Private Dancer

Good

I have not read any of Leather's other works, so I cannot say if this is his pinnacle, his 'Catcher in the Rye', or if this is merely the level he usually writes at. However, after finishing this book in three swift sitings I am raring to read more of his other offerings.What Private Dancer is and what it represents are two profoundly important things. Firstly, is simply good story-telling, in fact story-telling at its best; as good as it gets. Secondly it is culturally-insightful and incredibly sociologically profound; it is essentially an exposé of any and all Asian cultures and how those cultures view, perceive and interact both with their own nationals and those from overseas.Firstly, the story-telling. Interestingly enough this book does not conform to the norms of fiction writing and yet it still manages to succeed. To be specific, the characters are not well-drawn at all. If one was asked to pick any of the main characters including the main protagonists out of a line-up, it would be impossible. Save for the odd passing comment, they are neither described in full or partial detail. Likewise the streets, buildings interiors and other such details are left very sketchy indeed. That stated, against this vague backdrop is painted dialogue so crisp, sharp, appropriate and believable that lack of other details fall into the realm of insignificance.Secondly, the cultural and sociological value of this work. For my money this is the sheer brilliance of this work and that is why it deserves an unequivocal five stars. The insight Leather shares through the various voices and perspectives of the major and minor characters are profound and utterly insightful. The distrust, lack of respect and the sheer contempt people of different nationalities (immigrants/tourists and natives) hold for each other is exposed with a shining light. No where is this more true than is SE Asia where there are the additional spanner-in-the-works of religion, culture and an ancient tradition and warped stereotypes ensure the machine will invariably grind to a halt at the first opportunity.Further to the previous point, Leather does not fall into the obvious trap of exonerating the 'water-buffaloes' who trawl Bangkok's sleaze, he is fair and balanced in holding up mirrors to both sides. And his conclusion is the ultimate truism. You reap what you sow; if you go looking for a prostitute in a red-light district, you will find one, and don't be surprised when she turns out to be one. Likewise if you meet a sex-tourist in a sleazy bar, don't be surprised he is a sex-tourist. If both parties accept their rôles then they can establish some kind of 'relationship', if they don't all is ultimately doomed - which it might well be anyway.To summate, an excellent read on so many levels and a purchase I think no reader would regret.

I bought this book while I was on a Thai island last month. I was surrounded by the evidence of the book, pretty, slim, long haired local girls, holding hands on the beach and in the street with pale, out of shape, usually older and unattractive Euro Cattle, as I came to call them.I would see them at breakfast the morning after, or two or three mornings after, and the body language said it all. There was no verbal exchange going on. Just two people gazing into two different horizons. I was never sure which one felt the most awkward or regretful.As I was travelling alone I had time to wonder about it all, then I saw the book Private Dancer and thouight it would answer a few questions.It did. It was a very good in depth description of the bar girl and (sex) tourist relationship.It also gives a glimpse of much more of Thai life than a lot of people would bother to research. I wish I had read it before I arrived in Thailand, not, because as a woman I needed help with this situation, but for a deeper understanding of the national psychie, and how we must appear to them, if we are not careful.The only fault I can really mention is the book its self. It was printed in Thailand and is so tightly bound I almost had to take a hammer to it to read past page 200. It would not open properly. It was shiny and well made but almost unreadable. Through a great strain to my thumb and fingers I carried on to the end. Then almost all that Leather had written, at rather repetitive length, was contradicted in his wrap up of the characters lives.It kept my interest, but it could have done with a bit of editing and more reader friendly binding.And was Joy the nightmare hinted at on the cover? MMMMnnn. Read it and see.

I bought this book as I am going on my first holiday to Thailand. i thought the author's research would give me an insight that goes beyond travel guides. It definitely did give me that insight, although part of me wishes I hadn't read about that side of Thailand (the racism towards westerners and poor hospitality hidden behind smiles). It was a great novel though with a gripping plot, interesting characters and I definitely learned things. My only criticisms of this book is that there are a lot of characters so it did get confusing at times (more an issue with the ex-pats than Thai characters) although it didn't detract from the reading experience so not a massive issue. The whole book was written in first person and some of the expressions the Thai characters used sounded a bit too much like English expressions to me, but again not a big issue for me. It read like the author was writing this in an autobiographical way, and sometimes it was a bit repetitive in its critique of Thai bar girls, in which case I felt a bit sorry for the author for having experienced and feeling so burned by some of these cultural differences between Thai and English. At the end of the book the disclaimer states it is based on fiction rather than personal experience (so the author may take that as a compliment or an insult that it sounded so genuine to me I was convinced he must have been badly hurt by a Thai bargirl).

Should be a prerequisite for all travellers to Thailand for the 1st time.

Easy read written from the perspectives of a bar girl and a punter.