Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: There is really no better of a way to describe this excellent novel other that to say that it was truly amazing. There was an abundance of culture and tradition in all of the novel. The emotion and reality in which the author uses in order to make Sayuri's story so real and heartfelt. Many times I could just imagine being there with Sayuri due to the fact that everything throughout the book is so realistic. I thouroghly enjoyed this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha Review
Review: I thought this was an excellent book. Although it is about the life a prostitute, I found that it was tastefully written. There were no passages graphic enough to offend me. I found it to be an interesting book, with a lot of insight to the Japanese people and their culture and customs.I recommend this book to all who have an interest in learning about a lifestyle different from their own.
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Summary: Memoirs review
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a very inspirational book about a young girl and her strength at surviving an unfortunate life she was forced into. With noone she loved there with her, she survived a life many of us can relate to as "Cinderella". This is definately a book that is hard to put down. It is a constant ride, as you soar through the novel. I reccommend this book undoubtfully to anyone who enjoys reading powerful, inspiring books.
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Summary: My review
Review: I found this an interesting and fascinating book. It was well written and easy to follow. However it started out slowly, but eventually picked up and was a lot more interesting once it did. The amount of research that the author obviously did, must have taken quite some time. I applaud him for his work, keep writing them, and we'll keep reading them.
Rating:
Summary: A World Away
Review: Would you like to just go away for awhile? Slip into another's world so far from your life that you can completely disappear? This is the gift I was given while I read Memoirs... I visited a world so foreign and exotic that I was tasting the bitter green tea, smelling the misty sea air, feeling the loss and sorrow, hearing the whispers of silk against skin and seeing the brilliant Kimonos light by dancing lanterns. For the hours spent inside this novel, I was given not just given a glimpse of another world, I was taken there. This is not a book you should skim through, or read while being distracted. This is a book you take to your best reading spot, curl up and let yourself breath the pages. If you have the time and space I urge you to give yourself to this book, otherwise save it for that rainy day when you just want to disappear. Either way it will not disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: The Disappearing Tradition of Geisha
Review: Once upon a time in Japan, there was a traditional role for certain women to play in the world of Japanese entertainment. This job provided women a certain independence from the everyday life of the world, and at the same time, it bound them to the whims of men. This role was that of a geisha, a woman whose job consisted of entertaining men.
This is the world that 'Memoirs of a Geisha' takes place. In the years before WWII, a young girl named Chiyo is orphaned and taken into a geisha house (okiya) as a maid. Years later, Chiyo takes on a new name, Sayuri, and becomes one of the most well-known geisha in Japan. She falls in love, combats a vindictive and cruel geisha named Hatsumomo, and lives a lifestyle that many of us can hardly imagine.
I thoroughly enjoy reading this book. I put this in present tense not because I am not finished, but because I have reread this story several times since I was first given this book, and I enjoy it all the more each time I read it. The allure of Gion, the magic of the geisha, and the vividly colorful characters in the story make this book appealing to all people, of mostly all ages (I received this book last X-mas at fifteen).
Growing up as half-Japanese, I found the book even more interesting as an exotic part of my culture. By reading 'Memoirs', I was learning more about my Japanese heritage. Descriptions of the preparations of a geisha, of Sayuri's thoughts and emotions, and her perception of the emotions of others were so realistic, it seemed as if the author had been in the room snapping pictures of everyone's expressions of anger, delight, jealousy, or attraction.
In mentioning attraction, one especially interesting factor in the character Sayuri was her blue-grey eyes. Probably 98.9% of Japanese people have dark brown eyes, so giving Sayuri the standout quality of having oddly colored eyes made it more interesting to read about how others reacted to her eyes. Yet had she had blonde hair, I doubt so many would have been impressed as much as they would be horrified!
There is a certain sadness about this story, in that the traditions of the geisha are slipping away, and that the magical world of Gion will soon vanish altogether. Read 'Memoirs of a Geisha', if not for the sole purpose of learning about a cultural tradition that is unique of Japanese society, and is more in danger than the spotted owl of becoming extinct.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't want this book to end
Review: I did not expect to like this book--somehow reviews rarely compel me to read anything. But a friend loaned it to me, insisting that it was one of her favorites, and I must read it to discuss with her. Far from the dry read of a textbook, the main character quickly established herself as someone to care about. From her experiences, pieces of the time and culture flowed naturally, making it feel like a trip with a friend through an entirely alien culture. This is one of the best book's that I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Excellence
Review: This morning I finished Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It is a phenomenal book. I don't think I can summon the words to describe how I feel about the book now that it's pages I can no longer turn. I will share how I felt about the book when I realized I was five chapters from the end. I almost cried. Never has a book unearthed a desire for me to long to know it's characters. This book was a mystical fantasy that danced rain drops of brilliance on my days making them glisten with anticipation. As each page turned I anticipated what would become of Sayuri. I anticipated what her day would weave. I became caught up in the colors of her journeys and the pains of her misfortunes. This book cheated me into believing that there was a Sayuri as it spoke of real life places and World War facts. Golden's writing had me believing, wanting and wishing. His descriptive narration had me spellbound. I want to know Sayuri. This morning I finished Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It is a phenomenal book. I don't think I can summon the words to describe how I feel about the book now that it's pages I can no longer turn. I will share how I felt about the book when I realized I was five chapters from the end. I almost cried. Never has a book unearthed a desire for me to long to know it's characters. This book was a mystical fantasy that danced rain drops of brilliance on my days making them glisten with anticipation. As each page turned I anticipated what would become of Sayuri. I anticipated what her day would weave. I became caught up in the colors of her journeys and the pains of her misfortunes. This book cheated me into believing that there was a Sayuri as it spoke of real life places and World War facts. Golden's writing had me believing, wanting and wishing. His descriptive narration had me spellbound. I want to know Sayuri. The cheat was a good cheat.
Rating:
Summary: NOT cinderella in a kimono
Review: Do not listen to anyone who says that this book is Cinderella in a kimono. There are actually few paralells in the two stories, and this one doesn't exactly have the happiest of endings.
Yeah, so anyway, Memoirs is written with an amazingly colorful language-the descriptions are absolutely mouth-watering. The characters are very distinct and real; they make you feel like you're living in the book. The book almost reads like a fantasy novel because the culture is so vibrant, so different. Personally, I was hooked from the beginning. But I have heard from others that the book takes a bit to get going. Mind that the book is pretty long, but it is quite worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Memiors of a Geisha
Review: Ideally, anyone can read this book. You have to have patience at the beginning, it can be hard to follow. It then has so many fun twist that no one could ever predict. Memoirs of a Geisha there is many different characters that are different from everyone. You really start to want to be in the book and be some of the characters at points in the book. The characters are all very strong and bold. You can see exactly how they are structured, just because of the detailed description you read. Some of the other characters you wonder why they are in there because they might seem thrown in, but in the end they are there for a reason. The books theme is basically about someone's culture and how it was. The tough struggles that one faces when put into challenging situations. Some of the emotions that stirred up people was really when the characters went through hard life struggles. Some of the struggles they had to do to survive were shocking. Then again you have to remember that's someone culture. I was extremely impressed with this book. It shows you when you read, exactly how you are supposed to read it. You read a good book, and you get a lot of cultural information. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a book to keep them interested.
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