THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN [Paperback]

Dean Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

For several years, Thai women have been well on their way to becoming international celebrities. The cheerful attitude, the graceful movement, the charming smile, the gentle nature, the lovely figure, the total lack of self-pity. All this and more seems to have combined into a Siamese bewitchment captivating men of almost every nationality. For many, the mention of Thai women conjures up the stereotype of unbridled sensuality in the lush Tropics. But in pictures and in text, Thailand: Land of Beautiful Women attempts to delve deeper into the reasons for their phenomenal popularity.

The author concludes that, from classical dancers to construction workers, from go-go dancers to rice farmers, their charm is far more than merely physical. Thai cultural values and the teachings of the Buddhist religion have endowed the women of Thailand with confidence, grace and intelligence.

Their attraction involves a vivaciousness, a well-developed sense of humor, and, perhaps, above all, the intelligence to deal with life’s problems while maintaining an almost childlike ability to delight in living. In other words, an attitude toward life which understands that life is meant to be enjoyed.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

It is seven in the evening and Bangkok's infamous Nana Plaza is coming to life. Neon signs are flickering on; flowers sellers and peanut sellers and garland sellers are already making their rounds; vans briefly block the narrow passageway into Nana to make last-minute deliveries of ice and soft drinks; sounds of music, laughter and motorcycle engines pierce the humid air; wispy curls of incense smoke rise above shrines dedicated to Brahma, Buddha, locals gods and various animist spirits. Dancers are enjoying last minute chili-flavored snacks or are already inside the go-go bars putting on their makeup. Men in short-sleeve shirts are laughing and drinking with the women working the beer bars, and killing time before the go-go action begins. Uninhibited eroticism permeates an evening air already so full of sensual promise that the Marquis de Sade himself might feel the need to run for cover.

About the Author

Dean Barrett has lived and traveled in Asia for over 20 years. His novels on Thailand are Kingdom of Make-Believe and Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior. His novels set in China are Hangman’s Point and Mistress of the East. Several of his plays have been staged in the United States and his musical set in 1857 Hong Kong, Fragrant Harbour, was selected by the National Alliance for Musical Theater to be presented on 42nd Street, NYC. For five years, he wrote a satire column in the Hong Kong Standard shamelessly posing as a Chinese gentleman, “Uncle Yum Cha” (Uncle Drink Tea). He is a member of Dramatists Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and the China Round Table.

His mystery novel with a Chinese detective set in Manhattan will appear in the fall of 2001 and is titled, Murder in China Red. He is well into his next novel on Thailand, a mystery entitled, Skytrain to Murder. Although he admits he still doesn’t know why the victim was killed, who the killer is, or what it has to do with the Skytrain. He is also traveling between Bangkok and China writing a wacky, nonsensical and possibly imbecilic travel book entitled, Don Quixote in China: The Search for Peach Blossom Spring. Mr. Barrett lives in Bangkok.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Village East Books (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966189930
• ISBN-13: 978-0966189933
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,655,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of pictures, not enough research, April 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN (Paperback)

I have two major problems with this book. First, the photos' only saving grace is that they are of unquestionably beautiful women. Otherwise, they are unprofessional. Supposedly candid photos are obviously posed, photos have awful quality, many are obviously taken without professional-quality flash equipment, and some have hotel rooms as their background unnecessarily. The overall effect is that of a high-schooler's "My Trip to Thailand" picture album.

The second problem is the lack of research backing up the author's assertions about Thai women's culture and how it affects their personalities. It would be very easy, for example, to back up assertions about Buddhist influence with the relevant teachings of the Buddha. Also, Barrett is unclear about his sample size. Is he making these assertions based on his interviews with a hundred women? ten? three? It's never really clear. There are several places where anecdotes would be additive, but assertions are instead left to stand alone. For instance, in his section on bar girls, Barrett notes the differing attitudes toward the job that Thai women have. He includes a couple of anecdotes in the section generally, but that particular paragraph would have benefitted from "point-counterpoint"-style dual anecdotes. Also he switches styles about midway through the book, which is annoying. In the bar girl section, he makes a very real effort not to make any generalizations about the women in that field, but elsewhere in the book (most of the first half) he makes some pretty extreme generalizations, with minimal explanation/discussion. Last, Barrett is generally pretty good about avoiding extremes. However, he takes a couple of chances to take potshots at Western women, which are really unnecessary--and moreover not clearly true (he asserts, for example, that it is Western women, not Western men, who first promoted the idea that Asian women are "submissive," because the Western women were "jealous." An interesting idea, but totally uncorroborated either by Barrett or by any other historian).

Overall, I'm not questioning the truth of most of Barrett's assertions. Hey, most of them ring pretty true to anyone who has spent time among Thai people, and it's actually nice to hear a voice that acknowledges that neither the feminist extreme opinion of Thai women nor the misogynist extreme opinion are correct. But it would be nice if, especially for biggest generalizations he makes ("Thai women value harmony and happiness"--ok, who doesn't?), he had some hard data backing them up. Between this problem and the unprofessional photos, I would say this book is either a good starting point or a good ending point for a man interested in and researching finding love in Thailand, but definitely should not be your only source of information.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice photos, needs more text., August 19, 2004

By 

D. Steinmetz "dwsteinme" (Georgia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN (Paperback)

Author Barret is obviously in love with the women of Thailand.
Looking at the pictures, I can understand why. It almost seems to be a fascination that borders on obsession. While it's a very good book overall, the text, although short and to the point in most cases, is spaced sporadically through the pictures. Paragraph, photo, photo, photo, paragraph, photo, etc.
Makes for awkward reading. There are a few revealing pictures, women shown topless, but with their nipples covered by yellow stars, something I thought was a bit cheesy and childish. Like Barret, or maybe the publisher (Village East Books) never stopped to think that most people who buy this book will more than likely be adult males over the age of 18. Some of the remarks about how Western women, out of jealousy, belittle Thai women, may offend some American females. They definitely have something to be jealous of........the women of Thailand are indeed mysterious as well as beautiful. If you're looking for a more in-depth account of Thailand and it's people, this is not the book. But for an interesting glimpse into the lives of the women of Thailand, this book will fit the bill. Loads of nice color photographs.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thailand: Land of Beautiful Women, November 5, 2001

By 

M. Fisher "Biography Reader" (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN (Paperback)

Dean Barrett has done an excellent job of describing what Thail women are like. Aside from being beautiful, they have such an easy going, pleasant attitude towards life that Western men rarely see in Western women. As a recent traveler to Thailand, I bought the book to compare what the author found to my own experiences. Not only is the book a fast, pleasant read, the photos are first rate and Mr. Barrett has a good eye for the beauty displayed by Thai women in all walks of life. If you have never been to Thailand and have only heard stories about the women of Thailand, this book is an excellent reference for you. It will make you want to purchase a ticket to Thailand as soon as possible!