Women of the Pleasure Quarters

April 1, 2001
Inspired by Arthur Golden's massively popular Memoirs of a Geisha to "meet the real geisha" in the last stronghold of geisha training in Japan, Downer skillfully intertwines her profiles of Kyoto personalities and tea-house customs with a fluidly written geisha history that's unabashedly aimed at a Western audience. Author of On the Narrow Road and The Brothers: The Hidden World of Japan's Richest Family, Downer was no stranger to the country. However, she found the entrance to the "geisha world" heavily guarded. She writes: "I was always an outsider, I could never step through the looking glass." But small successes (finding the right cakes to present to "the mama," a very powerful geisha) and patience eventually won Downer a place at events that are "utterly closed to outsiders." These included an invitation to a young girl's misedashi ("store opening"), the "rite of passage" from trainee to geisha. We also learn, for example, of the distinction that has developed between a prostitute and a geisha (which translates as "arts person"), who undergoes intense and lengthy apprenticeships in dance and music. Written in dynamic, highly readable prose, the book is supported by exhaustive research and a lengthy bibliography. Readers who were as smitten with Golden's geisha as Downer was will find this good companion reading. Photos.

June 15, 2001
A British journalist with a passion for Japan, Downer documented the travels of 17th-century Japanese poet Basho in On the Narrow Road to the Deep North (1989), delved into Japan's rich and famous with The Brothers: The Hidden World of Japan's Richest Family (LJ 6/1/95), and now uncovers the history, society, and subversive culture of the geisha through her diligent research and translations. She leads the reader through 400 years of history, much of which was previously unknown to the outside world, revealing that the first geishas were male and describing the rituals and delicate arts practiced by the select few. In addition, she explores why women may find themselves drawn to this way of life today. Downer sees this culture as declining but not dying. The embodiment of love and passion has, for hundreds of years, been the domain of the geisha, and to a people for whom these emotions have rarely been a part of everyday life, the geisha will remain a living symbol of romance. Yet while Downer has done a more-than-adequate job of researching and relating this information, plowing through her book can be a chore. Surprisingly, she has made somewhat sordid situations rather pedantic, and it is disappointing that she is not more perceptive on the absence of much change in the role of women over the geisha's history. Suitable for academic and public librar- ies. Kay Meredith Dusheck, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2001
Since the 1997 publication of Arthur Golden's novel, " Memoirs of a Geisha," the geisha of Japan have captivated world readers. Downer's fascinating book is a combination of the history of the geisha and a study of the contemporary world of the geisha. When journalist Downer began her research in Japan, people were reluctant to talk to her because they feared misinterpretation and were also mindful of the secretive nature at the heart of the profession. But when she finally broke through the cultural barrier, she found a wealth of information. She learned the history of the geisha: how they developed from courtesans to become the top entertainers in their day. She was allowed into exclusive teahouses and was able to see " maiko" (geisha-in-training) being made up, having their hair done, and entertaining. Throughout the book, she muses on the fate of the modern geisha, as other sources of entertainment threaten to crowd them out. Downer concludes that because of what they represent--romance, fantasy, the golden days--the institution won't die out.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)