Rating: 
Summary: Superb Imagery, Amazing storyline- LOVED IT!
Review: "For while almost by definition every true lover feels that his or her love is extraordinary, only a very small handful of lucky ones can actually prevail over the extraordinary to achieve a garden-variety domestic happiness".
This is one of my favorite lines from the novel. Mako Yoshikawa is a brilliant writer, and I believe the life of a geisha, the way she has portrayed it in this novel, is fascinating. The storyline is simply incredible, jumping between the lives of Kiki, her mother, and then her gradmother. This is a story for all generations. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: A PROVOCATIVE NEW VOICE
Review: An original coming of age tale and a perceptive reflection of what it means to be a Japanese American are the twin buttresses of One Hundred and One Ways, an impressive debut novel by Mako Yoshikawa. Choosing as her setting a rampantly vigorous New York City, the author has crafted an exceptional story of three women whose lives are irrevocably intertwined. By deft use of telling flashback and revelatory conversation Ms. Yoshikawa seamlessly conjoins the past experiences of our narrator, Kiki, a 26-year-old American university student, her mother, Akiko, who lives alone in a well appointed New Jersey home, and her grandmother, Yukiko, a former geisha still in Japan, a woman Kiki has never met but longs to know. Their mutuality rests in each losing the first man she loved. As Kiki, writes: "In my family, being haunted by a lost love is not even news. I come from a line of women with a tenacious grip on the man in their lives." More literally haunted than her forebears Kiki finds herself living with a ghost - the wraithlike specter of her dead lover Phillip who appears unbidden "crouching in a fetal position under my desk, and he enjoys folding his long body into an improbably tiny package so he can fit into the fireplace...." Now engaged to Eric, an up-and-coming young attorney, Kiki finds herself torn by a desire to be what Eric wishes her to be and the continuing grief she feels after Phillip's sudden death. His phantasmic appearances serve only to exacerbate her confusion and sorrow. Seeking respite from ever growing uncertainty, Kiki eagerly anticipates a Thanksgiving visit from her grandmother, the older woman's first trip to the United States and, hopefully, a time of reconciliation for Akiko and Yukiko who have been estranged for a number of years. "I have been hoarding questions to ask my grandmother Yukiko," Kiki writes. "These questions start out to be about her life, and then turn out to be about my own." The affinity Kiki feels for her grandmother is deeper than a blood tie: "....there is a bond that connects my grandmother to me. It is not our physical resemblance that draws us together, nor does it matter that we share the same name. I know that our similarities run deeper than that, for I have thought long and hard about the key to our secret kinship, and it is this: what a geisha is to Japan, a Japanese woman is to America." That thought is at the heart of this engrossing, magnetic tale. Ms. Yoshikawa, descended from a long line of samurai and the great-granddaughter of a geisha, has created characters for whom we care and will remember. One Hundred and One Ways introduces a thoughtful, provocative new voice to the annals of American fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow, indulgent...
Review: For a good take on a character being haunted by a former lover, I recommend Scott Spencer's Waking the Dead. That book had its flaws too, but it did a good, convincing job of conveying that sense of being haunted and making it real yet unreal at the same time. As for this book, the haunted plot just sort of felt superimposed on a rambling tale of a self-absorbed girl who goes on a little too long about family stories, about all her own lovers and about how taken she is with her own body. Ego comes through but anything a little bit deeper is missing. For all the Geisha and Japanese-American details, this book felt to me like one of many that portray the twentysomething life in New York. And it was not one of the better ones.
Rating:
Summary: A let down- with uplifting prose
Review: Hey. Okay the writing of this book was beautiful, but besdies that, there isn't really much I can say about it.I thought the book had good possibilities, but some aspects of it were so random- like the ghost of her dead lover, why was he even there? Sorry. I liked the original idea of showing what a women with a geishas soal would be like in modern american society. But. . . that was really the only poignant idea in the entire novel! Sorry I just didn't think it was very good. I guess I'm to used to reading classical stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, Calgon-take me away, novel
Review: I absolutely loved this novel, probably one of my favorites this year. It reminded me very much of Alice Hoffman's novels (ex. Turtle Moon) and Yoshikawa's style was beautiful. I found myself hoping Phillip would walk through the door, though Eric was a nice enough guy. My question throughout (and was answered toward the end) was when would Kiki begin asking questions of her mother, rather than waiting for her grandmother. What a wonderful story of three generations of Japanese women. I will be eagerly awaiting Yoshikawa's next novel!
Rating:
Summary: A satisfying book
Review: I actually liked this book as well (or maybe even better) than Memoirs of a Geisha. The author explains the process of grief very realistically, as well as how relationships can become muddled and confusing. Great book -- recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Think before write
Review: I agree with a couple of reviewers who pointed out the shallowness of the author's theme and study on it. While she is afraid of her lover's intention---if he goes for any Asian woman but her---she never questions why she still wants to have a relationship with while male exclusively, where a lot of different guys are around when she is stuck to those questionable whites. Yes, because she has nothing to offer than feeding Asian fetishism/white supremacy. The author even tried to sell herself by the lethel weapon of Geisha,actually saying she is a descend of geisha here and there. So what? That only explains how ignorant this Japanese American author could be who might have thought that geisha/Asian automaticly incorporate some mistery, power and entitlement to survive in USA, which means how to handle white male. In other words, this author is not a kind who is aware of political connotation nor challenging the politics as a woman of color in the very racist society. Instead, she just wanted to feed those who look for Asian mystery to exploit. Terrible book, worse than a mere waste of time. Harmful.
Rating:
Summary: 101 Ways is a beautiful and sensual story
Review: I am an Asian-American woman who just recently returned from a first-time trip to Korea. I finished this book upon my return and I am glad I waited. Because of my first-hand experience in an Asian country, I have a greater appreciation for the imagery and the culture described in 101 Ways. Yoshikawa does an excellent job at portraying the differences in not only the cultures (American vs. Japanese), but also the differences between each generation within the character's family . She writes beautifully and keeps the reader attentive throughout the entire story. I loved the portrayal of the characters, especially the protagonist. I think that many Asian-American women will be able to relate to her.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for a rainy (holi)day!
Review: I found this book a compelling read, with the text having a momentum of its own. The story is how a young woman comes to understand her life and her emotions, particularly in regards to her close relationships. Yoshikawa has a dream-like style of writing that stimulates all of the senses. Subtle details build to create a vivid picture of her main character's (Kiko) life, and how it is affected by her mother and grandmother's experiences. Three lives blend within Kiko's existence, perhaps highlighting the way in which close relationships can alter a person's perception of the world around them, or the reality that is experienced. Great book for a rainy day.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Memorable
Review: I read this book while on a trip to Japan, and I couldn't put it down. The connections between the author's written words and the reality of my experiences in this country were so similar. The prose and story line kept me up late at night after long days of sightseeing. I was captured by Kiki's relationship with Phillip and her own growth and personal discovery throughout the book. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in gaining insights to Japanese thoughts and ideas.
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