Chrysanthemum, Rose, and the Samurai
by Akahige Namban
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Book Summary Information
Author: Akahige NambanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1998-09-24
ISBN: 0929654064
Number of pages: 188
Publisher: Blue Moon Books
Book Reviews of Chrysanthemum, Rose, and the Samurai
Book Review: "The Erotic Equivalent of Shogun"
Summary: 4 Stars
My expectations were pretty low going in so that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Several things raise it above the usual level for its genre.
First, Mr. Namban (or whoever he really is) truly knows his stuff. Perhaps a Tokugawa era scholar could find some nits to pick, but I noticed no obvious errors or anachronisms (of a non-sexual nature that is), which made it very easy to suspend disbelief in visiting this realistic world.
Second, he has given us several likable characters that both care for each other and induce the reader to care for them (and for what happens to them):
Rosamund is a reluctant missionary, a novice nun shipwrecked while on her way to China. Hoping that she is in the Philippines where a handsome don might rescue her from her expected fate as a nun, she is horrified to find herself in Japan where the punishment for being a Christian is crucifixion.
Goemon is a man with dark secrets and a hidden past. Currently he sustains himself as a medical doctor. A cynical man of the world, he nevertheless finds himself becoming obsessed with the strange, exotic English castaway.
Okiku also has dark secrets and a hidden past. Too confident of her own fighting abilities to adopt the expected attitude of servility and helplessness and frustrated in her quest for revenge (and for a good lover), she occupies her time being a slut (thus at least working on her second quest) until three strangers come into her life and change its course forever.
Jiro Miura is a giant (in every way) samurai, the half-Japanese/half-English, fictional second son of Richard Adams, who is the historical figure who inspired James Clavell's novel Shogun. Naive and clumsy at first, he is eager to learn. These four characters make up the happy "quar-ple" whose various adventures and misadventures are chronicled herein.
Finally, Mr. Namban provides something really unexpected: a plot, in fact a pretty good one that will have you hurrying through the sex scenes to get back to the story, but don't skip over them entirely because, wonder of wonders, they actually help to advance the plot!
Negatives? Maybe I'm just too old fashioned, but I found myself disturbed by the number of times Rosamund is raped... and by how much she enjoys it. In fact the first thing our two "heroes" do upon meeting her is rape her. I know, I know, it is merely what is to be expected in such books, but still.... It becomes a little more palatable with the realization that Rosamund has the strongest will of them all, as the old ninja teacher, Ippei, realizes and points out to the others, "'All three of you are soft. She,' he nodded in Rosamund's direction, 'is the only one who can perhaps follow me in the way.'"
The second problem is also a common feature of such books; I found it increasingly difficult to believe that EVERYBODY they met in Japan would turn out to be a sex-obsessed pervert. Still, these complaints aside, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the three sequels: Shogun's Agents, Women of the Mountain, Warriors of the Town, and The New Concubine, which was previously titled Women of Gion: The Legendary Age.
Note: Akahige Namban is also the author of an erotic series set in modern Japan: Tokyo Story and Yakuza Perfume.
Book Review: An very intricate erotic story of ancient Japan
Summary: 5 Stars
I gave the book five stars for the Far Eastern story and the inclusion of intricate plots and subplots.... The main character, Rosamund is a missionary that finds herself shipwrecked in Japan and is promptly raped on the beach by the wandering young Samurai Goemon. She escapes an escape that she found disturbingly pleasurabe to be captured by a band of roving thugs who tatoo her and sell her to a brothel .... The author than takes us on the journey that both Rosamund and Goemun must take to find themselves, and each other, while each deal with the complexities of an ancient Japanese culture.
This is not the kind of erotic story that one just goes to the good sections but rather the story itself must be read and understood to get the full enjoyment of the book ....
Summary of Chrysanthemum, Rose, and the Samurai
The ship carrying Rosamund to a mission in China is shipwrecked, and the innocent girl is swept ashore on the coast of Japan. Held captive, Rosamund is tattooed and sold to a brothel. The erotic equivalent of Shogun, Rosamund's story is filled with exotic encounters with roughs, rogues, and enlightened Buddhists.Adult Fiction Books
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