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context: thematic routes > courtesans & geisha > sources
Geisha by Lesley Downer
A thorough examination of the history and traditions of the geisha world, and particularly of its current state. Downer spent a long time befriending people in Japan, and gets remarkable access to this rather hermetic world, including a number of surprisingly frank interviews. Her writing is good, her insights fairly astute. It's probably more than most want to know about geisha, and it is a little boring in parts, but it's a very useful book.