Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Broadway Books
DDC/MDS
| 952 |
Description
Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, we have been intrigued by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of fictional creations from Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha. The reality of the geisha's existence has rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally arts people. Their accomplishments might include singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing worries of highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions. The real secret history of the geisha is explored here.
User reviews
LibraryThing member surreality
A book that doesn't quite know where it wants to go. It hovers between Geisha history, society, traditions and everyday life but never manages to focus on a topic long enough to really go into depth. The author adds her own experiences and thoughts, rendering the book highly subjective and suspect
Show More
as a reference work. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shiva
I might get flamed for saying this, but I perfer this book over the more popular "Memoirs of a Geisha". I believe it's the perspective that Downer offers that is more appealing to me. It's also more detailed and up to date than the others. The book actually elaborated on the history of the Geishas
Or maybe - I like it because she has done what I would have loved to do in my earlier years. A must read.
Edit: I've read some negative comments on the disrespectful or haughty attitude that Downer seems to exhibit towards the Geisha culture in the book. I laughed after reading those reviews. Is calling others of elitist a form of elitism in of itself? I don't know. But as a mixed blood who has traveled extensively around the world, I can tell you this - be prepare to offend and cheese off a lot of people no matter how much you had "studied" their culture in "advance". Even if you speak the language to a point, a culture shock is always right around the corner. Don't pretend you understand anything until you have walked in their shoes for 10,000 miles. An outsider, gaijin, or guilou will always be seen as disrespectful, boorish, haughty, and non-understanding by a culture that he/she doesn't belong to. The book, "Mr. China" comes to mind, since Tim's story is a living proof of this. In the end I secretly cheered for Tim's struggle and his eventual acceptance and understanding.
Show More
which most other books did not touch upon as much. Downer's perspective as a westerner and a outsider on various aspect of the Japanese(and not just Geisha) culture struck a chord with me. I can almost imagine myself doing the same thing or getting caught in the same feelings and ideas as she did in those situation. Or maybe - I like it because she has done what I would have loved to do in my earlier years. A must read.
Edit: I've read some negative comments on the disrespectful or haughty attitude that Downer seems to exhibit towards the Geisha culture in the book. I laughed after reading those reviews. Is calling others of elitist a form of elitism in of itself? I don't know. But as a mixed blood who has traveled extensively around the world, I can tell you this - be prepare to offend and cheese off a lot of people no matter how much you had "studied" their culture in "advance". Even if you speak the language to a point, a culture shock is always right around the corner. Don't pretend you understand anything until you have walked in their shoes for 10,000 miles. An outsider, gaijin, or guilou will always be seen as disrespectful, boorish, haughty, and non-understanding by a culture that he/she doesn't belong to. The book, "Mr. China" comes to mind, since Tim's story is a living proof of this. In the end I secretly cheered for Tim's struggle and his eventual acceptance and understanding.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MissAlabaster
A really satisfying study of the place of the geisha in Japanese society, from the counterculture leanings of their beginnings to their exalted status in the more recent past. By immersing herself within the culture (as far as it is possible for a non-Japanese to immerse themselves in any aspect of
Infinitely more worth reading than Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha for anyone with more than a galncing interest in Japanese culture. I wasn't keen on the slightly sensationalist front cover though: it does seem to pander to prurient stereotyping of the geisha as prostitute.
Show More
Japanese culture), Downer brings a warmth to the subject, illustrated by lively sketches of current geisha and maiko, as well as their customers. The narrative does have a tendency to flit from topic to topic, but I found this flow kept me entertained and left me eager to know more about certain aspects: handily, the lengthy bibliography points the direction for anyone keen to soak up more.Infinitely more worth reading than Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha for anyone with more than a galncing interest in Japanese culture. I wasn't keen on the slightly sensationalist front cover though: it does seem to pander to prurient stereotyping of the geisha as prostitute.
Show Less
LibraryThing member woollymammoth
I loved Memories of a Geisha, and really wanted to find out more about Geisha, and the reality behind it. Lesley Downer went to the trouble of intergrating herself into the Geisha world to find out the truth about Geisha of today and Geisha of the past. A unique combination of history and present.
Subjects
ISBN
0767904907 / 9780767904902