GABRIELA CLOVE AND CINNAMON

In 'Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon', the author creates an irresistible tale of a passionate cafe owner and his amorous obsession for Gabriela, his cinnamon-smelling cook. One bright spring day in 1925, Gabriela arrives from the poverty-stricken backwoods of Brazil to the lively seaside port of Ilhéus amid a flock of filthy migrant workers. Though wearing rags and covered in dirt, she attracts the attention of Nacib, a cafe owner who is in desperate need of a new cook. So dire is his situation that he hires the disheveled girl. The young woman quickly proves to be an excellent chef and - once well-scrubbed and decently dressed - an eye-catching beauty. Nacib quickly finds himself the owner of the most prosperous business in town - and the employer of its most sought-after woman.