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Summary: where did the story go?
Review: I began this book with great relish. From the opening pages to about three quarters of the way through, I was completely hooked. But toward the end, it's as if the author was told he had to wrap things up in 20 pages or less! All the fine descriptions and in-depth character development give way to a rushed, abrupt, Hollywood ending that left me highly unsatisfied.
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Summary: This is the best book ever!!!!
Review: I bought this book on September tenth and finished on the twelvth. The book is so good it is almost addictive. You totally grow to love the character. By the end you feel as though you are like the characters best friend. Overall, I thought this was the best book I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Competent, Low Calorie Novel
Review: Thin characters, thin romance. Seasoned and decorated with cultural descriptions. Written competently in the first person, a pseudo-memoir well handled keeping this reader to the end of the novel.
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Summary: If you want to get lost in a book, this is the one!
Review: I actually cancelled some social engagements while I was in the middle of this book. While not without its flaws--the main character could be more complex, and the antagonist just disappears --this novel transported me. A true tour de force for the author, whose knowledge of the culture and history is captivating. Can't wait for the movie.
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Summary: Fascinating cultural insights and great love story to boot
Review: Golden is somehow able to speak from the sole of a woman and from a culture not generally known to westerners. He excells in paying attention to the details. Damm good love story as well!
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Summary: Fascinating and meticulously written
Review: Along with the other virtues everyone has mentioned, I must add this is a very witty novel with some of the humor rendered in a deadpan, ironic tone. If you're interested in Chinese slave-prostitutes at the turn of the century who were smuggled into America, check out Lisa Mason's novel, The Golden Nineties at Amazon.com. This is a time-travel tale.
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Summary: I wish Amy Tan wrote this instead...
Review: I found that the writing in this book to be lacking. The author tries to pull off some descriptions and imagery seen through the Oriental eye, but fails: there were too many cliches. He should seriously take some lessons from Amy Tan, who is truly a master of this art. I felt that the author could have included more Japanese terms to make the novel a little bit more authentic (again, Amy Tan does this so well!). Also, this novel went back and forth from being a soap opera to a documentary...this just doesn't work. The author doesn't do a good job of converting his research into fiction. It seemed like that in order to make it seem authentic, he took the research, pasted it on to paper and called it a novel. A little more editing would've been useful...Positively, I learned a lot from this research, even though it wasn't well presented. I'm looking forward to watching the movie...
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Summary: Almost perfect !
Review: This book conjures up a vanished world, when rituals are performed daily and elaborate costumes worn. When men in Western suits talked to white-faced apprentice geishas, and kimono can earn a girl her independence. The protagonist is a strong-willed person, aided by a cunning and beautiful senior geisha who is adept at subtlety and tiny tricks which these artisans employ everyday to help them ascend to the top of their trade. This book is a fascinating insight into an extinct existence, and all the intricate details of old Gion is recreated lovingly and with much authenticity. Absolutely riveting, charming, piquant and alluring.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha was the most interesting and enjoyable novel I have read this year. I am looking forward to the movie.
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Summary: A look into a foriegn culture- that may not be so foreign.
Review: This book takes you to a time and place that is as far away as Asia itself.Yet somehow it is familiar.Human nature ties us all together and this is what makes you love the book. To the author I say only, Domo Arrigato.
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