a hilltop, looking out across London, in an area once covered by an ancient forest.

This is a place where magic is taken for granted; where trees can talk; and children…

Want books like Paula?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Paula.

Browse books like Paula

Book cover of She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
Book cover of The Frozen River
Book cover of Within the Whirlwind

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Paula, you might also like...

Book cover of Guesthouse for Ganesha

Guesthouse for Ganesha by Judith Teitelman,

Guesthouse for Ganesha asks and answers: Left at the altar, spurned—what does that do to a young woman’s heart? And why would a Hindu God care?

Awarded the Gold Medal for Literary Fiction in 2020, Reader’s Favorite says "Guesthouse for Ganesha is a huge literary success, from the skillful…

Book cover of Shahrazad's Gift

Shahrazad's Gift by Gretchen McCullough,

Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo — magical, absurd, and humorous.

The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad…

5 book lists we think you will like!