I enjoyed this book which is written in the form of "Magical Realism" comparable to the books of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Donna Flore young and impressionable marries a handsome no good gambler. He gambles all of his money and the money she earns from a cooking school that she establishes. I do not want to give away the plot but it is clever and funny. A very enjoyable read.
If Charles Dickens had been Brazilian, then he may have written "Dona Flor." Of course, I mean the Dickens of "Pickwick" rather than "Bleak House." Amado's lovingly imagined tale of an extraordinary woman's unlikely path to happiness has been read and enjoyed by generations of readers, and with good reason. It is a vast panorama of life in the town of Salvador de Bahia, with dozens of classic characters and a circuitous plot, all delivered with humour and panache. A hedonist's delight, "Dona Flor" is a celebration of love, sex, food, music, gambling and everything else that can make a person happy. Check your disbelief and social concerns at the door, sit back and enjoy Jorge Amado's feast for the senses.
