The Pillow Boy of the Lady Onogoro

by Alison Fell

Book Overview

This "exquisite, exuberant, X-rated" novel (Mirabella), set in feudal Japan, tells the story of a concubine who hires a stable boy to whisper erotic stories from behind a screen while she entertains her master, a samurai general.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156004682
• ISBN13: 9780156004688
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

exquisite treasure of a book

This story of a poetic concubine and her relationship to the general has many smaller stories scattered throughout like wonderful little presents. The Lady Onogaro, in order to endure her lover's visits, hires the services of a storyteller to whisper erotic stories in her ear while she makes love to the general. The larger story is also interesting, and told in a beautifully translated language. Lady Onogaro's discovery of what is important transcends time and culture.Much of the poetry of the Lady Onogaro is also included (more presents), contributing to the pleasure of reading. I found the stories stimulating, and keep a personal favorite marked for special occaisons. A pleasurable book for those who like their erotica with a dash of exotica.

Modern, Ancient, Universal

A modern woman's trials through self-doubt toward self-acceptance, clothed in the robes of Heian Japan. The author knows her Japanese mythology. Subtle allusions to ancient tales enhance the narrative. While some of the erotic tales are full of frustration and cruelty, most of them are funny and tender. The fantasies are woman-centered, celebrating women's sexuality in loving detail. A few imagine women's revenge for ill-treatment. And, if you follow the thread of Onogoro's own life between the fantasies, you find the story of so many 20th-century women, trying to let their hearts and talents shine in a world not made for them. Onogoro succeeds. This is a fable of feminine strength.

A Feminist that LOVED this book

The beauty of this novel is not simply that it arouses thereader with its erotic stories told from behind the screen by the LadyOnoguro's Pillow Boy, but that in each erotic narrative, the Pillow Boy crafts a story for the Lady which illustrates, and ultimately guides her out of her life of dissatisfaction. The more "sadistic" stories are not there to solely titilate, but to illustrate the relationship that the Lady endured with her paramour...the stories were a conduit for liberation, not a shackle of further oppression. To come to the conclusion that the book is without merit because of the content of some of the erotic stories is to miss the point and wholeness of the novel entirely.

i liked it and don't consider it to be "misognyistic"

I just finished the book, and enjoyed it but for the ending. I read Murasaki's, Tale of Genji, many years ago. Considered to be the first novel ever written; it chronicles the many lovers of the court prince. This book, on the other hand, chronicles the awakening of a lower ranked court poet. Some of the tales and episodes are exploitative....which doesn't eliminate it from being a good read. I can think of others where violence isn't as necessary to the plot as in this one. Point being ...this book survives as a piece of literature resurrected from the past. Unlike the Shogun military chronicles of later years, this book contrasts the battles waged in the bedroom with those on the battlefield...all the while begging the question...what does it mean to love, honor and venerate yourself. I would recommend the story of the "lady who curdles herself."

A deep intriguing segue of stories

Despite its salacious premise, this book is gentle, witty, and humane. The different levels of interaction in the underlying story that is the novel's reality work with the different types of stories told by the characters, forming an intricate book full of pleasures