Memoirs of a Geisha

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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I loved this book. It kept me wanting more. I loved the insight to the world of these wonderful woman and made me really respect their sacrifice to be who they are.

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Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!!
Review: This is my favorite book in the world! I laughed, cried, and got actually ANGRY! You would, too! Little Chiyo-chan goes through an awful lot, she is taken away from her father and dying mother, ripped apart from her sister and sold to an "okiya" to become a geisha one day. Let's not mention Mother and Granny's cruelty. Hatsumomo is a very hateable character, she gets what she deserves. It's a story that you get attached and learn to know the characters (evern though they're real people) and feel for them. My personal favorite, besides Sayuri/Chiyo that is, is the geisha Mameha. I love this book I could read it over and over. I have definitely not been able to put this down and I have a new respect for geisha. I definitely recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: Reading just doesn't get better than this. In rich, stunning detail, Arthur Golden tells the story of a poor Japanese girl who is taken away to be a geisha. Her story is mesmerizing and deeply affecting. This book stayed with me for months and I already want to read it again. The characterization of Sayuri is amazing, I truly began to feel that I knew her well. Reading this book is like beautfiul a history lesson. Golden obviously knows his subject well and takes on the voice of a woman with satisfactory results. I learned a lot of things I never knew about the hard lives of the geishas. A very entertaining read that shouldn't be missed!

Rating:
Summary: A well written captivating book. Excellent!!
Review: This book has to be one of the best I've ever read; I could hardly put it down. When I wasn't reading it I found myself thinking about it or talking about it to friends. Golden's use of description and emotion pull you in and make you feel for the main character of the book. This book is an easy read, yet it doesn't insult your intelligence. Very well thought out, researched, and written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Summary: I too had the misconception that Geisha were prostitutes....
Review: However, I see that I was wrong! There is something magical about this novel that would never allow it to, as the previous reviewer stated, collect dust on a shelf. Even re-reading only parts of this biographical fiction is enough to immerse the soul in content. Sayuri's changed fortune, told with such expressiveness made me believe when first picking up the book and flicking through, reading the foreword, that is was a true biographical account - a credit to its author, Arthur Golden. Several subplots were lost along the way, for instance, what became of the Baron, Uchiro the painter,and of Auntie; what was Mameha's ultimate interest in the destruction of Hatsummo?, and perhaps the conclusion was a little too polished and abruptly ended - did we really all believe in this relationship Geisha Sayuri had with the mysterious chairman? The culture and grace of this Japanese history, however, was not lost within the novel, the elaborate and feminie details of traditional dress, customs and details of the life that these pampered women lead. The girlish heart of Sayuri and even Mameha allowed the reader to see the humanity beneath the painted expressions. Although being commercially pushed when it was released, this novel is a treasure.

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Summary: Not always you can decide to read a book just for the title
Review: When my wife gave me this book I didn't wanted to read it because I thought I knew what a Geisha is (I was wrong), when you start reading this book you get amazed of how cruel could be some parents, and even if the parents were good (like pumpkin parents that were dead, her uncle was the bad guy). But in this story you see how even a kid could survive in a good way even if she had almost everything against. The story is a pleasant one when you read it, nothing is boring, and you really learn about the Geisha life.

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Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha Erica E. Davis reader( Lauber; abridger)
Review: I am referring to the audio-cassette read by Elaina E. Davis and abridged by Lynn Lauber. There is a difference between abridging and cannibalizing. This should have been called a "condensation". The advertisement gives no hint of the running time which is far too short to tell the story. Erica E. Davis as the reader did a commendable characterization. The story itself is stripped bare, leaving the listener to wonder whether all sides of the tapes had been played. Read the book or get a more complete audio

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Summary: Detailed research but poor execution
Review: The Geishas' world in the early Thirthies and their hard way until they really become a famous of their kind is described in a very detailed and authetic way, so that the reader really gets to know the situation of that time. However, I found that the main-character was not well developed and you hardly get to know the real feelings of the narrator. The story told from the main-charcter's view is not the best way for the plot and the book sometimes reminded me of a cheap and trite novel, which basically is not the case. Sometimes - in the middle of the book - it was quite longwinded and it also lost it's spirit in the end, which is indeed far too romantic to be true - life is not made of this, specially not a Geisha's world. On the whole I can say that the author has done a lot of research and that the book is entertaining you during the whole weekend, but it can not be compared with really good literature.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely amazing!!
Review: I have read this book three times and I still can't get over how good it is! Golden's recount of geisha life absolutely immerses you into their cultural world correcting any misconceptions one may have of these amazing women. He manages to paint Sayuri in a beautifully delicate light. I have recommended the book to all my friends and those who have read it agree with me in saying that it is an amazing book!

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Summary: some successfull geishas.
Review: Some geishas have been very successfull. They really rescured companies by cheering up and entertaining. They helped to maintain very difficult and detailed relationships. Some of them quit their geisha carrers with happy endings. They usually do not show their existance to public no matter how they worked hard to solve the problems. I, as a kyoto native male, like this book very much.