Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I've been reading everything I could get my hands on since I was able to do so, including cereal boxes at breakfast, and I never read anything any more captivating than Golden's book. I am eagerly waiting the sequel or another one-of-a-kind book like the "Geisha."
Rating:
Summary: ASTONISHING ...
Review: THIS BOOK IS ONE OF ITS KIND...IT'S AN UNFORGETABLE NOVEL WRITTEN FULLY DETAILED THAT MAKES YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE LIVING WITH THE CHARACTERS .... ITS AN IMPRESSIVE ... ASTONISHING .. UNFROGETABLE... MUSTREAD NOVEL .....
Rating:
Summary: A stunning imaginative debut "Memoirs of a Geisha"
Review: Aurthur Golden has truly completed a masterpeice, a work of art. Aurthur Golden takes us into to an exotic world of immense wonder. With vivid acounts of Japanese life, along with the luminous tale of Nitta Sayuri told with much intellect. "Memiors of a Geisha" is truly an unutterably fine work of art. An elegant first novel.I personally was immensly engrossed. "memoirs of a Geisha" is by far one of the best books I've ever read. I would recommend this book to any. It accutaly seems as you are conversing with a beautious Geisha of alluring translucent, pallid eyes,"chatting over a cup of green tea" her speaking of her life begining as a fishermans daughter not begining as a kyoto Geisha which she soon comes to be. "Memiors of a Geisha" a book of an artisan and not a prostitute as many westerners may assume. This is truly a vibrant book which all should read.
Rating: 
Summary: Huh?
Review: So many people liked this book that I couldn't wait to curl up with it. However, I kept scratching my head when the plot was trite and too many thin similies were used. As for showing the world of the geisha, I was most intrigued by Hatsumomo and Mamaha but still felt these characters were not built to my satisfaction; the bad cop was too bad and the good cop was too good. It was Mr. Golden's first effort and unfortunately completes my experience for this author. I felt like it was basically a harlequin romance veiled as a high-brow novel.
Rating:
Summary: Eye-opener!
Review: I took 2 days to read the entire book and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Japanese culture. This book deals with the life of Sayuri, a popular, in-demand Geisha and how she had overcome her obstacles to be with the man of her dream. However, I'm a little disappointed that she did not accept Nobu, the man who had waited for her for 15 years. Even though he may not be the "dream guy", I think she at least owe it to him to repay for all the things he had done for her. But of course, this is a matter of opinion and overall, I think this is a very interesting book as it gives us insight into the daily life of a Geisha, and not just the surface information that everyone know. I always imagine that in order to be a Geisha, all you need to do is to look and act pretty. But I was very wrong. The author did a fine job of telling his readers the different stages a girl has to go through to become a Geisha. It was also interesting to read the difficulty they had to go through in their training, the competition among themselves and on top of it all, they didn't have any choice. Like the book said "You don't learn to become a Geisha, you learn to be a Geisha". This book also gives me an understanding on the Japanese culture. One reviewer summarize it all .... This book is written by a MAN! You have to read the book to understand what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: A Remarkably Imagined Novel of a Geisha's Life
Review: Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a remarkable book in many respects. Written by a young, white American male in the late Twentieth century, it brilliantly depicts the life of a geisha in Japan during the 1930s and 1940s. The novel has been appropriately described by one reviewer as an act of ventriloquism because of the author's ability to get inside the mind of the book's female protagonist and write a novel of sustained versimilitude and historical and cultural accuracy. The achievement is even more notable when you realize that "Memoirs of a Geisha" is Golden's first published novel. "Memoirs of a Geisha" tells the story of Chiyo, the poor daughter of an elderly fisherman and his dying wife. When Chiyo is eight years old, she and her older sister, Satsu, are sold by their father, both designated to become geisha in Kyoto. While Satsu is unremarkable and she ends up as a common prostitute, Chiyo's striking eyes, diminutive beauty and resilient intelligence make her a suitable geisha in training. She soon finds herself in conflict, however, with the resident geisha in her house, Hatsumomo, a beautiful and mean-spirited woman whose antagonism runs through the novel like a thread. Hatsumomo makes life unbearable for Chiyo and seemingly destroys her future until she is taken under the wing of Mameha, a beautiful and accomplished geisha whose motives are uncertain. Through the efforts of Mameha, Chiyo becomes a succesful and avidly sought geisha, taking the name Suriya and becoming the favorite of a war-maimed, wealthy patron named Noru. All this time, however, Suriya's romantic obsession is a business partner and deeply-indebted friend of Noru, a man simply known as the "Chairman", a man who had once been kind to the young Chiyo when he found her crying by a stream. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is, thus, an historical romance set in Japan during the Depression and the years during and following World War II. As a romance, it is a somewhat lacking because of its fairy tale quality, its unbelievability, its departure from realism. However, while its romantic aspects fall short, it is remarkably successful in depicting the geisha culture of the period--the extensive training of the geisha, the incredible physical and mental demands of the geisha profession, the cultural milieu, trappings, beliefs, and superstitions of the geisha in day-to-day life, and the place of the geisha in Japanese society. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is also remarkable for the way its author succeeds in imagining, and expressing, the intimate life and thoughts of the young Chiyo and the mature geisha Suriya. While "Memoirs of a Geisha" does not rise to the level of classic status and can, at times, be somewhat tedious, it is a remarkably well written and imagined first novel, a stunning and sympathetic fictional portrayal of an aspect of Japanese culture that is often misunderstood in the West.
Rating:
Summary: A truly great book
Review: Everyone I know who has started reading this book has found that they just can't put it down. I wasn't going to bother reviewing it (because it has all been said before), but if nothing else let me echo the other 1500+ reviews: THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book was recommended to me by a good friend. I ordered it from Amazon and was intrigued by the whole book. I didn't know if I would like it. Wow. This is one astonishing novel. It reads very much like a true story. You truly enter the world of this woman and become very much a part of her existence. My only regret with reading this book is that it ended.
Rating:
Summary: Well rounded story for all people to read
Review: I was hesitant to read this book, mainly because I'm a man who doesn't like 'girly, touchy-feely' books. My girlfriend had read it and then said, "you have to read this book." I trust her judgement so I cautiously opened up the book and began to read. Am I glad I did. It is a remarkably well rounded novel with characters that are EXTREMELY well developed. You come to care about the main people in the novel very much. It delves into pre-world war II Japan and continues on to present day. I absolutely loved the story. Expectations while I read were not left in the void, like some novelists tend to do. Highly recommended. It will remain on my bookshelf to be read and re-read by me and mine. Enjoy! P.S. This was written by a MAN! Can you believe that!
Rating:
Summary: good first book
Review: I was intrigued by the author's attention to detail of Japanese life, and he is a very good storyteller. The prewar japan constructed by the author seems to be very authentic. the writing is very good, the dialouge is flowing. A novel novel and very good for a first work. It does not seem to be written to a specific audience. The only faults I have with the book is, one, the fact that the author does not totally come across as a female. His geisha does not fully convince me of her authenticity. The second fault has to do with the first. I simply did not believe the ending. It was too simplistic. This is a very good "fun read" novel.
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