RealMack83
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Rules for Virgins
- Wherein Magic Gourd Advises Young Violet on How to Become a Popular Courtesan While Avoiding Cheapskates, False Love, and Suicide
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Amy Tan takes us deep into the illicit world of 1912 Shanghai, where beautiful courtesans mercilessly compete for the patronage of wealthy gentlemen. For the women, the contest is deadly serious, a perilous game of economic survival that, if played well, can set them up for life as mistresses of the rich and prominent. There is no room for error, however: Erotic power is hard to achieve and harder to maintain, especially in the loftiest social circles. Enter veteran seducer, Magic Gourd, formerly one of Shanghai’s “Top Ten Beauties” and now the advisor and attendant of Violet, an aspiring but inexperienced courtesan.
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Loved it - oh so briefly!
- By Quiltrobin on 11-14-13
- Rules for Virgins
- Wherein Magic Gourd Advises Young Violet on How to Become a Popular Courtesan While Avoiding Cheapskates, False Love, and Suicide
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
Excellent story, surprisingly great advice on how to succeed as a woman in a male dominated culture.
Reviewed: 06-19-15
Excellent story, when needs must, this is timeless advice from a seasoned older woman to her young (virginal) protégée on how to both enrapture their clients and avoid the pitfalls of their profession. I loved the dichotomy of the seemingly powerless woman actually being the alpha in the relationships from begging to end. I would recommend this to other women and a few male friends. It's certainly a credit to the author that she brought the story of her own Grandmother and her interest in her family history to light. Knowing her research motivations made me even more engaged. Now that I've been introduced to them, in this delightful short story, I'm really looking forward to reading the full novel Amy Tan wrote about these characters.
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3 people found this helpful