Women of the Pleasure Quarters- The Secret History of the Geis

Research is a good thing
The main problem with this book is that it is catered toward the western mind. The problem with this is that the western mind already has some very firm misconceptions about what geisha are and their role in Japan. Books like this obly increase the false ideas that people have about the profession. I read this book because I am very interested in Geisha and have read a lot about them. I was very displeased that this book did nothing but confirm the western idea that Geisha are prostitutes. Even the title of the book is completely wrong, which is one reason i was reluctant to read it. The "pleaseure quarters" or "pleasure district" were terms used to describe the prostitute areas of Japan in recent and past history. Geisha do NOT live in these areas. The Geisha live in areas called hanamachi which means flower city. Geisha are not prostitutes, they are artists and entertainers. I think the author did a very poor job of explaianing exactly who these women are and what their profession involves. I suggest that if you want to learn more about Geisha, you should try a different book. There's one called Geisha: A Living Tradition that is very good.

Must Read from Ms. Downer!
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!

excellent
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.

Downer's book is an Upper!
Lesley Downer's great book, Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secrets History of the Geisha, transported me to Kyoto, Japan. From the detail of her descriptions of place and people, I found myself sketching maps and imagining myself as an American Geisha, walking the streets of the Geisha District as the geisha did so long ago, and still do. Py Kim Conant[...]

Great - what else is there to say?
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.