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Amorous Woman
by
For a sum much smaller than a plane ticket an American woman can travel to a rustic hot-spring inn where anything goes after midnight, don the gorgeous kimono of a Japanese bride, romp in the dungeon rooms of tacky love hotels, act out an orgy straight from manga porn, and slip inside Kyoto’s most exclusive restaurants for exquisite dinners of seduction. The Amorous Woman
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ebook, 350 pages
Published
August 13th 2012
by Iro Books
(first published May 28th 2007)
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A few years back I was propelled into an interest in eastern culture by its poetry. First T’ang China (not fine dinnerware for a breakfast drink) then Edo Period Japanese Haiku. As I am not a speaker of any eastern languages, this exploration has been limited to being cast through a lens of translators. I’ve found that this distillation can have profound impact.
Donna George Storey’s Amorous Woman is about American woman who becomes enamored of Japan and begins a quest to immerse herself in it. P ...more
Donna George Storey’s Amorous Woman is about American woman who becomes enamored of Japan and begins a quest to immerse herself in it. P ...more
The cover of the erotic novel Amorous Woman has a seductive-looking Japanese woman tempting you to come hither and read the story that is clearly for "adults only" (as the cover warns). The prologue has the title character, Lydia, looking at her reflection in an airport mirror and swearing off sex in any form as she departs Japan for the United States, her homeland. Lydia isn't Japanese—she's a blonde American—but the reflection she sees (or imagines she sees) could very well be the Japanese wom
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Donna George Storey's Amorous Woman is extraordinary. I don't know too many other novels that manage to be so thoughtful, exciting, arousing and just plain fun to read all at the same time. The plot is modelled after a 17th century Japanese novel and features a first person narrator called Lydia Yoshikawa, a Caucasian woman who got her last name through marriage to a Japanese man. Lydia is not your typical heroine; she's a complex, finely drawn character who re-fashions herself in the Far East,
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The overall magnificence of Amorous Woman is so seamless that it feels almost hard to step back to distinguish and articulate the incredible aspects of it as a creative work. But the simple beauty of the writing, the strikingness of the imagery and opportunity to experience another culture so extraordinarily intimately, and the incredible expression and examination of the characters through their virtually flawless presentation are all abundant characteristics of this novel -- together, they for
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I enjoyed this romp through Japan, courtesy of Donna Storey. Storey draws a colorful tale that is rich in detail and makes me yearn to head off to Japan RIGHT NOW. The book is full of adventure, fantasy, sex, and a very engaging narrator who tries to make a home for herself in Japan. Although she masters the language and embraces Japanese history and customs, she is always an outsider, driven first to a rich fantasy life and then to actualizing those dreams. Ultimately, she remains true to her s
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Absolutely stunning book. It is seamless and flawless. I would recommend this book.
I was musing about erotica recently and realized that all my own novels, as well as most of my favorite work by other authors, could be viewed as stories about journeys. I'm not talking about travel in space. I am referring to an intellectual and emotional exploration, a progression in which characters begin in one psychological place and end up somewhere quite different, changed, more perceptive, perhaps more accepting of themselves, with an improved understanding of their needs and desires. Of
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Amorous Woman is the story of a young American immersing herself into the culture and society of Japan. She is fascinated by all things Japanese and wants to experience all that she can in the time that is allowed to her. She is drawn to the sexual secrets that lie below the surface in Japanese society. She seems to become fascinated with the Japanese slow but deliberate courtship rules and the keeping of secret lovers.
Her acceptance into Japanese life seems complete when she marries a Japanese ...more
Her acceptance into Japanese life seems complete when she marries a Japanese ...more
The day I left Japan, I stared at my reflection in the mirror in the airport ladies' room and made the following vows: I would never tell another lie, especially to myself. I would never let desire overwhelm common sense. I would never sleep with a man who was married to someone else, mime fellatio with a complete stranger on a stage, or take money for sex again. In fact, to cover all bases, I would never have sex again with anyone, man or woman, for the rest of my life.
