Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (novel)

Did You Know?

• The novel draws on Afro-Brazilian rituals and folklore.
• Local deities and most of the mystics of Bahia get heavily involved in the final section.
• A review by Ted Gioia stated that few stories have done a better job of capturing this type of lovable villain.

Plot

The novel is set in Salvador, Bahia, and opens with the sudden death of Dona Flor's husband, Vadinho, who collapses while dancing a samba during Carnival. His heart gives out, surprising everyone, as he had spent his life gambling, partying, and drinking with no hint of health problems. Vadinho had supported his nights on the town and his two-timing by sponging off Dona Flor, who owned a successful cooking school; his constant demands for money caused her worry and sleepless nights. The women of the town thought she was well rid of him, but after his death he remained the love of her life. She missed his seductiveness, and his absence felt worse than the long nights waiting for him. After a period of mourning, Dona Flor attracts a local pharmacist, Teodoro, a pillar of respectability who is kind and considerate. She accepts his proposal, and though her new husband lacks Vadinho's passionate sensuality, he provides a worry-free life. On the first anniversary of her marriage, Vadinho returns as a ghost, unchanged in his ways. His activities create commotion from her marriage bed to local nightspots, and she is torn between her attraction to the ghost and her desire to remain a faithful wife to Teodoro, who is unaware of what is happening.