Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Vintage International)

Great!

A wonderful story - it's particularly evocative for me since I've spent some time in Salvador in my youth and I'm familiar with many of the general places described here and used in the film of the same name. To a degree I suspect that it helps to be comfortable with both the Brazilian culture and Latin American literature in general but the story is timeless and so beautifully drawn that I think almost anyone can get to grips with it. The book is of course a translation from the original Portuguese but it's very rare that you notice this - it's an easy read for a native English speaker. If you just want to watch the film (available via DVD) then it's beautiful and was filmed in the same location as the story, watching the film and reading the book is wonderful and gives me so many great memories of my visits to Brazil, the country is wonderful and the culture so friendly.

What a great experience reading this masterpiece. Not only is the reader thoroughly entertained, but you also get great insights into Brazilian history, culture, music, and social norms. Dona Flor and her first husband Vadinho are unforgettable archetypal characters that not only stay with you, but you will see aspects of them in all men and women. If you like lively, insightful descriptive writing you will love Amado.

Written in his inimitable insightful, humorous, and ribald style, this is a very enjoyable read. Gabriela, Clove, and Cinnamon is the better book for me.

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.

This is an excellent story. The translation is a little rough (if you speak Portuguese, you can tell that some idioms were translated too directly), but it's still wonderful. I've given it to several friends who also enjoyed it.

My girlfriend died of cancer sometime after I bought her this book. I don't think that it has to do with the book, but I'm just saying. The book is pretty good I thought.

I love this book. This is the funniest book ever written about marriage, and cooking, and in-laws, and gambling, and whores, and cooking school, and nosey neighbors, and the afterlife. If anyone saw the movies made from the book, the book is much better than the movies. Although it was translated from Portugese, and takes place in Brazil, I could relate to the problems and the solutions of our heroine, Dona Flor. Without a doubt this is Amado's best book. A treat for anyone.