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Fishnets and Fire-eating
This amusing, true story tells the tale of four young, professional
dancers who travel to the island of Hokkaido, an area steeped in
mystery, myths and legendary beasts. When the quartet
discovers that they are living next door to an ancient Japanese
Indian tribe, they drunkenly decide to conduct a Ouija board
session and, from that night onwards, things never seem
quite the same again.
Not knowing, understanding or really appreciating the ancient
Japanese traditions, culture or etiquette, the quartet finds
themselves in some hilarious situations as well as living through
some shocking real-life experiences. They stumble
their way around massage parlours and maternity hospitals,
museums and temples, learning the intricacies of the hot baths
and the Japanese green tea ritual.
The girls are plunged into a world of secrets and mysteries
where nothing appears to be what it seems. People vanish
without a trace, and there is the strange disappearance of
a large amount of money. What is the big secret on the island?
Who is in control? Will the girls manage to keep themselves
safe? And will they ever uncover the truth behind these
mysteries that seem to enshroud them all?
dancers who travel to the island of Hokkaido, an area steeped in
mystery, myths and legendary beasts. When the quartet
discovers that they are living next door to an ancient Japanese
Indian tribe, they drunkenly decide to conduct a Ouija board
session and, from that night onwards, things never seem
quite the same again.
Not knowing, understanding or really appreciating the ancient
Japanese traditions, culture or etiquette, the quartet finds
themselves in some hilarious situations as well as living through
some shocking real-life experiences. They stumble
their way around massage parlours and maternity hospitals,
museums and temples, learning the intricacies of the hot baths
and the Japanese green tea ritual.
The girls are plunged into a world of secrets and mysteries
where nothing appears to be what it seems. People vanish
without a trace, and there is the strange disappearance of
a large amount of money. What is the big secret on the island?
Who is in control? Will the girls manage to keep themselves
safe? And will they ever uncover the truth behind these
mysteries that seem to enshroud them all?
246 pages, ebook
Published October 16, 2020
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 25, 2021
Ever been a dancer in Japan? Since most of us would answer no to that question, it's a key reason why we should read Fishnets and Fire-eating by Michele E. Northwood. Even if you have no interest in Japan or dancing, her memoir is comically exciting and rather touching, all the while maintaining a well-paced chronicle of several women forced to adapt to a new culture.
I've previously read the author's memoir of her time in Korea, which predated Japan, and that was a bit scary... this time, it's even more absurd to think how people were treated just a few short decades earlier. Michele shares all her key moments from several months dancing in various bars, clubs, and social events throughout Japan. We meet her agent and a few other businessmen involved in negotiating salaries and routines, as well as Claire, Rachael, and Anna, her dance partners. Some of these people's behaviors was quite shocking, when it comes to sharing tips, cleaning apartments, and keeping secrets from one another. Then again, I imagine that's how things are at times in this crazy entertainment world.
Kudos to the author for keeping me keenly interested in turning the pages to find more bizarre scenes that were real life experiences. Northwood is honest and humorous, poignant and casual, depending on what's happening around her. Whether it's the breakup with her boyfriend, or the lost friendships and confusing new colleagues, there's a lovely balance of warmth and care coming from her words and unique life events. I enjoy the way she told the story, leaving out some of the more boring parts of life but throwing in a few for good measure, and to make the memoir even more realistic.
Great way to share one's life... and I'm left hoping for a third, but what country could it be next?
I've previously read the author's memoir of her time in Korea, which predated Japan, and that was a bit scary... this time, it's even more absurd to think how people were treated just a few short decades earlier. Michele shares all her key moments from several months dancing in various bars, clubs, and social events throughout Japan. We meet her agent and a few other businessmen involved in negotiating salaries and routines, as well as Claire, Rachael, and Anna, her dance partners. Some of these people's behaviors was quite shocking, when it comes to sharing tips, cleaning apartments, and keeping secrets from one another. Then again, I imagine that's how things are at times in this crazy entertainment world.
Kudos to the author for keeping me keenly interested in turning the pages to find more bizarre scenes that were real life experiences. Northwood is honest and humorous, poignant and casual, depending on what's happening around her. Whether it's the breakup with her boyfriend, or the lost friendships and confusing new colleagues, there's a lovely balance of warmth and care coming from her words and unique life events. I enjoy the way she told the story, leaving out some of the more boring parts of life but throwing in a few for good measure, and to make the memoir even more realistic.
Great way to share one's life... and I'm left hoping for a third, but what country could it be next?
December 7, 2020
In Fishnets and Fire-eating, Part Two of Of Michele E. Northwood’s thrilling memoir, adventuresome Michele forms part of a dance quartet, cobbles together a fire-eating act and heads off to Japan. It’s 1990, and the usual tribulations face the troupe, including suffering ridiculously low pay and onerous conditions, and getting themselves into all sorts of scrapes.
Like its predecessor, Fishnets and Fire-eating is peppered with delightful vignettes. Hot-tempered booking agent Marion serves as the initial antagonist and there are plenty of scoundrels to match her along the way. The memoir is vividly described through the eye of a young, naive and daring woman dealing with the new, the novel, and the confronting, as she is forever forced to cope with whatever is thrown at her.
Entertaining, funny and uplifting from the first, Northwood has a knack for grabbing you and pulling you into the story, a no holds barred imaginative re-telling of the highs and lows of cabaret-style dancing.
An absolute page-turner of a read.
