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Summary: an enchanting and facinating read
Review: "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Aurthur Golden is a thought-provoking novel, dealing with the themes of adversity, and in many cases, its resolution, was written to allow its readers an insight into the lives and depth of the Geisha culture. The book is written in such a convincing manner, in which an elderly retired Geisha reflects back on her life story. So convincing infact that as a reader, I felt as if I was standing in her shoes and experiencing the life and adventures of the Geisha first hand!"Memoirs of a Geisha", set during the period between the Depression (late 1920's) and the 2nd World War, leads us by the hand of the main character,Chiyo-Chan htroughout her enchanting tale of love, hope, hatred and happiness. Chiyo-chan's life begins in a smalll fishing village where at the time she is living with her impoverish family. However due to unfortunate circumstances, she and her sister are forced to begin a new life in the city of Kyoto. Chiyo is sold to a renowned Geisha house wherre she is forced to learn the arts of the Geisha culture, such as music, dancing, poaring sake and wearing Kimono."Memoirs of a Geisha" to my mind, is an important novel on the theme of adversity and the Geisha culture which elaborates mainly on how the main character overcomes lifes barriers which she is faced with. Through the events and the main character, I found I learnt so much, not only about the themes incorporated in the novel, but also about the japanese traditional Japanese arts, which are dealt whith using the enchanting tale of one of the most celebrated Geisha in Japan.
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Summary: A FANTASTIC book....what more can I say
Review: A fantastic book ! I was so disappointed to learn that Arthur Golden didn't have any other books, but I'll just have to wait like the rest of ya' Don't miss this book
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Summary: A must read! Stunning!
Review: A beautifully written story which seems to accurately portray the life of Geisha. The book transports you that time and place in Gion and you just can't put it down! Don't miss the PBS special called The Life of Geisha, it really makes it all real!
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Summary: A wonderfully written and captivating peice of art.
Review: In his novel, Golden has captured the essance and misunderstood life of a Geisha. He takes us through a remarkable world of beauty,hardships, freindship, cruelty, and love. Through a former geisha's eyes he tells a tale of a child raised in a small fishing town, torn away from her home and forced to work in an oikya and train to become a geisha, while another cold hearted geisha strives to make her life as difficult as possible. From the first page you will be emersed in the world of japanese culture, by the end you will find you'reself to be almost sad that the book is at it's end. Memoirs of a Geisha is an erotic and gripping novel, about women seducing the most powerful of men and the wonders of a dying tradition. I suggest this book for anybody who wants to read a truely great and mesmerizing novel.
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Summary: Memoirs --
Review: Memoirs of A Geisha, Written by Arthur Golden -- A small girl living in a quiet fishing village discovers her destiny is soon to be delivered to her very doorstep. In this Novel by Arthur Golden, the world as young "Chiyo" knows it transforms and transpires into a world in which she cannot choose for herself -- she succumbs to being taken from her village, her parents, her sister, her Life. From here, Chiyo will learn the hardships, trials and tribulations of what is expected of her at "okiya" and endure many years to follow. It is certainly a turbulent ride, but she refuses to sacrifice her passion for justice. Chiyo's glimmer of hope revolves around this: Perhaps one day, she too will become a geisha. Perhaps this is the only way out of "Gion" or into the life which once remained a mystery to her. My personal site is located at: www.sindushi.com
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Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: A great story to read. This book should be on your shelf. Mr. Golden transports you to a different time, culture and morals. Geisha derserves to be on the bestseller's list.
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Summary: Seize the... um... Chairman?
Review: This book gets at least two stars for its educational value as a primer on the life of a geisha (assuming it is accurate). And it gets only two stars for completely failing to portray the geisha as a real person. It's almost as if Arthur Golden mistakes a language barrier for a lack of depth. The book fails for several reasons. I was not salivating over the possibility of sexual content before I started reading, but the attempts at descriptions of sex in the novel are numbingly dry. And the few moments that are supposed to possess a warm sensuality completely fail to express any pleasure. Perhaps because Golden is a man, he was wary of delving too deeply into the mysterious and confusing realm of womanly sexuality. I know I'd be intimidated, but I would try harder than he did. And isn't the main character supposed to be a clever girl? She continually notes her intelligence and her wit as strengths of her personality. Yet we see no evidence of that at all, unless you count the few slightly clever jokes she manages to toss out at geisha parties. Other than that, there is more evidence in the story to suggest that Sayuri lacked any sort of awareness of her situation. She floats along without being an active participant, manipulated by the GOOD geisha (Mameha) and the BAD geisha (Hatsumomo) alike. She never anticipates and only occasionally makes internal judgments of what transpires around her. Her disfigured friend and client urges her on more than one occasion to take control of her life, but she insists to herself that she is unable to match his expectations. And she never does! If I could give away spoilers, I could go into more depth. Her ultimate attempt at taking control of her own destiny is both morally backwards and a complete disaster. And her pursuit of an apparently empty romance is hardly inspiring. I kept hoping Sayuri would realize this Chairman fantasy was a hollow goal and redirect her dreams elsewhere, but she never does. Does Arthur Golden think so little of women that he couldn't imagine a stronger central character, one who really can take control of her life and has some amount of self-reflection? Characters around Sayuri are stronger than she. What's the problem? As I read further and further into the book, the distinct impression gained was that the novel was a high school prom fantasy wrapped up in an interesting aspect of Japanese culture. As someone else wrote, the book is essentially a Harlequin romance novel, and all the detail about the life of a geisha fails to hide it.
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Summary: Fabulous
Review: Totally enthrawling. I was lost in the vivid descriptions of places, things, and emotions. The story takes an epic trip thru the life of a girl stripped from her family, and the enlightenment that follws. Golden has a style similar to Hemmingway, only more poetic. I was sorry it ended...
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Summary: A moving story exquisitely well told!
Review: Chiyo and her older sister Satsu are taken away from from the fishing town of Yoroido and their elderly father when their mother becomes critically ill. Chiyo is hopeful that she and her sister will be adopted by the wealthy Mr. Tanaka, owner of the Japan Coastal Seafood Company. They are surprised when he does not adopt them but rather takes them by train to Kyoto and later horrified when they are cruelly separated from one another. Chiyo finds herself thrust into the position of a maid in an okiya (house of geisha), but she does not know where her sister was taken. Memoirs of a Geisha opens a rich new world of traditional Japanese customs to the Western reader. Although the author is an American man, he transcends the barriers of gender and culture in telling this story. He narrates his story in the first person of the geisha Sayuri while also fully developing the relationships between other predominantly female characters. His tale is so convincing that, at times, it's hard to think of this memoir as a work of fiction. The Japanese theme of geisha is treated by the author with utmost respect and understanding. It's a beautiful story which leaves an indelible mark on the heartstrings of its readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Good - but could have been better
Review: Spoilers ahead: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, until the end. I felt (and others I have talked with agree with me) that the book was leading up to a completely different ending. I, like others, was completely swept up in this book. I kept having to look at the author's photo to remind myself that it was not an autobiography. And for that reason I was expecting a different ending. As I was reading this book I thought this was going to be one of my all-time favourties, but the ending just left a bad taste in my mouth.
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