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

This is a very interesting and wonderful read on the history of the Geisha. I can't wait to read all of her books - I love her style. Her descriptive prose makes you feel as if you are right there with her. Bravo!

This is a very informative book about Geisha. If you like Geisha and want to learn more about them and their history this is definately a must have book, I highly recomend it.

Lesley Downer's book on geisha is, quite honestly, one of the best out there. Whereas Liza Dalby has been incorrectly referred to as the only non-Japanese woman to be a geisha (see my review on Dalby's "Geisha"), Downer presumes few airs due to her involvement with the community. The picture of her wearing a geisha wig demonstrate a slight embarrassment but there-through her good-humour in acknowledging that she could never be associated with the fine women of Gion or Pontocho. She is an outsider and she recognises that, even if she learnt much about them. Downer comments in detail upon the lives, both past & present, of geisha in Japan, talking extensively about how the geisha came to be, as well as how they exist today. In doing so she takes time to show that they are real Japanese women, not just dolls in kimono. Indeed they are self-confident, highly-resourceful individuals who rely on themselves alone for their income (not being allowed to get married or have a partner). This is something that is rarely stressed about geisha. Not only can they retire early, many can live well for the rest of their lives with what they earn. Interestingly she also touches upon the tayu, once courtesans that survive in far fewer numbers than the geisha and maiko of modern Japan, as well as the taiko-mochi ("male geisha"). These are "artists" that few authors have ever discussed. This is one of the things that makes the book for me. Whereas other works have been somewhat narrow in their focused, Downer tries to be more thorough in examining other related areas. She does a fantastic job in conveying how closed and inaccessible this world is normally, being quite honest in how her initial attempts to enter it were frustrated. She attributes good fortune rather than personal worth as to why she was able to write this book. Her lamentations over the precarious state of the survival of the geisha should also be noted. As wonderful as they seem to us, their exclusivity and inflexibility coupled with Japan's changing circumstances (less people with the money or interest to fund the communities) is the biggest threat to their future. Whereas authors have previously tried to paint an overly romantic or simplified portrait of geisha, this book thoughtfully highlights the complex and subtle nature of this aspect of Japan's culture, while also pointing out the challenges it faces.

This captivating book will satisfy those who want to know all about the history of the geisha. Lesley Downer has written this book in an enticing fashion which keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Full of short stories and the history of the woman who made the geisha into what they are today. Also, there is an unbiased look at all the different types of geisha that make up Japan's geisha today. The reader feels like they are there as Downer takes you through secret alleyways and hidden tea houses to tell her tale. A must read for those who want to learn more about geisha!

This really is a wonderful book on Geishas! It contains lots of details and amusing anecdotes and it's extremely informative. The author has done an excellent research for the topic. It's unreasonable and unfair of Usa Rittapirom of Thailand to give the book just 1 star because of her own ignorance. Most readers should know that an author may often have different publishers to publish his works in the UK and the US. Very often, the book published in the UK will bear a name different from the same book when published in the US. It's really a very common phenomenon. (Just see the first book of the Harry Potter series.) This book indeed bears the title "Geisha" when published earlier on in the UK. However, Downer's US publishers have decided to publish the book in another name, namely "Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha", probably because there's already published in the US another book called "Geisha". Both the UK and the US versions, of course, carry the same contents! I hope people like Usa Rittapirom can brush up their knowledge about the publication industry instead of casting blame on other people.