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Blonde Geisha
The early summer of 1892 brought a heavy rainy season that year in Japan. Plum Rain, the Japanese called it, because it comes when the fruit bulges with ripeness and promise. Like a young girl reaching womanhood.
A girl like me.
In the ancient Japanese tradition of beauty and grace, sex and erotic fantasies are hidden secrets that only a select few may learn, and which are forbidden to foreigners. But when a threat to her father's life puts her own in jeopardy, young Kathlene Mallory is sent to live in safety at the Tea House of the Look-Back Tree, where she is allowed to glimpse inside the sensual world of the geisha.
During the years of her training in the art of pleasuring men, Kathlene's desires are awakened by the promise of unending physical delights, and she eagerly prepares for the final ritual that will fulfill her dream of becoming a geisha -- the selling of her virginity. The man willing to pay for such an honor, Baron Tonda, is not the man for whom Kathlene carries a secret longing, but he is the man who will bring ruin to the teahouse, and danger to Kathlene, if he is disappointed....
A girl like me.
In the ancient Japanese tradition of beauty and grace, sex and erotic fantasies are hidden secrets that only a select few may learn, and which are forbidden to foreigners. But when a threat to her father's life puts her own in jeopardy, young Kathlene Mallory is sent to live in safety at the Tea House of the Look-Back Tree, where she is allowed to glimpse inside the sensual world of the geisha.
During the years of her training in the art of pleasuring men, Kathlene's desires are awakened by the promise of unending physical delights, and she eagerly prepares for the final ritual that will fulfill her dream of becoming a geisha -- the selling of her virginity. The man willing to pay for such an honor, Baron Tonda, is not the man for whom Kathlene carries a secret longing, but he is the man who will bring ruin to the teahouse, and danger to Kathlene, if he is disappointed....
497 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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333 people want to read
About the author
Jina Bacarr
57 books155 followersJina loves dark chocolate truffles and rainy days in museums...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 27, 2011
I don't know how the author can be a "sexspert" and live in Japan and yet somehow know nothing about geisha.
Geisha were not high class prostitutes, or courtesans, and were not obsessed with sex - that's an age-old Western misconception that she does nothing to dispel and everything to reinforce.
She doesn't even bother to deal with the training period geisha go through, just skips to the (quote unquote) good part about selling virginity - and a sex-obsessed western 18-yr-old girl hiding in a teahouse. And the idea that geisha run around with expensive kimono with nothing underneath- and *oops* their obis just always come undone... good grief.
And even that... she doesn't get it on but one time at the end of the book, so it's not even a proper erotic novel.
If you want a one-night read and don't care about reinforcing stereotypes of Asian women (and no, I'm a white girl writing this) and mockeries of other cultures histories and traditions - be my guest.
But this is pulpy trash, I was severely disappointed.
(copied from my paperbackswap review)
Geisha were not high class prostitutes, or courtesans, and were not obsessed with sex - that's an age-old Western misconception that she does nothing to dispel and everything to reinforce.
She doesn't even bother to deal with the training period geisha go through, just skips to the (quote unquote) good part about selling virginity - and a sex-obsessed western 18-yr-old girl hiding in a teahouse. And the idea that geisha run around with expensive kimono with nothing underneath- and *oops* their obis just always come undone... good grief.
And even that... she doesn't get it on but one time at the end of the book, so it's not even a proper erotic novel.
If you want a one-night read and don't care about reinforcing stereotypes of Asian women (and no, I'm a white girl writing this) and mockeries of other cultures histories and traditions - be my guest.
But this is pulpy trash, I was severely disappointed.
(copied from my paperbackswap review)
November 3, 2015
Awful. Just...AWFUL. Stilted, cheesy, poorly-written dreck that makes VC Andrews look like William Shakespeare. I can't even summon the will for a proper snarky review. (Yeah, one of those books. Bleh.)
Thank you & goodnight.
Thank you & goodnight.
October 7, 2012
Quite possibly the worst book I’ve ever read. I skimmed through the entire book only because I was kind of intrigued by how poorly written it was (and to see how often the author would use the phrase “honorable penis”). It was like not being able to look away from a terrible car accident. Horrible!
October 21, 2008
Overwritten blather.
When erotica is boring, it is either badly written or one has become old and irrevocably jaded.
I am middling old; the book is badly written. Ho Hum. Phooey.
