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. The album was released on May 29, 1984, and became an outstanding global commercial success. [21] [22] [23] The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart for ten consecutive weeks [24] and remained in the top ten for 39 weeks from August 1984 to May 1985. In the United States it was certified 5× platinum. [25] In Germany, the album went 5× gold becoming one of the best selling albums in history. It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, where it was certified 3× platinum, remaining on the charts for 150 total weeks. It was certified 7× platinum for the shipment of over 700,000 copies in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. The album has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. [26] [27] At the 1985 Grammy Awards, Private Dancer won four of the six awards for which it was nominated. The writing is crisp, and to the point, the characters suffer believable emotions with their own motives, and the Bangkok Go-Go bars feel vibrant through farang eyes. Steve has spent much time in Bangkok and Private Dancer is based on the stories that he has heard during his time in the Kingdom. Written completely in the first person with several main characters, the story is seen through each character's eyes as the plot follows the main character Pete, an expat working in Thailand who falls in love with a girl called Joy, a gogo bar dancer and finds himself on a rollercoaster ride as he discovers that everything he thought about his new darling is not what it may first have seemed.

The build-up was good and though I could see the direction the book was going to end, I thought it was a bit anti-climactic and seemed a little rushed.And maybe that is why Pattaya Mail described this book as a “Compulsory reading for all first-timers to Thailand” RPM's Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Vol.43, no.16. December 25, 1985. p.14. ISSN 0033-7064– via Library and Archives Canada. But it is not the perverted old white man hangs out with the Asian young girl that you should look at. Rather how the girl plays her cards right, how she thinks and why she does what she does that is total revelation & education in itself. And this is a reality which – once you expose yourself to – will make you appreciate the sad, bad and ugly realities of life. By the way Nana Plaza didn't exist when I lived there in the 70s. Patpong had no street market and the bars had only a few tourists and American Servicemen, so we had the run of the place! Soi Cowboy was a pleasant little tree lined Soi behind Sukumvit with only a couple of bars, you could even take your wife in for a quiet drink if you wanted to! Listening to others advice and experiences go a long way in Thailand. Believe me. One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.

Thailand’s sex tourism industry is a very small part of the entire culture – however, it is a very powerful and prominent part of the system. That is why understanding this tiny component is very essential for anyone. Austriancharts.at – Tina Turner – Private Dancer" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015. Hilburn, Robert; Hunt, Dennis; Cromelin, Richard; Feather, Leonard; Atkinson, Terry; Johnson, Connie; Pond, Steve; Damsker, Matt; Grein, Paul; Waller, Don; Willman, Chris; Gurza, Agustin; Matsumoto, Jon; Baker, Chris; Shapiro, Marc; Reeves, Jim (December 16, 1984). "Guiding the Uninitiated Through the Top 40". Los Angeles Times. A COMPULSORY POWERFUL MUST READ BOOK FOR ANY TOURIST PLANNING TO VISIT THAILAND! LOYMACHEDO’S OVERALL RATING 9.5 OUT OF 10 From a Thai perspective, on the outside of the relationship, he offers the reader his own opinion on farangs who marry Thais. “ It seems to me, based on almost twenty years experience as a private detective, that the vast majority of farangs who marry Thai girls are sex tourists. And most of the Thai girls who marry Westerners are bargirls. This is a fact, no matter how unpalatable.”

The stories are feasible but Thailand can be very beautiful and a rather “normal” place too. What we should learn about this book:

Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5. Action from the get-go, this book hooks you from the first line. I’d heard some sob stories from farangs I‘d met and Leather’s take on what can and still does happen in ‘The Land of Smiles,’ rings very true; perhaps it even serves to educate those horny guys that come to Thailand and leave there brain at the airport! Thailand 1996. The Year Of The Rat. Pete, a young travel writer, wanders into a Bangkok go-go bar and meets the love of his life. Joy is the girl of his dreams: young, stunningly pretty, and one of the Zombie Bar's top-earning pole dancers. What follows is a roller-coaster ride of sex, drugs and deception, as Pete discovers that his very own private dancer is not all that she claims to be. And that far from being the girl of his dreams, Joy is his own personal nightmare.The book offers a very dark and grim vision about Thailand but I guess that’s expected. The story should have drama and something interesting to talk about otherwise, it might get boring, I accept that. A 177 date tour to promote the album took place from February 8, 1985, to December 28, 1985. Called the Private Dancer Tour, there were 60 shows in Europe, 105 in North America, 10 in Australia, and 2 in Japan. Opening acts in North America included Glenn Frey and Mr. Mister. As well as songs from the album, Turner performed hits from her time with Ike & Tina, such as " River Deep – Mountain High", " Nutbush City Limits", and " Proud Mary". For me, Thailand is all about the incredible food and the enhanced social life. The cheap cost of living helps too. For other guys, there might be other reasons. Thailand also enjoys fantastic weather all year round, safety, great entertainment, paradisiac-like beaches and many tourism options. That's the recipe that makes Thailand the top country in South East Asia. A book about horrible people, all of whom deserve each other. The sex tourists are ostensibly the protagonists and written sympathetically, so you forget that what they're doing is sleazy and exploitative. Joy is also a protagonist, but entirely soulless, though there are valid and Freudian excuses prevented for that soullessness, and though your delicate Western sensibilities may initially be mortified by her flagrant money-grubbing manipulation, you warm to her as the book goes on. Private Dancer’ captures an unfortunate tale of a travel-writer who falls in love with a beautiful working girl. He sees her dancing in a hostess bar, is instantly drawn to her and later pays her bar-fine and takes her home.

Pete moves to Thailand from London for work. He gets involved with a bar girl and prostitute Joy and is naive enough to think it’s love. He does everything for her and she in turn is using him, as bar girls do, to get money out of him. She also has a Thai boyfriend who Pete doesn’t know about. This book provides a lot of insight into these white men/bar girl relationships. In a way, it’s the kind of book a man should read before coming to Thailand and getting involved with these bar girls. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2022-11-03 21:02:43 Autocrop_version 0.0.14_books-20220331-0.2 Bookplateleaf 0002 Boxid IA40753216 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol.96, no.38. September 15, 1984. p.56. ISSN 0006-2510– via World Radio History.

Customer reviews

So if I had to summarize my entire book review in one sentence….this is what I would say… Private Dancer by Stephen Leather is….. These women by no means should be under-estimated or disrespected. They are in their own right powerful creatures of desire – who main purpose – is to survive this evil world. So in as much as I would like to point fingers – I have to say, I myself personally do not have a stellar record to do so. Private Dancer – THE CONCLUSION a b "Remarks at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception". Vol.41, no.49. United States Government Publishing Office. December 4, 2005. pp.1812–18151 . Retrieved June 18, 2022.