It is very graphic in places however – both descriptions of sex and the goings on within the courtesan world are, well, rather overdone? There are a lot of words for certain body parts used…. The nineteenth century settings are the real star of the show with San Francisco and Shanghai really coming into their own both before and leading up WW1 and the second. The novel is quite long yes, but the descriptions of the tea parties and the courtesan’s life really are quite fascinating as you imagine what is going on outside of the courtesan’s house amidst the events of Shanghai & San Francisco from 1890s to the 1930s. Aah the insight into the world of the Chinese courtesan! It evokes the atmosphere of bustling Shanghai at the turn of the century and grips from the start.
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