Rating: 
Summary: A classic
Review: I read this book because I saw so many of the reviews of it were so positive and I like books on Asian culture ( i.e Amy Tans work etc.). I found this book a wonderful dive into the life of a Geisha and the many calamities the main character meets when she is young, that lead her to this life. Its a book where you become involved with the characters and the fluid writing makes you feel you in another place, another time. Its hard to believe a man wrote it. Add this to your, "must read" list, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Travel Companion
Review: I bought the book at LAX on my way to NY for a Thanksgiving holiday with my in-laws and I tell you, it was better than bringing along my best friend. On the long plane ride, after long days spent socializing, it was wonderful to fall on the mat at the Okida and just lay there and watch and listen... you can HEAR every raindrop this author describes, every whisper spoken in the late night. I've never read a book that so delighted my senses. Ironic, for all the sensual pleasure it gives, it is not a sexually explicit book. What is also rare is that you fall in love with all the characters from the very beginning - even the antogonists (which are numerous). I agree the ending was a bit rushed and disappointing, but it did not spoil the delightful experience this book was. It was more disappointing that it was over.
Rating: 
Summary: I want to give it zero star _ _ _ _ _ !
Review: It is so fake, unrealistic, and old fashion.
Rating: 
Summary: I won't even address the stupid ending...
Review: Either way the book fell short. I would guess that the jumping point was when Hatsumomo is forced to leave, and we are told that she ends up being a prostitute. The resolution was much too pat, and we were deprived of ever gaining anymore insight into one of the book's seemingly most compelling characters. It all went downhill from there, as the growth of every supporting character, with maybe the exception of Nobo-san, was stunted. As I said, I won't even take into consideration the ridiculous, condescending rush-ending we were subjected to.The first chapter was brilliant, and so promising. It was written beautifully; the execution, flawless(and remained this way until the third or fourth chapter). The awkward use of metaphor, and pretentious pondering of what was already clearly implicated was almost absent from the first half of the book. Little Chiyo-chan was more of a complex character than Nitta Sayuri ever came close to being. Granted, she wasn't a geisha; but rather a fascinating psychological study. Mr. Tanaka was better realized and written, and more intriguing than The Chairman could even dream of being. The Mameha who only helped Chiyo because of a built-in and innate, self-righteous need to eliminate and blot out what was imperfect and unworthy (Hatsumomo) was a hundred times more real and interesting than the honorable and compassionate woman-of-her-word she was revealed to be later.
Rating:
Summary: a great novel
Review: Arthur S. Golden worked 10 Years on this book, and he pesents an eloberate and fascinating insight view on the very old tradition of being a geisha, which has been often misunderstood.
Rating:
Summary: Memorable Memiors
Review: I counldn't put it down! At the end of each chapter the next to the last page usually gave me a place to stop, but if I finished the chapter I had to go on to the next one.The story flows beautifully with enough detail to allow the reader to see life through her eyes, but not so much it drags on. It is beautifuuly written and I recomend it to anyone who is tired of Harry Potter (not to say Harry Potter was not great in it's own right) type books.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: What an amazing amazing work of literature! I cannot remember ever being this moved by a novel. I not only could not put the book down for the few days it took me to read it, but thought about it while meanduring through my own life. I was out dancing at a nightclub on my 31st birthday and remember looking at my friends and I having so much fun and how lucky we should feel not to be enslaved in the profession of a geisha's life. However, reading on the next few days, realizing how similar all of our lives really are, even though we are from different cultures and generations. It is a very profound and lovely book and one I will recommend to anyone and everyone. Amazing!
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: I have always been fascinated by the life of a geisha, so naturally I bought this book. I have just started reading again for leisure (during college I didn't have time). This is the best book I have ever read, I could not put it down. I had to remind myself that it was almost all fiction. I don't have the words to describe how great this book was. I became engrossed in the characters (especially Chiyo/Sayuri) and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. If you want a good book, or are interested in Japanese culture and geishas, I highly recommend this book. I hope that I can find another book as good as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Blown Away
Review: If you do not have time to read much, as I don't, take the time to pick this one up. Memoirs of a Geisha is moving, attention-grabbing, page-turning, and riveting. Some of the other reviews claim that this book is not very Japanese. I cannot comment on that since I have not studied Japanese culture, but I can say that your eyes will be glued to every page. I find it amazing that a western man was able to write such a compelling novel about a Japanese woman.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy of geisha life, not reality
Review: Golden does a good job introducing us to the world of the geisha with this "page turning" novel. However, the exoticism of the geisha proves to be more interesting than the characters he's created. I think what attracts us to this book is the discovery of the "hidden" world of the geisha that is forbidden to most Westerners (just try taking a picture of a real geisha in Gion!) Sure, the narrator is an interesting girl, but her life is ultimately a tale of success piled upon success. I would have liked to have heard the book from the point of view of Pumpkin, perhaps, or one of the less-successful geisha. What disturbs me is that it seems somehow wrong to depict the geisha life in the fairy-tale like manner Golden has done, when it seems (by his own account) that a geisha's dreams rarely came true. This leaves us with a false impression of reality and does little to clarify what being a geisha actually meant. Of course, if one is interested in just a good story, then my criticism can be put aside. As everyone knows, this is an excellent tale, but it is just a tale.
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