{"title":"Lesley Downer","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"geisha-lesley-downer","title":"Geisha - Lesley Downer","description":"\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNonFiction: History \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Secret History of a Vanishing World\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEver since Westerners arrived in Japan, they have been intrigued by Japanese womanhood and, above all, the geisha.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis fascination has spawned a wealth of extraordinary fictional creations, from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe reality of the geisha’s existence, though — whether today or in history — has very rarely been addressed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe real, hidden history of the geisha — and the contemporary reality of this intensely private and disappearing world — is here fully and brilliantly explored by an award-winning writer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLesley Downer describes the history of the practise, one which is endangered in the modern era.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy speaking to geishas and those who spend time with them, the author gives a well-rounded portrait, which is at times unsettling and at others enthralling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLarge paperback, light spine creasing, moderate wear\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Belle's Books Online Secondhand Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52517675368728,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0808\/7574\/9656\/files\/Geisha-LesleyDowne.png?v=1786706555"},{"product_id":"the-courtesan-and-the-samurai-lesley-downer","title":"The Courtesan and the Samurai - Lesley Downer","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Shogun Quartet Book 3 : Historical Fiction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BookPageMetadataSection__description\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TruncatedContent\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph__widthConstrained\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Formatted\"\u003eJapan, 1868: the last shogun has been defeated, the age of the emperors is about to begin - and in Japan's frozen north a diehard band of loyalists plans a desperate last stand. Hana is just seventeen when her husband goes to war, leaving her alone and very vulnerable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLarge paperback, cover has light wear, light spine crease, pages starting to yellow\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Belle's Books Online Secondhand Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52517679595800,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0808\/7574\/9656\/files\/TheCourtesanandtheSamurai-LesleyDowner.png?v=1786706737"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0808\/7574\/9656\/collections\/TheCourtesanandtheSamurai-LesleyDowner.png?v=1786708205","url":"https:\/\/bellesbookssa.com\/collections\/lesley-downer.oembed","provider":"Belle's Books Online Secondhand Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}