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A review by bookapotamus
Gina in the Floating World by Belle Brett
5.0
I read this book as part of the #NSFW @Booksparks blog tour. I don't typically read anything that is NSFW and mostly prefer SFW (lol) but I'm reading a LOT out of my comfort zone lately and I'm realizing that the zone is most definitely getting a bit wider! NSFW does imply that the book might be a bit dirty, a tad naughty, and make you blush - definitely... but I LOVED this story. There was nothing raunchy or gross (OK maybe a teeny tiny bit but it wasn't like reading filthy smut) and the story is fascinating - I did not want it to end. I felt like a fly on the wall in this underground world that although I'd never be a part of, it's intriguingly dangerous and seductively captivating.
It's 1981, and Dorothy is a long way from Kansas. She's traveled to Tokyo, seeking a bank internship, in hopes of increasing her chances at getting into a prestigious MBA program at Wharton. Unfortunately the internship is unpaid and she needs to make ends meet, so she takes on a position as 'hostess' at a seedy bar, where she's given the 'stage name' Gina. There, she's lured into the exotic and erotic land of Oz, full of shady characters, possible gangsters, increasingly dangerous sexcapades and mindgames. She soon finds herself losing the internship, and drowning in questionable decisions, unsure if if she's gotten in too far to ever return. Kansas has never seemed so far away.
The temptation Gina faces is seriously fun to watch unfold and the depiction of this Tokyo underbelly flourishes with incredibly detailed grittiness, but somehow it all seems quite beautiful and enticing. She's in a sort of coming-of-age self-discovery situation where the lure of money, gifts and sexual desires, can outweigh any sort of self worth or self control. The writing is sharp, the pace is fast and the visuals of Japan, the art, the culture and gardens is exquisite. A fantastic story written exceptionally well. Comfort zone officially expanded!
Thanks to @Booksparks and Belle Brett for the opportunity to read this gem!
It's 1981, and Dorothy is a long way from Kansas. She's traveled to Tokyo, seeking a bank internship, in hopes of increasing her chances at getting into a prestigious MBA program at Wharton. Unfortunately the internship is unpaid and she needs to make ends meet, so she takes on a position as 'hostess' at a seedy bar, where she's given the 'stage name' Gina. There, she's lured into the exotic and erotic land of Oz, full of shady characters, possible gangsters, increasingly dangerous sexcapades and mindgames. She soon finds herself losing the internship, and drowning in questionable decisions, unsure if if she's gotten in too far to ever return. Kansas has never seemed so far away.
The temptation Gina faces is seriously fun to watch unfold and the depiction of this Tokyo underbelly flourishes with incredibly detailed grittiness, but somehow it all seems quite beautiful and enticing. She's in a sort of coming-of-age self-discovery situation where the lure of money, gifts and sexual desires, can outweigh any sort of self worth or self control. The writing is sharp, the pace is fast and the visuals of Japan, the art, the culture and gardens is exquisite. A fantastic story written exceptionally well. Comfort zone officially expanded!
Thanks to @Booksparks and Belle Brett for the opportunity to read this gem!