Lesley Downer Book order

Only one woman can save her world from barbarian invasion but to do so will mean sacrificing everything she holds dear - love, loyalty and maybe life itself . . . Japan, and the year is 1853. Growing up among the samurai of the Satsuma Clan, in Japan's deep south, the fiery, beautiful and headstrong Okatsu has - like all the clan's women - been encouraged to be bold, taught to wield the halberd, and to ride a horse. But when she is just seventeen, four black ships appear. Bristling with cannon and manned by strangers who to the Japanese eyes are barbarians, their appearance threatens Japan's very existence. And turns Okatsu's world upside down. Chosen by her feudal lord, she has been given a very special role to play. Given a new name - Princess Atsu - and a new destiny, she is the only one who can save the realm. Her journey takes her to Edo Castle, a place so secret that it cannot be marked on any map. There, sequestered in the Women's Palace - home to three thousand women, and where only one man may enter: the shogun - she seems doomed to live out her days. But beneath the palace's immaculate facade, there are whispers of murders and ghosts. It is here that Atsu must complete her mission and discover one last secret - the secret of the man whose fate is irrevocably linked to hers: the shogun himself . . .

The narrative traces the eight-hundred-mile journey of Matsuo Basho, a renowned Japanese poet, delving into a Japan that embraces a simpler, older way of life. It reflects on the enduring essence of Basho's experiences and insights, revealing how elements of his time continue to resonate more than three centuries later. The exploration offers a profound connection to nature, tradition, and the cultural landscape of Japan, inviting readers to consider the beauty and significance of a lifestyle that honors the past.

In the brave new Japan of the 1870s, Taka and Nobu meet as children and fall in love; But Nobu will have to fight and maybe kill Taka's father and brother, while Taka now has to make a terrible choice - between her family and the man she loves ...

Japan, 1868: the last shogun has been defeated, the age of the emperors is about to begin and in Japan's frozen north a diehard band of loyalists plans a desperate last stand.

Epic history and romance combine in a sweeping novel featuring the beautiful mistress of the last shogun emperor.

The fascinating story of a geisha who captivated the West

Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally 'arts people'. Their accomplishments include singing, dancing or playing an instrument and they are masters of the art of conversation. The history of the geisha is explored here.

The story of a Japanese business dynasty. It focuses in particular on three men: a hated father who worked his way up from nothing, his illegitimate son who inherited most of the fortune, and a spurned legitimate son who built his own business empire.