{"title":"Lesley Downer","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our Lesley Downer collection, where history and storytelling intertwine in captivating ways. Lesley Downer is a celebrated author known for her expertise in Japanese culture and history, bringing to life the fascinating world of historical Japan through her meticulously researched works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDelve into \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/books\/the-courtesan-and-the-samurai\"\u003eThe Courtesan and the Samurai\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, a gripping historical fiction novel that paints a vivid picture of Japan during a tumultuous period of change. This captivating story is not only an adventure but a deeply moving depiction of love and war, immersing readers in the life and times of Japan's past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor those with a keen interest in history, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/books\/the-shortest-history-of-japan\"\u003eThe Shortest History of Japan\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is an essential read. This concise yet comprehensive guide details Japan's rich history, offering insights into the events that shaped this fascinating nation. It's perfect for readers seeking to understand Japan’s journey through time, from ancient origins to its dynamic present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithin these pages, you'll find an intriguing blend of Historical Fiction and History \u0026amp; Military genres that cater to both the story lover and the history enthusiast. Lesley Downer's books invite you to explore tales of honour, courage, and timeless tradition, making her works an enlightening addition to your reading list.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-shortest-history-of-japan-by-lesley-downer-9781760643850","title":"The Shortest History of Japan","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA definitive new history of Japan, where ancient meets cutting-edge in unique and startling ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eZen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games ... Japanese culture has long enriched our western way of life. Yet from a western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven at the nearest point, Japan—an archipelago strung like a necklace around the Asian mainland—is considerably farther from Asia than Britain is from Europe. The sea provides an effective barrier against invasion and has enabled the culture to develop in unique and distinctive ways. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shoguns successfully closed the country to the west. After Japan opened, it swung in the opposite direction, adopting western culture wholesale. Both these strategies enabled it to avoid colonisation, one of the very few non-western countries to do so, and to retain its traditions and way of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis delightfully readable history will be of interest to people who know nothing about Japan, but is also full of insights for those who do, with an \u003cem\u003eaha!\u003c\/em\u003e moment on every page. With a novelist's eye for colour and character, Lesley Downer takes the reader through the great sweep of Japanese history, focusing on the dramatic stories of larger-than-life individuals—from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha and entrepreneurs who shaped this extraordinary modern society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of Japan\u003c\/em\u003e contents:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eChildren of the Sun: 400 BCE-710 CE\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eNara: The Flowering of Buddhism, 710-794 CE\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHeian: City of Purple Hills and Crystal Streams, 794-1180\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eKamakura: Rise of the Samurai, 1180-1333\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMuromachi: Beauty and Turmoil, 1333-1573\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eAzuchi Momoyama: The Men Who Would Be Shogun, 1573-1603\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eEdo: Tokugawa Renaissance, 1603-1853\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBakumatsu: Fall of the Tokugawa, 1853-1868\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMeiji: Headlong into the Modern World, 1868-1912\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTaisho: Cross Currents, 1912-1926\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eShowa: From Defeat to Prosperity, 1926-1989\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHeisei: Darker Years, 1989-2019\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eReiwa: A New Emperor for a New Age, 2019-222\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46343702970604,"sku":"9781760643850","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23825443482814.jpg?v=1744004496"},{"product_id":"the-courtesan-and-the-samurai-by-lesley-downer-9780552155328","title":"The Courtesan and the Samurai","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn epic story of forbidden love in a time of war by the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Last Concubine\u003c\/em\u003e, one of the bestselling hardcover debuts of 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e1868. In Japan's exotic pleasure quarters, sex is for sale and the only forbidden fruit is love...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHana is just seventeen when her husband goes to war, leaving her alone and vulnerable. When enemy soldiers attack her house, she flees across the shattered city of Tokyo and takes refuge in the Yoshiwara, its famous pleasure quarters. There she is forced to become a courtesan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYozo, brave, loyal, and a brilliant swordsman, is pledged to the embattled shogun. He sails to the frozen north to join his rebel comrades for a desperate last stand. Defeated, he makes his way south to the only place where a man is beyond the reach of the law—the Yoshiwara.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere, in the Nightless City where three thousand courtesans mingle with geishas and jesters, the battered fugitive meets the beautiful courtesan. But each has a secret so terrible that once revealed, it will threaten their very lives...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46552819204332,"sku":"9780552155328","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780552155328.jpg?v=1750066295"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/lesley-downer.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}