A novel about Gabriela—the “color of cinnamon and the scent of cloves”—brought Jorge Amado worldwide fame. The events described in the novel take place in the 1920s in one of Brazil’s small port cities. The heroine loves life in all its forms, brings kindness to people, and strives for freedom; her love, at first glance, seems straightforward, but is utterly unusual for a provincial town and its patriarchal society.