Download PDF Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha, by Lesley Downer
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Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha, by Lesley Downer
Download PDF Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha, by Lesley Downer
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From Publishers Weekly
Inspired by Arthur Golden's massively popular Memoirs of a Geisha to "meet the real geisha" in the last stronghold of geisha training in Japan, Downer skillfully intertwines her profiles of Kyoto personalities and tea-house customs with a fluidly written geisha history that's unabashedly aimed at a Western audience. Author of On the Narrow Road and The Brothers: The Hidden World of Japan's Richest Family, Downer was no stranger to the country. However, she found the entrance to the "geisha world" heavily guarded. She writes: "I was always an outsider, I could never step through the looking glass." But small successes (finding the right cakes to present to "the mama," a very powerful geisha) and patience eventually won Downer a place at events that are "utterly closed to outsiders." These included an invitation to a young girl's misedashi ("store opening"), the "rite of passage" from trainee to geisha. We also learn, for example, of the distinction that has developed between a prostitute and a geisha (which translates as "arts person"), who undergoes intense and lengthy apprenticeships in dance and music. Written in dynamic, highly readable prose, the book is supported by exhaustive research and a lengthy bibliography. Readers who were as smitten with Golden's geisha as Downer was will find this good companion reading. Photos. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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From Library Journal
A British journalist with a passion for Japan, Downer documented the travels of 17th-century Japanese poet Basho in On the Narrow Road to the Deep North (1989), delved into Japan's rich and famous with The Brothers: The Hidden World of Japan's Richest Family (LJ 6/1/95), and now uncovers the history, society, and subversive culture of the geisha through her diligent research and translations. She leads the reader through 400 years of history, much of which was previously unknown to the outside world, revealing that the first geishas were male and describing the rituals and delicate arts practiced by the select few. In addition, she explores why women may find themselves drawn to this way of life today. Downer sees this culture as declining but not dying. The embodiment of love and passion has, for hundreds of years, been the domain of the geisha, and to a people for whom these emotions have rarely been a part of everyday life, the geisha will remain a living symbol of romance. Yet while Downer has done a more-than-adequate job of researching and relating this information, plowing through her book can be a chore. Surprisingly, she has made somewhat sordid situations rather pedantic, and it is disappointing that she is not more perceptive on the absence of much change in the role of women over the geisha's history. Suitable for academic and public librar- ies. Kay Meredith Dusheck, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Product details
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (April 10, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767904893
ISBN-13: 978-0767904896
Product Dimensions:
6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
25 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#1,648,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
I found this an interesting read, but it seems to focus alot on non-geisha or psuedo-geisha. It does talk quite a bit about prostitution, which does not really factor into high-class geisha, and never has.I think that it focuses on the author a bit too much as well, and her problems getting into this closed world. While at points it reads as a narritive, at others it gets very dry...the author can not seem to pick a "voice" to stick with.An interesting read, but I do not think that it should be taken a holy grail of Geisha books.
I enjoyed reading this book, which acts as a good counterpoint to Liza Dalby's book Geisha (which I notice Downer does not reference even once in the writing, though it must surely have been on her mind). She also, herself, comes across as a great deal more pleasant than Dalby.
Starting to read it now
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I purchased it at a supplemental reading item for my Japanese Literature class and was enthralled as soon as it showed up on my kindle homepage. I find the Geisha world fascinating and this book does a wonderful job of explaining how the geisha interact with female gaijin.
At first I hesitated buying this book, thinking it was a dry documentary. But then I decided to buy it since I love most things Japanese. What a pleasant surprise. Lesley Downer combined her experience as a researcher and a historian and crafted a well-written story on the life of Geisha in contemporary Japan. This book is as interesting and entertaining as Arthur Golden's novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, and in addition, it is also a history of Japan's moral code, past and present. I strongly recommend this book.
I read alot and I've never seen so many commas in a book in all my life! I keep having to go back to re-read a sentence to see if a missed the period somewhere. I've, gotten, about, half, way, through, the, book, and, don't, think, I, can, finish, it!! AHHHH
I'm probably typical in that, after first hearing about geisha, I developed a whole bunch of misconceptions about who these women are, what they do, and how important their contribution is to the long tradition that forms the Japanese culture and society. Thanks to author Lesley Downer, this fine book has given me an understanding and appreciation of a mysterious world within a fascinating country."Women of the Pleasure Quarters" begins with a first person account of Ms. Downer's attempts to gain the "inside" perspective to what has been for centuries a virtually secret society. Throughout the book, I found captivating her recounting of meetings and conversations with those connected with the geisha life: proprietors and "clients" of the tea houses, teachers, artists, wig makers, and the maiko and geisha themselves. The diversity of aspects woven into Ms. Downer's journalistic endeavors (mostly from time spent in Kyoto and Tokyo) are impressive, encompassing folklore, poetry, theater, music, fashion, art, and the geisha's mastery of charm and conversation. It's an entertaining read, more so than I expected, and her photos add a nice, diary-like touch to the writing.Aside from the author's documentation of geisha life, there's also much to be told about Japanese history and legend, and the evolution of the role of geisha and maiko, beginning with the 17th century tea houses and ending with the present times. While I found the history and literature lessons to be mildly interesting, I was much more fascinated with the participation of Ms. Downer in her ventures behind the gates of the "flower and willow" world. To me, the bouncing around between first and third person story telling--present, then past, and again--upset the flow of this book, but only slightly (my only criticism). I wanted to read more about the author's tales.All things considered, I'd recommend this book to just about anyone. By her curiosity and persistence, Ms. Downer gives us much more than just an acquaintance with the women behind the painted faces.
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