Amorous Woman is the story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan and her sensual encounters with the sexy men and women she meets along the way. First-time novelist Donna George Storey, a widely published erotica writer who holds a Ph.D. in Japanese literature, challenges the boundaries of culture and genre in this modern remake of Ihara Saikaku’s classic 17th century novel of the pleasure quarters. Lusty, wise-cracking Lydia"the modern Amorous Woman--experiences every flavor of erotic pleasure Japan has to offer from illicit encounters in hot spring baths to fantasy orgies straight from manga porn. Described by critics as “rich with sensual detail, humor, and emotional complexity,” “hard to put down,” and “literary erotica at its best,” the novel will change your image of Japan"and erotica"forever.

REVIEW

“In turns funny, insightful, and always erotic, this novel follows the sexual adventures of beautiful blonde Lydia through a modern Japanese male landscape. Donna Storey's eye and nose for the redolent detail is a treat for all the senses as she spins her tale into a savory concoction not unlike the "cooked-to-your-liking" pancake of cabbage, egg, and smoky fish sauce called okonomiyaki that serves as the heroine's comfort food. An Amorous Woman is literary erotica at its best.” Liza Dalby, author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki

“The difference between pornography and erotic literature is the literary quality of the writing, how the subject matter of human sexuality is treated as simple (and simple minded) lust, or as a complex showcase of desire and behavior. Clearly, by this standard, Amorous Woman by Donna George Storey is a work of elegant eroticism …with a very special perspective on elements of Japanese culture that is related with a blend of humor, social critique, and literary skill that is impressive from beginning to end.” Margaret Lane, Midwest Book Review

“Amorous Woman is definitely arousing but it is much more than a light-hearted bedroom romp through Japan. It is a believable and moving tale of one woman's journey of sexual self-discovery… I enjoyed Amorous Woman more than any erotic novel I've read in a long while.”
Lisabet Sarai, author of Raw Silk and Incognito, reviewed for The Erotica Readers and Writers Association

EXCERPT

“And so I told him how living in Japan would give him a leisure no mere tourist has, to know the rhythms of the place, a land of tiny poems. In autumn, he’d see the persimmons glowing like huge, orange jewels on their bare branches, then winter’s dusting of snow on blue tile roofs. He’d learn why the old erotic pictures are called “spring prints” " because in that season the air is as soft as a lover’s whisper""and he’d sigh at the perfect coolness of iced barley tea slipping down his throat on a wilting summer afternoon. As the year passed, he would become part of it. The neighbors would stop staring and start to nod a greeting, and one day the tiny old lady in the gray kimono at the snack stand would wrap up his regular order of red-bean-and-rice balls before a word was spoken, and she’d flash him that first gold-toothed smile, and he’d be happy all day. It’s like someone’s given you a whole other life, I told him, an extra life, to live for a while.

Tim listened, lips parted, the way men do when they want to be enchanted. And how could I blame him for falling under Japan’s spell? Not so very long ago, I was enchanted, too.”