When Dona Flor's husband dies suddenly, she forgets all his defects and remembers only his passion. Erotic nightmares haunt her. Dr Teodoro, a local pharmacist, proposes marriage and Dona Flor accepts, hoping to recapture the ecstasy she now craves.

One night, her first husband materializes naked at the foot of her bed, eager to reclaim his conjugal rights. The visit is the first of many, as Dona Flor, racked by desire but reluctant to betray the upright pharmacist, responds to the ethereal demands of her first husband. "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" shows why Jorge Amado is Brazil's best-known writer.

It is the work of a brilliant story-teller whose love for his characters matches his powers of evocation. This is an epic book.