When erotica is boring, it is either badly written or one has become old and irrevocably jaded.
I am middling old; the book is badly written. Ho Hum. Phooey.
August 26, 2009
I know a lot of people compare this to Memoirs of a Geisha, and many of the low ratings are due to the fact that they didn't know it was an erotic/naughty book. Bypassing both of those, I still didn't think it was great. First of all, if those unsuspecting readers think this is too naughty and heavy erotica, they haven't read JR Ward or Emma Holly or a host of many other actual erotic writers. I found the FEW sex scenes in here seriously lacking. They weren't hot and they weren't steamy, they were more matter of fact descriptions of the action. Not enough feeling: anger, love, etc.
As for the geisha portion of this book, I have already read Memoirs so I skimmed the descriptions and background stories of geisha. It doesn't describe it as well as Memoirs because it is not meant to be an insight into the geisha world like Memoirs.
Therefore, it turns out to be a book that falls short of both geisha insight and erotica....I wouldn't recommend it.
As for the geisha portion of this book, I have already read Memoirs so I skimmed the descriptions and background stories of geisha. It doesn't describe it as well as Memoirs because it is not meant to be an insight into the geisha world like Memoirs.
Therefore, it turns out to be a book that falls short of both geisha insight and erotica....I wouldn't recommend it.
July 24, 2013
i never finished reading this book. mostly because i could not take any more of the "geisha are sex-obsessed" mindset. if you are going to write about another country, & certain cultures within that country, please do your research.
also, not sure where the erotic part fits in. there was a little "dirty talk", but not anything really erotic, in my opinion.
disappointed
also, not sure where the erotic part fits in. there was a little "dirty talk", but not anything really erotic, in my opinion.
disappointed
July 13, 2012
The book clearly states EROTIC NOVEL under the title so i don't know how any of the other reviews didn't see that, but okay. You can't compare a book like this that mainly focuses on a gaiji 'foreigner' and not a native born Japanese girl like in Memoirs of a Geisha. It just doesn't compare to it and isn't fair to the author. You should look at this book as its own.
I thought The Blonde Geisha was an enjoyable read. It's not horrible but it's also not great. The reason I gave it four stars is because I approached it as an English book, not a Japanese one. I believe the only people that can actually accuse this book of anything of the culture it's trying to represent are people who have been studying Japanese for the past 5 years or more of their life, native born or the Japanese themselves. If you're none of the above then your views of their culture may be wrong. There's a lot to their culture and if Memoirs of a Geisha taught anybody something, that is that it takes YEARS to become a Geisha. I'm sure the author skipped over it because this book is technically not all about the culture, it's about the main character falling in love and the EROTIC stuff that happens in-between that.
It's not a book about becoming a Geisha but about a blonde foreigner who falls in love and happens to be in Japan and hiding out in a Geisha house. Pick it up thinking that then it shouldn't be that bad of a read.
I thought The Blonde Geisha was an enjoyable read. It's not horrible but it's also not great. The reason I gave it four stars is because I approached it as an English book, not a Japanese one. I believe the only people that can actually accuse this book of anything of the culture it's trying to represent are people who have been studying Japanese for the past 5 years or more of their life, native born or the Japanese themselves. If you're none of the above then your views of their culture may be wrong. There's a lot to their culture and if Memoirs of a Geisha taught anybody something, that is that it takes YEARS to become a Geisha. I'm sure the author skipped over it because this book is technically not all about the culture, it's about the main character falling in love and the EROTIC stuff that happens in-between that.
It's not a book about becoming a Geisha but about a blonde foreigner who falls in love and happens to be in Japan and hiding out in a Geisha house. Pick it up thinking that then it shouldn't be that bad of a read.
October 7, 2008
This book was recommended to me because I liked Memoirs of a Geisha .. WOW was this different. The author's writing is really annoying. She uses the same adjectives and nouns over and over and there really isn't any variety. The story was just so-so and while the few main characters were somewhat developed, those around them were hardly well-written.
June 11, 2008
I like the idea of the geisha experience, but after reading Memoirs of a Geisha, this book just didn't ring true. A sexy read, but I felt like I knew too much to really enjoy it.
April 26, 2019
I wasn't able to finish this book. (Or maybe I didn't want to waste more time on it.) But I count it as read, because I don't intend on reading any further. It's bad. It's cheesy. Part of my opinion is probably because I didn't know it was erotic novel tbh, but even taking it into account it's just badly written and boring. I don't recommend this book to anyone except for maybe horny teenage girls. And please don't use it as a source of knowledge about Japanese culture.
