Reminded me a bit of Pride and Prejudice, only instead of the prize going to the one who marries the richest nobleman, it goes to the one who gets the highest bid for her virginity, and can thus buy herself out of slavery and perhaps even inherit the brothel. The drama plays out more or less as you expect it to, so the interesting part is the contrast between prostitution as we know it and the Japanese version of it. It’s clear that while vastly more training and respect were given to the profession there, it was still sexual slavery (contrast it with McCabe & Mrs. Miller). I would have liked less emphasis on the familiar drama and more on the unfamiliar culture, but I guess I could go read the book, couldn’t I?