Women of the Pleasure Quarters : The Secret History of the Geisha

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books of the geisha
Review: Along side Liza Dalby's "Geisha", this is the best book on the subject that I've read. It is a concise and engrossing introduction, written from a skilled hand. I appreciated in particular the history that Downer integrated into a book which is largely based on her experiences. It provided wonderful background, and I learned much from it. Her accounts are detailed and provide intriguing insight into the social lives of the Japanese.

Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha is a valuable edition to your geisha collection - don't pass it up!

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Ms Downer should have named the book after herself
Review: Because it was. After she gained the trust of the women, she was unkind to them. She must have been feeling very bad about her appearance and age.

This book was not an elegant read, nor was it particulary useful as an ethnography.

Rating:
Summary: Thick with facinating information and personal accounts
Review: Facinating account of the life of the Geisha. If you read Arthur Golden's Memoir of a Geisha and loved it, this book is a must. It gives the reader great background about information only touched on in Golden's book. Together, they are a great compliment to the full understanding of the Geisha. I enjoyed both the historical account as well as Downer's experience in the Geisha quarters. This book somewhat dispells the notion that Geisha are merely Japan's version of a high class "call girl." The Geisha are much more than that even though there is money in exchange for their companionship or entertainment. As a fast reader, this book did take me a long time to finish. I attribute this to the fact that the book combines history and story so the reader needs to focus on the information in order to fully understand concepts and move forward. I describe it as wading through chocolate pudding, entirely enjoyable just slow.

Rating:
Summary: ehhh...
Review: I expected more from this book. Maybe i was just spoiled by knowing a lot about the subject (it's been a particular interest of mine for a number of years, before the "Memoirs" hype) and having read Liza Dalby's _Geisha_ and other factual books on the subject first, but this one just didn't live up to my standard. Part of what irritated me about it was that Downer didn't seem to know much about the geisha culture going in. She's corrected for behavior and diction by the women she interviews and just comes across as gauche. I would assume that if you were going to write a book about this exclusive world that you'd do some heavy-duty boning up on the customs and taboos of the culture, especially in a society as structured by respect and politeness as Japan in general and its geisha culture. It doesn't say much for Downer personally, and it just reinforces the Japanese image of Westeners as boorish and not even trying to understand their culture.
(Also, this is an admittedly picky point, but some of the pictures of the author in "geisha mode" seem like she's pushing it too far, especially with the sake flask and an extremely cheesy kimono. You're a spectator, keep it at that, don't embarass yourself, especially in print.)

There is some decent information but nothing that was terribly new to me (though i may have studied more about this culture already than perhaps the average reader), and overall this book just wasn't worth the money, unfortunately. I recommend Liza Dalby's books and John Gallagher's _Geisha: A Unique World of Tradition, Elegance and Art_ in its place.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining; fascinating portrait of a little-known world
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Informative MUST Read!!
Review: Those who have blasted this book must have read a different version than I did...I found this book a great complement to "Memoirs of a Geisha". I, in fact, thought "Memoirs" mediocre in comparison to this beautiful, informative book about the history of the Geisha and the mores that exist around the "flower and willow world". If you're interested in Japanese culture, are a book club or individual who are thinking of reading, or have just read "Memoirs of a Geisha", this book is a THE place to start!!

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!
Review: You do not need to get Dalby's book, because this one is 10000 times better!

it is a very nice balance of the author's experiences (as an outsider trying to understand the geisha world) and history of the geisha profession. It is very easy to follow in its jumps from modern to traditional Japan (unlinke Dalby's book) and very interesting to read, while at the same time most informative.
The author has a very nice approach to a different culture than hers (unlike L. Dalby), so the author's presence in the book is cherished, not a drag!

please buy it, you will definitely enjoy and learn from this book.