Rating: 
Summary: Who has the fetish?
Review: I was interested in this book because I wanted to get an Asian's woman take on the suddenly popular Geisha theme. Unlike almost everyone else on the planet, I didn't care for "Memoirs of a Geisha". It didn't surprise me in the least that it was written by a white man. Because of this, I am doubly disappointed by "One Hundred and One Ways". I think the main character protests way too much. What else does she have to offer the men in her life besides the "mystery of the Orient." And if she is so wary of white men, then why doesn't she date an Asian man? There had to be at least one or two eligible ones living in New York. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, since her mother is also having a romance with a white man. The Asian men in this book are either brutal, physically unattractive or weak. I think the author needs to deal with her issues about being Asian before she tackles another novel.No, I'm not a white man; I'm a woman of color. If Ms. Yoshikawa wants to be thought of as more than just "exotic", then she needs to have something more to offer. Attempting to ride the Geisha-wave isn't enough in my book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Story
Review: One Hundred and One Ways is a story about relationships and love. Kiki shares a special bond with the grandmother in Japan she has never met. They share the same name, Yukiko, and the same beauty that her mother, Akiko, never had. In flashbacks we learn that Yukiko was sold as a child to be trained as a geisha. Her beauty and grace insured her success, once she learned how to use them. In later years Yukiko and Kiki's mother clash over Asiko's choice for a husband. This causes an estrangement that lasts twenty-nine years. Akiko and her husband move to New York while Yukiko stays in Japan. When Yukiko decides to come to America, Kiki puts all her hopes and dreams on the relationship she is sure she and her grandmother will share. Having lost the man she loves in an accident, Kiki turns to a young Jewish lawyer who is smitten with her beauty. Afraid he has an Asian woman fetish, she uses
him to try to forget Phillip. Through all of this, Phillip's ghost appears in her apartment, watching her but never speaking. I thought the story was beautifully told. The flashbacks brought
the stories of the three women together in a way that showed the common links in their lives. I will definitely read this author's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: A haunting, beautiful book
Review: One of the best books I've read in a while. The prose was so lyrical, it was one of those books where every sentence is a pleasure to read. Definitely not a waste of time or money, I've recommended it to several friends who have also raved about it. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous novel--Kirkus is wrong!
Review: The Kirkus review, typically, does not do justice to this beautiful novel. The passages about the Japanese geisha grandmother and the quiet, suffering, but sometimes whimsical Japanese-American mother are especially affecting. The generational stories are expertly woven together. A cross-cultural family saga--drama! passion! This is a very satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: multi-generational patterns of true love
Review: The most powerful character in this story does not tell her tale herself -- Yukiko's grandmother (with whom she shares a name) was sold by her parents to a geisha house at the age of 14 in order to save her brother's life. She became quickly schooled in the geisha arts and quite the expert. In 1990 in new York City, young Yukiko (who often goes by Kiki), is getting engaged to Eric, 18 months after her first love Phillip has been killed in a natural disaster. Phillip haunts the apartment, and Eric knows the ghost is there. Kiki is trying to reconcile herself to the fact that, if her love for Phillip was her one perfect love, then how can she really love Eric? Her understanding is that Yukiko, and her own mother -- who has long been abandoned by Kiki's father and hasn't seen her own parents for almost 30 years -- have similar sad stories of a truncated first love and its longlasting aftereffects. Is this a pattern, can it be broken and, more important, SHOULD it be broken? Yukiko is scheduled to visit the USA for the first time and meet Kiki. As Kiki examines her life, she thinks of all the questions she wants to ask her obaasma (grandmother), sure that she has infinite wisdom to share with her and puzzle it all out. Yukiko is built to mythical proportions, and you wonder what the real meeting will be like.
Rating:
Summary: A very good book, hauntingly, achingly, painful at times
Review: The relationship between the main character and her dead lover haunts me even still. This is not a fine work of fiction or the best book I ever read but it stayed with me nonetheless. I am a pretty picky reader. I did enjoy this, however, and there is just really something about the relationship there. Read this. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: The book
Review: There are not too many books that I really like. One Hundred and One Ways is now one of them. This book is a drama with exotic taste and good English, very good clean and selective English and still so easy going, flowing as a river. This book is an art of storytelling, finished and complete. I am going to be expecting books from this author.
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Summary: Truly well-written, terrific look at grief and getting over
Review: This book made me so intensely sad. What if... you met your soul-mate, your true other half, the love of your life? And then lost him at age 27? How will you face the long years of your life stretched out in front you, knowing that he was IT and now you will have to settle? How does one go about getting over that? Her portrayal of grief is nothing short of genius. Just an excellent, excellent book.
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Summary: A Level Student Thesis
Review: This book offers an insite into the human mind - how we function, what makes us tick, and most of all how we think. It is a phycological approach to studying but well worth the read. This book can be read on many level, as a love story, a story concerning family relationships or a story about self discovery. The emotions are all linked; love, lust, hurt, felling of guilt and lost and all interweaved by the simple language. I say simple language yet it is an enjoyable read for everyone who has ever loved.
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Summary: Universal and Beautiful Novel
Review: This debut novel is about a young woman, Kiki, haunted by the vision of her deceased lover, while she is poised to make a life-changing decision. She looks to her grandmother, a former geisha, to find answers to her questions about her life. In this, there are sub-stories; one about the disintegration of Kiki and her own mother's relationship, as well as Kiki's grandmother, Yukiko's life as a geisha. I picked up this novel on the heels of finishing "Memoirs of a Geisha." However, I didn't read it for almost two years. Now I'm glad I didn't read it at the time because I think I would have lumped this novel into the same genre as "Memoirs...", which would be a shameful inaccuracy. "One Hundred and One Ways" is nothing like "Memoirs of a Geisha," it completely stands on its own. There's a lot of interesting issues surrounding Kiki. One is that she identifies so completely with her grandmother, a woman she never met. Kiki is very sensitive to her heritage, and is often suspicious with any man who is attracted to her as having an "Asian-woman fetish." The many visits of Phillip's ghost is shocking in their detail. The author describes him in such a way that it seems like he's very real, so it's hard to accept the fact that he's not at least frightening the heck out of Kiki, yet in the end you see why. His constant presence throughout the novel makes you wonder what his purpose is, and it turns out to be completely different from what you'd expect. The author's descriptions of Japan startled me. It reminded me of a friend's very similar description; the shoddiness of the new buildings, the layout of the city. Also, I was surprised at how involved I became with Kiki's character. Her willingness to put up with her boyfriend Eric, who seemed so shallow and insensitive, and why he was a part of her life totally frustrated me. Again, however, all my questions were answered. Mako Yoshikawa writes beautifully. The novel reads like a graceful, flowing, rhythmic song. Reading this is similar to a trek in the mountains, with many hills, valleys, pitfalls and obstacles. Yet it's packed with symbolism, forshadowing, and premonitions, making it suspenseful journey, always keeping you wondering what will happen to Kiki, right to the final destination. I couldn't tear myself away from this book. The author brought tears to my eyes in the end, yet she did it so neatly, without any melodrama. There were so many wonderful themes in this novel. Not only was it about the power of sexual love, but also the power of love between two women, and how the strong bonds that friendship build deeply touch us. There's a theme of broken relationships between mother and daughter and their subsequent reparation. It's about the paths people choose to live their lives, their regrets for choosing them, haunting themselves forever with questions of ifs, whys and hows. Yet finally, the answers are revealed to them once they accept and let it all go. They see that there was no other course for their lives to take. What a universal theme! What a satisfying book to read!
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