September 23, 2015
(Audiobook) I made the mistake of purchasing this book thinking it was non-fiction. Instead it was an erotica book. Firstly, what I didn't like about the book is its genre. Secondly, I know this is fiction but having lived in Japan myself and studying Japanese, Geisha's are not prostitutes. This book only strengthen the misconception Western's have.
November 11, 2017
Poorly written crap. Silly smut. Should have counted the number of times the word ''penis'' was in this book. If you want a quick, smutty read that seems to have been written by an amateur, this is the book for you. Seems like it was probably self-published because I can't imagine anyone professional agreeing to publish this.
May 19, 2023
taki erotyk jak z koziej dupy trąba, w czasie lektury czlowiek tak wysycha, ze az swedzi. plus gwalt na kulturze japonskiej i tradycji gejsz, nie rozumiem jak komukolwiek moze sie podobac.
October 13, 2014
I really read it till the end because it is in my character to read the book till the end but I really wanted it to end fast. I like erotic novels, I really do. But this was too much. I mean that this whole book is almost without any real and good story, it is only around thinking of sex and nothing else. Talking of sex, thinking of sex - that was all I saw in this book and it got on my nerves pretty soon. If the author would concentrate more on deeper story and almost like each page wasn't about sex, that would be different! But this? I can give only one star.
August 2, 2011
Don't let this book fool you, in that, it is VERY...umm...picturesque. XD I'm not sure if it's completely factual according to the way the geisha life is described, but of course, the geisha world is very much of a mystery itself. I will say the plot is somewhat shallow and I don't like the lack of morals, but hey, what can be done? It IS an erotic novel...
October 28, 2010
I didn't realize this book was an erotic fiction until after i started realizing how nasty it was, then looked on the cover and realized what it was... The book overall was kind of funny though. I would reccommend it to friends that want a great laugh. I like the setting though.
May 22, 2007
Totally thought would be more Memoirs of a Geisha-so not. DIRTY DIRTY Book!
August 28, 2011
Hated this book-DO NOT READ
March 23, 2008
Didn't realize when I got it that it was an Erotic Novel.
January 3, 2010
Whoa...
August 6, 2020
I picked this up last summer but didn‘t finish it at the time and picked it up again a few days ago. It was an interesting mix of (hopefully fairly accurate) information about the world the Geishas and very spicy steam. Granted, presumably the geishas in training were very young, but I did find the erotic musings of the heroine a bit strange. I did enjoy the aspects related to Japanese life and especially the floating world.
April 15, 2020
It took me several days to go through this novel, not one that I devoured but it was obviously very sexual. This is not a vulgar type of sexuality but rather timid but overall decent. Different strokes for different folks is what I say.
April 10, 2021
ORRIBILE! MAI LETTO LIBRO PIU RIDICOLO DI QUESTO!
Il primo libro che abbandono a metà da tanto tantissimo tempo!
Non mi dilungo perché non serve aggiungere dettagli!
Non lo leggere e per carità non lo comprate è spazzatura allo stato puro!
Il primo libro che abbandono a metà da tanto tantissimo tempo!
Non mi dilungo perché non serve aggiungere dettagli!
Non lo leggere e per carità non lo comprate è spazzatura allo stato puro!
September 3, 2017
Memorie di una geisha in versione "hot"
Ho imparato che, se voglio qualcosa di veramente giapponese, mi leggo un libro di Kawabata, di Mishima o di Tanizaki.
Ho imparato che, se voglio qualcosa di veramente giapponese, mi leggo un libro di Kawabata, di Mishima o di Tanizaki.
October 5, 2020
I couldn't get into this one. Sorry!
October 9, 2013
Where to begin? The inconsistent characterization? The horribly flowery purple prose with the most ridiculous metaphors and euphemisms I've ever seen? The sexual double standards? The unrealistic anatomy of every male character introduced?
There are some extremely minor, inconsequential spoilers within.
I picked up the book expecting something light and fluffy, but it had been a while since I'd read a truly erotic novel. She manages to write one with the main character not having sex until the novel is 3/4 of the way over, although there are plenty of elaborate sexual fantasies. More than I think is normal, but that's forgivable, seeing as it's an erotic novel.
