One Hot Summer in Kyoto [Paperback]

John Haylock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1993

A clever British bedroom farce about English teacher Peter Meadowes, who flees to Kyoto for a summer vacation and finds himself lusting after every woman he sees, oblivious to his own foibles. A wonderfully satirical view of Japan.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Peter Meadowes, the "hero" of Haylock's ( A Touch of the Orient ) polished new novel, is an egocentric, bigoted control freak who reads the Marquis de Sade and abuses women mentally and emotionally. An English professor living in Japan, he ships his wife and child back to England for the summer while he flees Tokyo for the ancient capital of Kyoto, supposedly to work on his book about a T'ang poet. But his real objective is to get away from Noriko, his possessive Japanese mistress. The informal caretaker of the house Meadowes rents is Kazumi, a beautiful young Japanese woman. Immediately attracted, he is determined to possess her. His supposedly relaxing summer becomes even more complicated with the unexpected arrival of Miss Goto, a former student whom Meadowes likewise uses then casts off, then of Noriko and, finally, of his wife. This delightful satire derives much of its humor and irony from the fact that this boor, who has only occasional flashes of self-insight, is telling his own story: the more he talks, the stronger the case against him becomes.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Consistently entertaining." -The Spectator -- Review

"Gloriously ironic." -Donald Richie -- -Donald Richie

Peter Meadowes teaches in Tokyo, but is on vacation in Kyoto away from a commanding wife that loathes Japan (and who is back in England). He also is seeking relief from Noriko, his grim Japanese mistress. But in the small wood & paper Japanese house he has rented, he finds something unexpected: another woman to desire. Kazumi is seductive, yet she always manages to slip away. Then Noriko arrives, madly possessive but shares giggles with Kazumi. Next to arrive is Miss Goto, polite, apologetic, a serious lover of theater who turns an elaborately staged seduction into a comedy of errors. When wife Monica unexpectantly shows up from England, Meadowes must choose -- and fast! John Haylock's novel vividly evokes the languid torpor of summer in the city of temples and gardens. One Hot Summer In Kyoto is a steamy farce about obsessive lust in an underbelly of duplicity, discontent, and fear. Remaining in Japan may be impossible, but escaping only creates the desire to return. One Hot Summer In Kyoto is engaging, witty, great summer read! -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press; 1st U.S. ed. edition (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880656086
• ISBN-13: 978-1880656082
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,312,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read..., November 12, 2000

By 

Erren Geraud Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Hot Summer in Kyoto (Paperback)

the only thing more shocking than the protagonist of " one hot summer in kyoto," (he carries on with 4 women at the same time) is that the women in the story don't seem to be infuriated by his lascivious behavior. peter meadowes is an english professor spending the summer in kyoto japan, when he meets kazumi,who is staying at his home.peter tries to seduce kazumi, but she rebuffs his advances, even resorting to flirting with peter's friend, bob, also a professor. while peter is trying to bed kazumi, peter is callus to his other mistress, noriko, who loves him and is wholly devoted to peter, even though he has fallen out of love with her. ms goto comes into the picture next : a former student of peter, she tries to seduce him, but is unsuccessful, but she still wants him. and to make things more complicated, monica , who is peter's wife, comes to kyoto while all the other women are there at the same time.

can you say juggling act?

it would be easy to hate peter: he is a brooding , arrogant, self-serving, womanizer. he drinks too much, is fat and hardly seems like the kind of man a woman would be attracted to. but is also intelligent, sophisticated, and has money, which compensates for his flaws. in spite of peter, i enjoyed the book very much because mr. haylock showed perfectly the portrait of a man who becomes a slave to his deviant desires; he wants to be loved, but can't seem to get free of his demons. he knows kazumi is unattainable and will never love him, but he still tries to woo her. noriko deserves better, but still stands by her man, waiting for him to come around. monica and peter's relationship is symbiotic; he only married her for her money. i was surprised when monica was around kazumi, noriko, and ms. goto at the play that she didn't suspect something or get hysterical at peter. maybe she knew of his behavior and simply chose to ignore it?

mr. haylock deserves praise for telling the story with style and grace. it is very sensual and erotic, yet it never becomes rank or explicit; there are very few four letters in the novel. a pretty good read.

5.0 out of 5 stars but you will be in Japan..., April 11, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Hot Summer in Kyoto (Paperback)

Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (3/07)

If you ever wanted to see a different side of Japan, this is the book for you. John Haylock uses his 14 years of experience in Japan as a teacher and a writer to create "One Hot Summer in Kyoto." He tells of a man taking a trip to Kyoto after shipping his wife and children back to England. Peter Meadowes really should have covered his tracks more. He gets interested in Kazumi, the caretaker of the house he is staying in, but she keeps rejecting him. Her creativity in how to get away from Peter is very entertaining. It's a case of him lusting after someone he can't have! Kazumi does kiss him but it's only when others are around.

He has a mistress in Japan but all things aren't well there either. You see, Peter is lusting after Kazumi, so Noriko doesn't look as good to him as he originally thought. Noriko meets up with Kazumi. It's a very funny part of the book when Noriko and Kazumi talk in Japanese and Peter's conscience gets the best of him. As if it's not bad enough having his mistress and the one who he wants to be with conversing in a language he doesn't fully understand, but he hears from his wife Monica. She plans on making a trip to Japan to surprise him. This is not the kind of surprise Peter will enjoy.

When Monica arrives she rattles the door and Peter is forced into a rather weak excuse. When she asks him what he is doing down there, he replies "Having supper." It is fast answers that add to the humor of this book. Peter had plans to go to the theater with one of his women, but now his wife is there. He comes up with an idea for her to come along; however, she asks what is showing. Monica asks them if it is a play of disillusionment. If she only knew just how her husband had been acting during his weeks of summer in Kyoto. Peter leaves Japan at the end but only with looking back to what could have been. Will he ever be able to get Japan and its many "attractions" out of his mind?

Having had a friendship with an exchange student from Japan years ago made this a delightful read. It brought back memories of my friend talking about how beautiful her country was and how unique their culture is. "One Hot Summer in Kyoto" is definitely a book for adults' reading enjoyment. I think that John Haylock has accomplished his purpose in "One Hot Summer in Kyoto" in creating an environment where you can experience Japan and its many different ways.

You can travel to Kyoto, Japan without leaving home when reading "One Hot Summer in Kyoto." If you have ever visited Japan, you will recall how beautiful the scenery is there. If you are into romances and the "other woman" stories, this is a must read. Often times you will feel like you are right there with the characters. You won't be in the community bath but you will be in Japan otherwise.

Received book free of charge.