A Woman of Pleasure
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Irrefutable and beautiful' New York Times
'Only Kiyoko Murata can convey this world' YOKO OGAWA, author of The Memory Police, Yomiuri Shibun
The year is 1903, and tenacious and spirited Aoi Ichi is sold to the most exclusive brothel in Kumamoto, Japan, becoming the protégée of Shinonome, the oiran, or the highest-ranking courtesan.
Through Shinonome's teachings, fifteen-year-old Ichi begins to understand the intertwined power of sex and money. Education for a courtesan extends beyond the art of seduction, and as Ichi is taught to read and write she develops a voice that refuses to be dampened by the brothel's rigid hierarchy.
Outside the cloistered world of the red-light district, rumours of local worker strikes grow, and as the seasons change in Kumamoto, Ichi, Shinonome and their fellow courtesans begin to wonder how they might redistribute the power and wealth of the brothels among themselves.
Critically acclaimed veteran writer Kiyoko Murata creates in stunning detail the harsh yet vibrant lives of women in a red-light district at the turn of the twentieth century. Based on real-life events, A Woman of Pleasure is a testament to the bonds between women and the power of owning one's language and freedom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Murato's chilling and poignant English-language debut portrays a 15-year-old girl sold into an elite brothel in Kumamoto, Japan, by her father at the turn of the 20th century. Aoi Ichi is forbidden to speak her native dialect and is raped along with the other girls by the brothel's owner so he can rate them. The story spans her first year in the brothel and details the various ways she finds strength to survive. She draws on memories of her mother, an ama renowned for her diving to catch fish, who wasn't able to stop Ichi's father from selling her, and takes solace in her friendship with top courtesan Shinonome. After the two friends attempt to escape, they are captured, beaten, and humiliated by the brothel owner. When Ichi turns 16, her father visits the brothel to borrow money against her earnings, and she realizes her enslavement could continue indefinitely. Still, she persists in seeking a way out. As the enslaved women band together in solidarity, taking inspiration from a nearby shipyard strike, the story builds to a dramatic and tense showdown. This immersive chronicle will move readers.