Like its predecessor, Fishnets and Fire-eating is peppered with delightful vignettes. Hot-tempered booking agent Marion serves as the initial antagonist and there are plenty of scoundrels to match her along the way. The memoir is vividly described through the eye of a young, naive and daring woman dealing with the new, the novel, and the confronting, as she is forever forced to cope with whatever is thrown at her.
Entertaining, funny and uplifting from the first, Northwood has a knack for grabbing you and pulling you into the story, a no holds barred imaginative re-telling of the highs and lows of cabaret-style dancing.
An absolute page-turner of a read.
January 3, 2021
Michelle's latest memoir about her time as part of dance troupe is a hilarious romp. In this novel the dancers are sent to the Japanese island of Hokkaido with a boss who barely speaks English and is always surrounded by body guards. Naïve and wide-eyed, the girls try to navigate the different customs of a small island in a foreign country. Then comes a nail-biting kidnapping one afternoon by one of the Japanese Mafia. How do they survive?
I wanted to know and wasn't disappointed. A thoroughly enjoyable novel!
I wanted to know and wasn't disappointed. A thoroughly enjoyable novel!
May 23, 2021
A group of four girls sets out on a dancing contract in Japan. Their adventures are described in this memoir and you will enjoy reading about their experiences - sometimes difficult, sometimes amusing, sometimes challenging, sometimes problematic, but nevertheless they always managed to cope. When the author returned to the UK at the end of the contract it left her eager to embark on a new dancing contract in another part of the world. A fascinating read.
March 13, 2021
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Highly entertaining
After reading a fascinating story by the author about taking up a challenge of joining a circus in Brazil I thought I had heard everything. How wrong I was. That was before I saw her latest book in the series, with the intriguing title, ‘Fishnets and Fire-Eating’ in which the author’s English agent Marion phones Michele enthusing about a new six months dancing contract in Japan. The venue, she is told, is a hotel, halfway up a mountain, on the island of Hokkaido in the middle of nowhere. ‘You’ll love it!’, she promises.
Fired up by the thought of a new adventure, and ignoring complaints from her long-suffering boyfriend, Len, Michele cannot wait to be off to London to undergo the necessary rehearsals, as a member of a quartet. After introductions, she finds that the leader of the group, Rachael, as well another called Ann and herself have worked for Marion before and the fourth is Claire, a new girl and the youngest member of the troupe.
Complete with bikinis and feathers, they work out a variety of duets and trios with a Charleston and can-can routine added, enough to fill out two twenty-minute shows, in which Michele finds herself involved in a hair-raising acrobatic routine as well as devising a short magic and fire-eating act, using her own props.
Despite the frugal payments reluctantly handed over, they manage to survive by somehow overcoming the language barrier and learning about the different customs and rituals, whilst relying on the generosity of some of the audience wherever they perform, leading to accusations and rivalry when it comes to sharing out the tips. On top of that, they are continually faced with unwanted advances by some of the staff, as well as being kidnapped by one of the local Japanese type Mafia.
Throughout this light-hearted story of adventure, I was impressed with the amount of detail in the background settings, describing the authentic Japanese traditions and cultural events as they are encountered. Without doubt, highly entertaining and thoroughly recommended.
Highly entertaining
After reading a fascinating story by the author about taking up a challenge of joining a circus in Brazil I thought I had heard everything. How wrong I was. That was before I saw her latest book in the series, with the intriguing title, ‘Fishnets and Fire-Eating’ in which the author’s English agent Marion phones Michele enthusing about a new six months dancing contract in Japan. The venue, she is told, is a hotel, halfway up a mountain, on the island of Hokkaido in the middle of nowhere. ‘You’ll love it!’, she promises.
Fired up by the thought of a new adventure, and ignoring complaints from her long-suffering boyfriend, Len, Michele cannot wait to be off to London to undergo the necessary rehearsals, as a member of a quartet. After introductions, she finds that the leader of the group, Rachael, as well another called Ann and herself have worked for Marion before and the fourth is Claire, a new girl and the youngest member of the troupe.
Complete with bikinis and feathers, they work out a variety of duets and trios with a Charleston and can-can routine added, enough to fill out two twenty-minute shows, in which Michele finds herself involved in a hair-raising acrobatic routine as well as devising a short magic and fire-eating act, using her own props.
Despite the frugal payments reluctantly handed over, they manage to survive by somehow overcoming the language barrier and learning about the different customs and rituals, whilst relying on the generosity of some of the audience wherever they perform, leading to accusations and rivalry when it comes to sharing out the tips. On top of that, they are continually faced with unwanted advances by some of the staff, as well as being kidnapped by one of the local Japanese type Mafia.
Throughout this light-hearted story of adventure, I was impressed with the amount of detail in the background settings, describing the authentic Japanese traditions and cultural events as they are encountered. Without doubt, highly entertaining and thoroughly recommended.
January 1, 2021
Fishnets and Fire-Eating: A True Story (A Dancer’s Diary in Japan) is Michele E. Northwood’s entertaining [personal account] sequel to Fishnets in the Far East: A Dancer’s Diary in Korea. Equally humorous and entertaining, it’s an absorbing story, another can’t-put-down read. You'll even learn a little Japanese. As in Far East, Michele and her colleagues undergo a plethora of crazy incidents - meeting Yakuza chiefs and henchmen, sex-starved males, a couple of folks living on another [mental] realm, and spirits via a Ouija board. Still, despite various challenges, Michele, Claire, Anna and Rachael persevere. Life (eating/working) doesn’t seem quite as desperate as it did when Michele was in Korea, but it certainly proves just as challenging.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews