Geisha

Rating:
Summary: Wishing to try it...
Review: How lovely it would be to experience what Dalby did. This book is wonderful and a great insight to a secret world and fascination of mine.

Rating:
Summary: Behind the Flower and Willow World...
Review: I have a penchant for nearly all things relating to Japanese history, especially from 1600-1950, and this book was fascinating.Like many others, I had just finished the exquisite "Memoirs of A Geisha" by Arthur Golden. The cover I bought of the book came with a ringing endorsement by Golden himself, saying how brilliant Liza Crihfield Dalby's work is. He's right.Dalby smoothly weaves amusing anecdotes (a meeting with a tipsy and raunchy customer) with brilliantly simple facts (the nuances in tying kimono) in relating her unique story: she is the only American ever to become a geisha.With her exquisite hair and powdered face, Dalby embarks upon a mission of mystique, prestige, and learning, creating a fascinating and enjoyable read.If you have the opportunity, and time, pick up a copy of Dalby's "Geisha." It's a definitive source on the subject, and shouldn't be missed by any aficionados.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but not very interesting, really
Review: I read this book mostly because I had absolutely fallen in love with "Memoirs of a Geisha", a stunning book. Arthur Golden just had a way of writing that made me love the details he described (kimonos, dressing, history, dancing, rituals, sisters etc.) the most. Therefore I thought I would enjoy a book about the life of geisha immensely. Well - I didn't. Compared to my expections, this book should get three, or even perhaps two, stars, but I tried to appreciate it for what it was, not what it should have been.

The main problem with the book is that Liza Dalby is not a very good writer. The book consists of random tidbits of information. There is no story. She only mentions her experiences a few times during the whole book, and these few are nothing worth mentioning, actually. A most annoying habit of hers is recounting a story without any purpose at all - she might tell you about an evening spent with guests, but there's no actual point in it, no conclusion. That seems to be the whole spirit of the book - pointless information mostly, just details nobody could possibly care about. Another thing I strongly disliked was that she mentioned some details about the geisha who welcomed her so warmly that the book could have done without perfectly. For example, she mentions (just as a side fact without any particular meaning) that her older sister (an "older sister" is the geisha who shows a novice how to do things and helps her in every way possible; she is to be treated with extreme respect and love at all occasions) drools when she has to speak too quickly. I didn't see why she should have mentioned such a fact.

Anyway, obviously the book was not that bad, as I gave it four stars. First of all, she provides many details about the history of geisha compared to modern day geisha, which I liked reading about. Secondly, she writes about many aspects of geisha (and Japanese culture) Golden didn't touch in his book - country geisha, children of geisha, geisha and wives etc. And possibly I felt I should give this book four stars because it is thick enough and covers all these topics. You can feel that there are some things Dalby knows what to say about, and she talks about them with a passion (kimonos, geisha and wives and such), but I feel there should be more of them. One thing is clear - don't buy this book in hopes of a story about an American geisha - she only mentions herself in a few places. Most of the stories are impersonal, I am thankful for that. When I was reading those that were personal I often found myself wondering what the point of all this was. I got the impression she just wrote whatever she had experienced, whether interesting or not.

I feel I learned far more about what it is like to BE a geisha from "Memoirs of a Geisha". Perhaps I should have given this three stars, really... but it wasn't such a bad read after all, even though I don't think I would like Liza Dalby if I knew her.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but not very interesting, really
Review: I read this book mostly because I had absolutely fallen in love with "Memoirs of a Geisha", a stunning book. Arthur Golden just had a way of writing that made me love the details he described (kimonos, dressing, history, dancing, rituals, sisters etc.) the most. Therefore I thought I would enjoy a book about the life of geisha immensely. Well - I didn't. Compared to my expections, this book should get three, or even perhaps two, stars, but I tried to appreciate it for what it was, not what it should have been.

The main problem with the book is that Liza Dalby is not a very good writer. The book consists of random tidbits of information. There is no story. She only mentions her experiences a few times during the whole book, and these few are nothing worth mentioning, actually. A most annoying habit of hers is recounting a story without any purpose at all - she might tell you about an evening spent with guests, but there's no actual point in it, no conclusion. That seems to be the whole spirit of the book - pointless information mostly, just details nobody could possibly care about. Another thing I strongly disliked was that she mentioned some details about the geisha who welcomed her so warmly that the book could have done without perfectly. For example, she mentions (just as a side fact without any particular meaning) that her older sister (an "older sister" is the geisha who shows a novice how to do things and helps her in every way possible; she is to be treated with extreme respect and love at all occasions) drools when she has to speak too quickly. I didn't see why she should have mentioned such a fact.

Anyway, obviously the book was not that bad, as I gave it four stars. First of all, she provides many details about the history of geisha compared to modern day geisha, which I liked reading about. Secondly, she writes about many aspects of geisha (and Japanese culture) Golden didn't touch in his book - country geisha, children of geisha, geisha and wives etc. And possibly I felt I should give this book four stars because it is thick enough and covers all these topics. You can feel that there are some things Dalby knows what to say about, and she talks about them with a passion (kimonos, geisha and wives and such), but I feel there should be more of them. One thing is clear - don't buy this book in hopes of a story about an American geisha - she only mentions herself in a few places. Most of the stories are impersonal, I am thankful for that. When I was reading those that were personal I often found myself wondering what the point of all this was. I got the impression she just wrote whatever she had experienced, whether interesting or not.

I feel I learned far more about what it is like to BE a geisha from "Memoirs of a Geisha". Perhaps I should have given this three stars, really... but it wasn't such a bad read after all, even though I don't think I would like Liza Dalby if I knew her.