The metaphors are ridiculous. They might not be that bad if they weren't so frequent, but they're constant, and they're painful. I read some aloud to my english major husband, and he was groaning in horror. I mean, come on, moon grotto? Dear little slit? Most honorable penis? How can anyone read a phrase like that and find it erotic? How can anyone find it anything but laughable?
Every male character in the novel is enormously well endowed, too. And extremely handsome. There are no ugly men in this book. And there are no, ahem, small men.
I found the main character to be incredibly inconsistent. First, she desperately wants to have sex and desperately wants to become a geisha. She sees them as sexually liberated, yet also believes their job is to please men. Let's set aside the fact that geisha were not prostitutes. In this book, they're prostitutes. When it comes time for her to "sell spring" she's suddenly not for sale and will only make love to a man she loves. What was up with the servant boy she almost slept with only a very short time earlier? She wasn't in love with him. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that she's simply painfully stupid rather than inconsistent.
Also, I don't know ANY woman who has become aroused by the sight of a man they barely know exposing himself. Let's pretend it's not going to make most women fear they're about to be raped. That sight alone is not gonna do it. In fact, if anything, it's a turn off. But every female in this novel seems to be deeply turned on by the sight alone of a man's equipment. Yeah, right. I don't buy it.
There are some extremely minor, inconsequential spoilers within.
I picked up the book expecting something light and fluffy, but it had been a while since I'd read a truly erotic novel. She manages to write one with the main character not having sex until the novel is 3/4 of the way over, although there are plenty of elaborate sexual fantasies. More than I think is normal, but that's forgivable, seeing as it's an erotic novel.
The metaphors are ridiculous. They might not be that bad if they weren't so frequent, but they're constant, and they're painful. I read some aloud to my english major husband, and he was groaning in horror. I mean, come on, moon grotto? Dear little slit? Most honorable penis? How can anyone read a phrase like that and find it erotic? How can anyone find it anything but laughable?
Every male character in the novel is enormously well endowed, too. And extremely handsome. There are no ugly men in this book. And there are no, ahem, small men.
I found the main character to be incredibly inconsistent. First, she desperately wants to have sex and desperately wants to become a geisha. She sees them as sexually liberated, yet also believes their job is to please men. Let's set aside the fact that geisha were not prostitutes. In this book, they're prostitutes. When it comes time for her to "sell spring" she's suddenly not for sale and will only make love to a man she loves. What was up with the servant boy she almost slept with only a very short time earlier? She wasn't in love with him. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that she's simply painfully stupid rather than inconsistent.
Also, I don't know ANY woman who has become aroused by the sight of a man they barely know exposing himself. Let's pretend it's not going to make most women fear they're about to be raped. That sight alone is not gonna do it. In fact, if anything, it's a turn off. But every female in this novel seems to be deeply turned on by the sight alone of a man's equipment. Yeah, right. I don't buy it.
Read
February 20, 2014I don't know what to rate it and still be fair to people who might want to read it. It's not a bad book, just one that you probably won't like if you don't like historical romances, descriptions of sex, and blonde heroines. I've never been to Japan, know nothing about the Geisha lifestyle, and found it vaguely fascinating, I just couldn't wrap my head around the language. But hey, different place and time.
I'm the kind of person who shouldn't read erotica because I find that too many vivid descriptions of sex ruin the actual romance. Then again, you'd find worse in Richelle Mead's adult books. So read at your own risk I guess.
The last thing is that the story itself is supposed to be told in first person, but it switches points of view throughout the novel. This was a little confusing at first because the main character clearly states she's telling you a story, but she wouldn't have known what all the other characters were thinking, so it was kind of unnecessary.
To be less polite though, guys this is not for the faint of heart. Unlike normal romance stories, or even erotica, there's no real or realistic love story. if you believe you can fall in love in three days, then this is the story for you. But while reading it, keep an open mind because sex was apparently viewed differently in 1892 Japan then it ever was in the United States. It's an art, not a sex trade. It's traditional, not a cheap way to sell your body. It's honorable, not sleezy, or it's supposed to be.
Whether or not you'll like it is entirely up to you. But as this is my review, I found the whole thing a bit out there. What redeemed it was the descriptions of a culture I didn't know anything about. When you read it, you can get a clear picture of the time. I can't quite decide if the romance was at all romantic. And I don't understand why the main character was thought of as so beautiful since she wasn't actually Japanese. You'd think that was a disadvantage. But other than that, it wasn't a complete waste of time.
