Customer Reviews

THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This book is a great introduction to the women of the Land of Smiles. 160 pages of photographs and lots of text. Of course, I've been to Bangkok a number of times so I might point out that as great as the women look in the book they are even better in person, up close and personal.

But what I really like is the often witty and well reasoned discussion of why men are crazy about Thai girls and why western girls get so upset about the situation. Like the author says, everybody has his or her own spin to put on the situation. Charming and beautiful, yeah, but if you marry a country girl best to keep her ikn the Thai countryside. Not try to westernize her. It won't take and it will just cause trouble. In other words, don't be afraid to live in Thailand and get a bit involved in the culture. The more you know about Thailand, the molre chance of having a great relationship with a thai woman. Anyway, that's my two baht worth. I think this great book will open a few eyes.

I like the way this book is divided up into a kind of cultural and historical text on Thai women and then text on the nightlife scene in Bangkok. No doubt feminazis will hate this book but they could learn a lot from it. Barrett makes clear it is not only the beauty of the women but also their attitude that makes them so in demand. There are 160 pages of color photographs and taken all together a reader can't help but get a good picture of what Thai feminine charm is all about. I still tend to prefer Vietnamese but Thai ladies are fantastic as well. Maybe the author will tackle Vietnam next!

This book is simply a photograph book with very little text and insight. Most pictures have extended captions, but still offer very little. I mean, the expectation was that it would show off the most beautiful women of Thailand in various situations. Although it fills the latter, the women do not show off the country's best. I realize he was trying to show the beauty of the rice worker, etc, but I was dissapointed to see the same women in 4,5 or more photos. I think the allure is with the photos of the go-go girls, and although erotic, don't get it for this reason alone. The text on the go-go world is interesting, but I have read tons more simply off the web.

This book is a lot of fun and does capture the sanuk (joy) spirit of the way Thailand is, especially the bar scene. There is the other side to the bar scene in which some of the girls fall into gambling or drugs and the writer mentions this but doesn't dwell on it. Which is OK because most bargirls don't end up as drug addicts.

A lot of guys fall in love too quickly with Thai bargirls and then there might be problems later but that could be said for bargirls and men who love them anywhere. Barrett stresses the positive but seems to have researched well, and I have read his novel, Kingdom of Make-Believe, so I know that he knows Thailand well.

Again half the book is on bars but this is probably OK because Thailand nightlife is what is world famous. Some are really cute but the construction workers in the first section have my vote.

All in all a well done fun book and full of info for anybody who is about to go there...

This photobook explores the world of Thai women and why they drive western men nuts. Having known some men who married Thai women I can understand why men fall for them. They are charming and beautiful and feminine and all the author says about them but I also know the bargirls can be very tricky like maybe writing to a dozen guys at the same time professing how much they are in love with them. Mr. Barrett might have urged a bit of caution but still I cannot fault what he says about these lovely women. They do have an enjoyment in life that you don't find in many western women these days.

This book comes as a pleasant surprise. A nice souvenir to take home and make others jealous of my trip to Thailand. The writing is informative, the photographs are excellent and the girls are absolutely beautiful. Beautiful Thai women in sarongs and beautiful Thai women in bikinis. What more could any man want? The author obviously is in love with his subject matter. Well done!

Thanks to this book I understand what all the fuss is about over the ladies of Thailand. If they are as cool and good-looking as in this book, then it's a no-brainer. "An attitude that life is meant to be enjoyed." Now that IS refreshing. The bargirls are great but the girls in the countryside appeal to me the most. Of course, as the author says, many of the bargirls are from the countryside, anyway. Thailand here I come!