Rating:
Summary: A great starting place.
Review: If you have just read MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and are interested in learning more about the world of geisha, their history, and culture, then this is a great place to start. It was written in the seventies, so may be somewhat out of date now, but it is in many ways the foundational work for much of what has been written on geisha.

Liza Dalby presents a broad and comprehensive look at all aspects of geisha life, and unlike many other works on geisha, also explores the lives and status of geisha *outside* the famed Kyoto geisha districts, including those of geisha in other big cities such as Tokyo, and those of geisha working at less-glamorous places such as at seaside vacation resorts--which sets her apart from most works I have read on geisha, which only focus on Kyoto and sometimes only on Gion. She explores the historical origins of geisha and presents sometimes surprising facts (such as that, way back when, the profession that eventually developed into the modern geisha was originally all-male), as well as exploring the ways in which geisha differed from yujo, the courtesans of the pleasure quarters.

However, be warned: this is not a story, not a biography and not a memoir. Dalby's book is an anthropological work (Dalby herself is an anthropologist, I believe) and is written in what is a popular style for scholarly anthropological literature, interweaving personal experience with information collected from interviews with her subjects with historical references and references to other such literature. From some of the reviews, it seems that some have found this style off-putting, which is fair enough. Despite this, her book is never dry and dull, nor boring, and is filled with much information which is essential to anyone wanting to begin learning more about geisha.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive work on geisha
Review: If you want to know everything and anything about geisha this is the book to turn to. Well written, perfect composition and more infotmation then I could ever remember!

Rating:
Summary: A unique and fascinating account
Review: Like others I read this book after reading Memoirs of a Geisha. I found this book much more interesting because it tells real stories about real people. The history and backgound that Dalby relates as well her own personal experiences make this book one-of-a-kind and deeply interesting. A must-read for anybody interested to learn more about geisha. Although there are extensive footnotes to explain certain things more deeply, the more you already know about Japan, the more you will get out of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Only Thing Wrong is What Happened After 1975?
Review: Ms. Dalby lived as a geisha. She goes full to the hilt into the culture of Geisha and comes back to inform us of the history and the thought that has surrounded Geisha from their origins until 1975. Unforunately there is no afterward. I desperately wanted to know as I read "How many Geisha are there now in Pontocho?" "What happened to this woman later in her life?" but unfortunately the book was based on Ms. Dalby's thesis, and that was researched in the 70s. Nevertheless it's an extremely interesting and very informative history and slice of life as a geisha in the early 70s. Very well written, not boring, but not even slightly sensationalized.

Rating:
Summary: Passe - a mix of scholarly and experience, no real feeling
Review: This book is Dalby's definitive work on perhaps the most secret, the most mysterious, and certain the most provocative aspect of Japanese society - the Geisha.

Dalby does a masterful job in showing Western culture the ins and outs of the Japanese geisha society and does an excellent job correcting many of the misconceptions about geishas. What better person to write a social and cultural history on geishas than a person who knows the language and was accepted into that exclusive niche of that cultural.

I would like to give Ms. Dalby especial praise for her excellent detail and descriptions on the meaning of kimono, for which there must have been enough because she wrote an entire book dedicated to that subject matter. I feel that the author gives a well thought out and analytical study of the history of the geisha society - what it was then and how it became what it is today.

This book is a great read. Dalby's style makes this book flow. It certainly is NOT your typically dry non-fiction historical analysis.

I consider this Dalby's best work to date. It is an outstanding piece of non-fiction and a top source for information on geishas and their lives, heirarchy, history, culture, art, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't be better
Review: Written by anthropologist Dalby, who has the distinction of being the only Westerner to become a geisha, this book deftly synthesizes the personal experiences and interactions of the author in this most unusual role and society with the discerning eye of a scholar. Her attention to detail is superb and provides interesting tidbits of cultural trivia for the reader. The stories she tells -- about the backgrounds of her geisha friends, the mothers of the community and other figures in the hanamachi (geisha district) of Pontocho as well as geisha communities of different stripes elsewhere in Japan -- let the reader in on a very personal part of the geisha world that no other author in my opinion has truly touched, or could, really. Dalby was singularly qualified for the role as a geisha, as she could speak Japanese, play the shamisen and had the appropriate connections, and as a geisha herself (versus an interviewer who would always be external in some way), more doors were opened to her, through both internal connections (her relationship with the Pontocho mothers and her onesan) and the trust that these enigmatic women were willing to put in one of their kind.

Dalby's ability to story-tell also lends a quality of magic to the analysis. Even simple stories about floating paper lanterns on the Kamo River or stopping with the three geisha mothers to watch an old-style candymaker draw the reader in with their unselfconscious charm and personal allure. Without this sort of skill, even an intelligent analysis of the subject could be very dull, but her ability to shape the smaller stories within the overall experience make for more intimate and memorable peeks into her life as a geisha, rather than a "just the facts, ma'am" approach.

I have read some reviews juxtaposing this work with other more recent books on the subject of geisha, and one of the complaints other readers seem to have about this book is that it is somewhat out of date. True, it was originally written in the 1970s, after Dalby had completed her time in the geisha world. To me this indicates that this book was one of the first to address this subject in an objective manner and didn't just jump on the "Memoirs of a Geisha" bandwagon. In my opinion it is the definitive book on the subject, and given its unique perspective it is all the more valuable. If a reader read this book and no others on the subject, he or she would still be well informed about the geisha world, as well as entranced by its mystery, made somewhat less elusive by Liza Dalby's sensitive tour of the inner corridors of the hanamachi of Kyoto.