Maybe you'll love it, maybe you won't, but I tried to stay neutral. It definitely gives you a few things to think about.
I'm the kind of person who shouldn't read erotica because I find that too many vivid descriptions of sex ruin the actual romance. Then again, you'd find worse in Richelle Mead's adult books. So read at your own risk I guess.
The last thing is that the story itself is supposed to be told in first person, but it switches points of view throughout the novel. This was a little confusing at first because the main character clearly states she's telling you a story, but she wouldn't have known what all the other characters were thinking, so it was kind of unnecessary.
To be less polite though, guys this is not for the faint of heart. Unlike normal romance stories, or even erotica, there's no real or realistic love story. if you believe you can fall in love in three days, then this is the story for you. But while reading it, keep an open mind because sex was apparently viewed differently in 1892 Japan then it ever was in the United States. It's an art, not a sex trade. It's traditional, not a cheap way to sell your body. It's honorable, not sleezy, or it's supposed to be.
Whether or not you'll like it is entirely up to you. But as this is my review, I found the whole thing a bit out there. What redeemed it was the descriptions of a culture I didn't know anything about. When you read it, you can get a clear picture of the time. I can't quite decide if the romance was at all romantic. And I don't understand why the main character was thought of as so beautiful since she wasn't actually Japanese. You'd think that was a disadvantage. But other than that, it wasn't a complete waste of time.
Maybe you'll love it, maybe you won't, but I tried to stay neutral. It definitely gives you a few things to think about.
November 24, 2011
Pour autant que Jina Bacarr ait approché de très près le monde secret et fermé des geishas, elle n'en donne qu'une représentation très réductrice et décevante au travers de l'histoire de sa jeune héroïne, Kathlene Mallory. Me serais-je laissée séduire à tort par une quatrième de couverture trop prometteuse ?! Sans doute. J'avais pourtant trouvé originale l'idée qu'une jeune Américaine puisse pénétrer ce milieu fermé, secret et devenir après un long parcours initiatique une geisha à part entière. C'eut été du jamais vu, du jamais lu ! Bien sûr, je m'imaginais bien lire un roman romanesque, c'est bien ce à quoi il faut s'attendre d'une édition Harlequin, mais j'espérais également qu'il traite du choc culturel et de la différence des mentalités. J'aurais apprécié obtenir des détails quant à l'éducation stricte et l'apprentissage des geishas. Mais non ! Dans ce roman, il n'y a aucune référence à la cérémonie du thé, pas plus d'ailleurs qu'à l'art si particulier du maquillage ou de la coiffure... L'histoire, même pas divertissante, ne décolle pas et tient davantage des rêveries érotiques d'une adolescente obsédée par la découverte de son corps et de la sexualité. Une réelle déception.
December 10, 2014
I didn't realize this was a romance novel, so that may color my opinion heavily. I listened to this on audiobook, and I had simply added this to my ipod based on the title alone. Oftentimes this works out for me, and I read books I otherwise wouldn't have and discover new authors. This time the discovery was not positive.
I don't usually read romance novels, but on rare occasion I have read some well researched and well written ones. If only this book had been either! The Blonde Geisha was TERRIBLE in my opinion. If it had been a physical book I would have thrown it across the room. As it was after several days of listening to it in the car I finally gave myself permission to turn it off and NOT finish it. I can count on one hand the number of books I have ever NOT finished! Seriously. I even finished the entire '50 Shades of Grey' Trilogy.
I have to assume that the author, Jina Bacarr, did little or no research for the book. The historical inaccuracies were glaring, and kept pulling me out of the story. The writing failed to be immersive as well.
I don't usually read romance novels, but on rare occasion I have read some well researched and well written ones. If only this book had been either! The Blonde Geisha was TERRIBLE in my opinion. If it had been a physical book I would have thrown it across the room. As it was after several days of listening to it in the car I finally gave myself permission to turn it off and NOT finish it. I can count on one hand the number of books I have ever NOT finished! Seriously. I even finished the entire '50 Shades of Grey' Trilogy.
I have to assume that the author, Jina Bacarr, did little or no research for the book. The historical inaccuracies were glaring, and kept pulling me out of the story. The writing failed to be immersive as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews