Rating: 
Summary: A highly enjoyable glimpse into a mysterious world
Review: I thought that the book was really excellent! You could feel the grace and restaint of the main character through the author's writing. The store had many rich layers to it and it was a novel that left you feeling interested in reading more about the fascinating and sometimes sad world of the Geisha
Rating: 
Summary: utterly disappointing
Review: i read this book over a month ago and absolutely HATED it for most of the same reasons other readers here do. the only thing i can really add is that i work in a bookstore and i actively try to prevent people from buying this trash.
Rating:
Summary: This work of art touched me in all my secret woman's places.
Review: This author has taken me to places and times beyond my imagination. At times I feel that I am the heroine, so well does he describe the feelings, hopes and dreams of the young Chiyo. It amazes me that a male was able to write this novel, I was sure that a novel like this could only be written by a female. I highly recommend this book and look foward to others to come by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: didn't live up to its reviews
Review: I agree with the writer from Chicago. The first part was interesting, but the mystique was lost when Mr. Golden became grapic in his descriptions. I too felt as if I were in a pornographic harliquin romance.
Rating: 
Summary: You want to take this book in, in 1 sitting.
Review: This book is like drinking a cup of tea. You want to take it in , in one sitting.
Rating: 
Summary: A Woman's Evolution
Review: Having just finished this novel, I would agree with some of my co-readers that at the end it was a bit rushed. Even though, the book was very convincing as a true memior and imparted great insight into this part of women's history. I have already recommended it to friends confident they would find it interesting whether they like romances,history or even just for a little intellectual enjoyment. In all I enjoyed this book greatly and in today's world, I don't think any of us would mind consuming an enticing meal where the dessert was a bit less memorable.
Rating:
Summary: I loved every minute of it!
Review: It was a fantastic book! I learned so much about Japanese customs! It helped me to understand the Japanese people much better. Orientals have always been a mystery to me but reading this book has taught me very much and helped me understand their customs. The story was fantastic too! Every character was just as interesting as the next! It was so romantic the way it was all explained. It made me angry, cry and laugh. I was sad to see the book end.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, bad ending
Review: The book was great up to the ending which wrapped up the story with a neat bow. Yet that was not how the book read. It needed to be tragic, yet the ending was simple. Where was the writers originality!
Rating:
Summary: FORGIVE THE LITERARY WEAKNESS AND ENJOY THIS RICH READ!!!
Review: I'm sorry, mr. Golden, but you needn't compose your Nobel acceptance speech just yet. This book is great, just not on a literary level. Golden's writing is clunky but competent. The prose is weak, and the plot elements dissapointing. Nonetheless, the book is very fresh! It provides a window through which the reader experiences a unique and nuanced life. I knew very little about Geisha life before this book, and I'm thankful for the rich presentation of its intricacies that Mr. Golden has provided. The story could have been far more satisfying if Sayuri could have recognized the wisdom of Nobu's perspective and learned to control her own destiny (and perhaps even love an ugly man), rather than continuing her quest for her childish dream.
Rating:
Summary: Like two books in one - one exquisite, one conventional
Review: The first two-thirds of the book is mesmerizing. But the end of the book is so romance-novel conventional (and creepy - pedophilia is not romantic in any context), that I felt terribly used, as though I had been duped into reading a Harlequin romance disguising itself as literature. The ending also felt rushed, like the author realized his deadline was looming and had to finish the novel right away. There's no doubt that this book is very well researched, but that research might have been put to better use with a non-fiction account of geisha life.
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