Women of the Pleasure Quarters; The Secret History of the Geisha - Softcover

"This exquisite book seems to have been fashioned for those of us who have long wondered what goes on beneath that black obsidian hair and behind that thick white (and deadly dangerous, lead based) makeup, or exactly how those scarlet lips are used, and what might make the female heart beat ever more quickly beneath that gauzy summer kimono. Lesley Downer has crafted, with wonderful precision, the best-ever portrait of those mysterious creatures who still ply their venerable craft in the silent backwaters of Japan. [This book] deserves to endure, and to become a classic" Simon Winchester, author, The Professor and the Madman "Excellent...Downer skillfully builds up a picture of the loves of geisha, set against the Japanese attitude towards sex and marriage...a well rounded and enthralling account of the power of fantasy and the women behind it" Literary Review (London)