Received as part of Feb 2 ...more
Received as part of Feb 2 ...more
Apr 09, 2013
Stacy Cook
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
erotica,
first-reads
Lydia is a woman instructing students in Japanese and Japanese culture when the story begins. She goes on to tell her students and us what her life was like while she lived her life in overseas in Japan. When I started to read this book I thought, oh here we go another Fifty Shades of Grey novel, but it was nothing of the sort... I loved that the story and our narrator took you straight to Japan as if you were there with her, watching from the corner of the room. It was captivating. While it was
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The cover of AMOUROUS WOMAN promises a sexy read. The book is that, and so much more. Donna George Storey is a gifted storyteller. Her voice is both lyrical and immediate. When I met the protagonist, Lydia, and her affair with all things Japanese began, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put this book down. I never had a clue where she was taking me next but I was right there with her, every step of the way. Rich with sensual detail, humour, and emotional complexity, AMOUROUS WOMAN is both a se
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Amorous Woman is a smart erotica book, which makes it a rare thing. Lydia is an American woman, back in the US after a complex experience in Japan. She goes through her sexual adventures, her emotional needs, her new understanding of love and her self-destructive behavior. There's a smooth dialogue and interesting narration, and there is also a sly humor in and in between the lines. Naturally, it’s sexy, (and Donna is good at sex writing) even in the parts that deal more with sentiments. Highly
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A remarkable erotic novel about the adventures and misadventures of an American woman living in Japan in the 1980s and early 1990s. George captures cultural disjunction and mystique as well as she does sex, blending the two in a lovely and hot portrait of one woman's expatriot experience. I was intrigued by the characters as well. Highly recommended for anyone who like their erotica and their story beautifully tied together.
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DNF
I realize this book is an erotic novel but i found it more like a made for tv porn than I did erotic. There was very little character building and a lot of extremely explicit sexual encounters. By page 12 the sexual content had already begun and was rather heavy. I did not finish this book (dnf) because I found it rather gross and I felt like it was something to be hidden, like I was doing something bad by reading it and I am in no way shy.
I realize this book is an erotic novel but i found it more like a made for tv porn than I did erotic. There was very little character building and a lot of extremely explicit sexual encounters. By page 12 the sexual content had already begun and was rather heavy. I did not finish this book (dnf) because I found it rather gross and I felt like it was something to be hidden, like I was doing something bad by reading it and I am in no way shy.
I admit I approached Donna Storey's Amorous Woman with trepidation. For one, there's a woman in her underwear on the cover. And then the back cover describes the book as "the erotic secrets of one woman's sexual awakening and her subsequent passions in Japan". Um. Not one to read on the commute then (luckily I work at home).
The book begins with
For the rest of the review, visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/12/b... ...more
The book begins with
For the rest of the review, visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/12/b... ...more
Mar 15, 2013
Amy
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013,
free-borrowed-rented-0
This author has a talent for words. Her description of everything from cherry blossoms to a decadent meal to her lover's hands are very vivid. I also enjoyed following Lydia along on her journey and all of the ups and downs that go along with trying to fit into a completely alien culture.Very well written, sexy and smart.
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This book is very hot! More than just sexy, though, it also brings you into another world, another culture. You care about the lead character, there is depth to the writing--and did I mention it's hot?
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Read my review online at Black Heart Magazine: http://blackheartmagazine.com/2009/05...
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Donna George Storey's writing is sensually vivid and intricately beautiful with rich details. Amorous Woman is an erotic story of a young woman's sexual experiences while living in Japan. There are moments where Lydia seems to be spiraling out of control, and other times where she is very deliberate in her little quests. She can be manipulative in getting what she wants. It is interesting how she maneuvers in such a subtle culture.
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Donna George Storey has taught English in Japan and Japanese at Stanford and U.C. Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Stanford and has published over sixty literary and/or erotic stories and essays in Prairie Schooner, Gettysburg Review, Fourth Genre, Wine Spectator, Best American Erotica, Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica, Ageless Erotica and elsewhere. He
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“And so I told him how living in Japan would give him a leisure no mere tourist has, to know the rhythms of the place, a land of tiny poems.”
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“I bow my head submissively and see that my chest is heaving, already dotted with the telltale flush of sexual arousal.”
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