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Women's Fiction
Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha

List Price: $49.95
Your Price: $31.47
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Breaking the Bounds of Morality...in a good way
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha has quickly become one of my favorite books that I have read several times over. It breaks through all we believe is morally right and socially acceptable, to make this young Geisha become a part of the reader. Arthur S. Golden writes in such a manner that the protagonist's hopes and fears easily become the reader also feels for her. Her internal and external struggles with what she knows to be true and what she is being told to do and except are brilliantly portrayed throughout the entire novel. I believe that all people, despite the different circumstances of our many different lives, feel sympathy and perhaps a sense of being able to relate the Chiyo in certain instances of her life. She comes alive on the pages. Memoirs of a Geisha is an enchanting novel about a young girl's coming of age in a subculture of the Japoneses' prized Geisha. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has ever struggled with finances, family, love, or life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Memoirs of a geisha
Review: WONDERFUL book, takes you into another culture and gives an awareness of women in that situation.Hard to imagine life in her shoes.

Highly recomended!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't judge this book by its cover!
Review: Don't be fooled by the enticing photo on the dust cover! This is NOT the autobiography of a Geisha. It is a concoction of pure fiction that caters to a female audience!

Men will hate it.

Women will love it.

For four hundred thirty six pages, we get to read about the catty behavior of geishas in a geisha house and endless descriptions of kimonos. Reckon it to four hundred middle-aged women in a singles bar when one eligible millionaire bachelor shows up. They forget the man and get caught up in destroying each other, meanwhile admiring and criticizing each other's choice of dress. I was never so bored in my life as when I was reading this book.

Golden stereotypes the Western philosophy of what a geisha is. He describes them as only being concerned with dressing nice and entertaining men, all the while not having a clue about the value of money. For good measure he tosses in lots of haiku and convenient little Japanese-sounding phrases that in general, compare something to a happening in nature; 'she is like the water that falls from a rock, landing only where it is destined to land' or somesuch nonsense that will satiate the palate of the naive.

In summary, I recommend that dear reader not waste money on what is purely nothing more than fictitious marketing hype, sugar-coated for the gullible audience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Magnificent Memoirs
Review: Although Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha was a fiction novel, the very realistic situations and Japanese detail made it read like a non- fiction book. Memoirs of a Geisha explained the interesting life of a geisha in great detail including the different ceremonies involved with the profession. Before writing this bestseller novel, Golden interviewed one of the last geishas in Japan. Using these interviews, Golden was able to reveal the stages in becoming a geisha such as the famous tradition of becoming a "younger sister" to a more experienced geisha. Golden constantly used different Japanese terminology which emphasized the detail. Many of the Japanese terms were unfamiliar to the average reader like ekubo, which is a type of Japanese desert. Since these terms had to be defined and explained, it sometimes took away from the flow of the plot. Despite the terminology, the way Golden used metaphors and similes to describe various incidents enables the reader to imagine a vivid picture of the scene in their mind. In one scene, Golden described the face of one of Sayuri's (the main character) suitors like "poorly sculpted clay." Along with the wonderful descriptions, Golden offered numerous different perspectives of many charachters which added to the intriguing storyline. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: This is simply one of the best books I have ever read! Would recommend to anyone who just wants to get lost in a great book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Delightfully realistic
Review: Allthough this is a work of fiction, it seems very real. Mr. Golden's knowledge about Japan and its customs is evident in the novel and makes you feel like you are there. Highly recommended reading for people interested in the life of the true Geisha.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: insightful
Review: It baffled me how a white man can have such great insight on a life of a Japanese women. I salute Golden for a very well written and entertaining book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best Books I Have Read
Review: When I first read the book I had a misconception about what a geisha was and I was not sure if the book would be worth the time. Every single chapter is written beautifully and at the end of each one I did not want to put the book down. It is a rare occasion that I read a book cover to cover, but this was the exception. The characters are well defined and the story never drags on. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a great story and expand their knowledge of a a different culture.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stunning
Review: I couldnt put this book down. Like many I started reading this book not knowing much about Geisha's or thier life style other than to think they were ladies of the night. How wrong I was. These woman are strong, brave and incredibly alluring. The struggles of Chiyo, the main character, broke my heart, from the moment her father tearfully sells her to Mr. Tanaka who then sells her(thinking to help her) to a okiya (a house for Geisha's), your heart goes out to her. And of course you hate and despise the evil Hatsumomo, but you also grow to pity her too. This was a wonderful story. One to make you think about long after you put it down. Truly one of the best I have ever read.

Tisha D. Boldery

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!!!!
Review: this book is awesome! it should be read by all who know what good books are.


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