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Summary: Personally, a new view of Japan
Review: Personally, I've never been a lover of the Japanese culture, but this book has changed that. It's certainly full of suspense and an excellent romance, but, more importantly, it brings the culture and the times up so close that I felt as though I was a little Japanese girl being raised to become a geisha. I was involved emotionally from the beginning and could picture in my mind the place and every detail of it. I am truly sorry that it is over.
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Summary: Interesting Reading
Review: It was a little difficult to get into this book in the beginning, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the detail that was given on the life and clothing of the geisha.
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Summary: Oh... it's fiction. Could've fooled me.
Review: Some kind of book! I must say, it was tip top. I also have to admit that I thought it was non-fiction until I read the note at the end *blush*. I'm sure if you've read it, you'll understand how I made the mistake, because everything was so vivid. I almost cried at the emotional repression of the Giesha, they all seemed so real to me; I was so mad at Hatsumomo. What a different world to experience; thanks Arthur.
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Summary: An exquisite read
Review: This was a selection for our book review club and my personal "best book of the year" for 2000. It paints a haunting picture of a young, poverty-stricken girl who is sold into the geisha profession and what becomes of her. It was difficult for me to believe that the author was male as his descriptions of her emotions, professional wardrobe and daily life seemed so realistic. Truly a most enjoyable and informative read.
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Summary: Neither history nor fiction
Review: This book was introduced to me as good historical fiction. It is neither good history nor good fiction. This book seems to be written by a person smitten by Japanese culture. The author seems to be so interested in talking about the culture that he forgets to build a story with depth and meaning. While the main characters have some depth, the rest seem to be more caricatures than real people. The plot line is all too predictable and offers no surprises.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: Memoirs of a geisha is a really good read, an interesting, haunting and absolutely believable story, excluding one thing and that's the Chairman affair - he is a character of the book and he plays an important part in the main character's life. The ending of the book seemed unreal to me and the Chairman has an active part in the ending. This is the cause of 4 stars. If I could have given 4.5 stars, I would have but there is no 4.5 stars mark...The book is fantastic because we don't know anything of geishas, many people think they are prostitutes which they aren't. It isn't easy to become a geisha and it isn't a choice of becoming one. I've always been fascinated of Japanese culture and geishas are part of this culture. Before this book I didn't know too much of them. I can't say now I know everything, but I got a slice of it. For example I've never heard of mizuage (the process in which an apprentice geisha becomes a real one) and it was absolutely shocking to me. This world is a strange world, and the rules of this world are unknown to us - I think they will forever remain unknown. So if you want to have a sleepless night and you're interested in this culture, you should read this book. I didn't write anything about the story - I don't want to spoil the fun and the shocks. And for those who aren't interested in this culture it is a good starter to become interested.
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Summary: Golden's artistry with words sears vivid mental images
Review: My ex-coworker told me she was reading Memoirs of a Geisha, a book that our large library system library hadn't ordered even months after it was on the NYT Best Seller list. I think it was because Arizona cowboy-types couldn't relate to Geishas and also the abundance of conservatives here who voted for Bush, weren't attracted to the Geisha (...) thing. My coworker said it was WONDERFUL !!!! , with great emphasis. I wouldn't have "read" it if I didn't come across it unabridged on tape. I mean, I wouldn't have taken the time read this thick volume on hard copy, as I rarely read fiction. I later turned Geisha onto another friend. They took it on vacation, thought it was WONDERFUL! Well I thought it was wonderful too, an engrossing trip to another world and culture. It was hard to come back to "my real world here and now", after my reading ssessions, so lost in the Geisha world did I become with that book. The book reviews said the author described the life of a Geisha quite accurately. But what I liked most about the book was it's picturesque writing, choice of words, so......like painting a picture. This is Golden's first book. How does he put those words together to paint such images? Amazing! That in itself is such a work of art, worth reading just for that. I am not one for spending three pages describing the lace on a woman's collar, like Jean Auel does. I don't have patience for that. All I can remember is the length spent on the description of the lace as irritating, not remembering anything about the lace itself. Arthur Golden does does not need lengthy descriptions. His words weave very vivid pictures in your mind, that would cause you to remember the scenes and characters for the rest of your life. I remember reading the same descriptive phrases over and over just to marvel over his sometimes cute and amusing choice of words to paint that picture. Wow! Such talent! At this point, ...has over 1500 reviews. What the reviewer said about the 2-cassette abridged version is absolutely true, though I read the unabridged version on tape, I could imagine that a 2-cassette version could impart what I am talking about above, when you have a good reader reading such poignant and charming writing.
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Summary: Still absorbing
Review: This book is really a difficult one to rate. I'd probably give it 4.5 stars if that were an option. The book was a fairly quick read, I was able to get caught up in the story, and the payoff was satisfying. But maybe a little too satisfying. Chiyo undergoes a dramatic transformation and that's all well and good, but things end up wrapped neatly into a little package and I'm not sure if I liked that or not. The book was superbly written, and very dramatic, but I just felt like I wanted more. Maybe the book was a little too short. Maybe the climax wasn't high enough and maybe there was not enough time to absorb the climax and conclusion. There seem to be some points when the author said to himself "I'll just skip over that part" although he fleshed out most everything. This is a great book and came in handy when sumo wrestling was on ESPN at TGIFridays. I'm amazed at how much I pick up on the little details in books of this nature. And that is one thing that Golden does extremely well. He minds the details. But not to the point where you feel like he's bashing you over the head with it. Although I fear I may turn into my father and start walking around the house saying the three Japanese words I know (it happens everytime he reads Shogun), I did enjoy the cultural knowledge I gained through this book. I would be interested to know how much of this story could be true. Although I know the character is fiction, I wonder how much could have been based on reality. Well, either way, the book is a wonderful read. You really feel for Chiyo throughout her life and embrace her character. I truly felt her despair, her love, and her joy.
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Summary: Sometimes you can't believe that the author's a man...
Review: ...because he so completely captures the voice of Sayuri, the girl from a poor fishing village who was sold and became a great geisha. I almost missed my train twice, this book so completely sucked me into 1930's Japan. The characters, particularly Sayuri, are some of the most compelling, from Hatsumomo, the cruel geisha who jealously guards her position, to Mameha, the geisha who decides to help Sayuri. I also learned a lot about the geisha culture - all the more interesting because the reader is learning about it alongside Sayuri. If you like to read because reading is a form of escape into another world, this is definitely a book you should pick up.
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Summary: Why waste your time reading my review...
Review: ...when you could be reading this book??? A friend of mine recomended this book to me, and I found that I simply couldn't put it down... it is that good. This book is tremendous; the characters, the plot, everything is flawless. I completely recomend it to anyone and everyone!
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