The Book Report: The politics of the okiya, or geisha house, closely examined through the rise of Chiyo, an unpromising girl sold into slavery by her peasant family, to become Sayuri, a sought-after and renowned geisha in pre-WWII Kyoto.

Chiyo's arrival in the okiya is inauspicious, and her introduction into the horrible world of all-female hatreds and politics comes at a heavy price. She attempts to run away back to the family that sold her into slavery in the first place, which shows that kids don't think in logical patterns; fortunately, she falls off the roof and breaks her arm. Her friendship with a fellow slave, Pumpkin, thus begins, and with it the events that will lead her into rivalry with Hatsumomo, the okiya's lead geisha, and ultimately into her new identity as Sayuri, a full-fledged geisha.

Golden treats us to the full world of geisha, including its roots as slavery and its unpalatable customs, such as misuage, the ritualized and monetized deflowering of barely pubescent girls as a preparatory step to their ascent into geishahood.

Sayuri lives through the tribulations of having only a minimal say in the men she must serve as companion, as hetaira, as whore; she falls in love with one man, whom she cannot, for good reasons, pursue a relationship with; and she uses her wits, her wiles, and her body to survive and thrive during the national trauma of WWII and its aftermath. By the end of the story, Sayuri is a free woman, possessed of a life many many women across the world would envy, and telling us the remarkable and astonishing story of a slave girl's rise to wealth and position.

tt
My Review: Quite a lovely book to read, and really very nicely made. Well, except for that whole missing bit that we like to call “World War Two.” The author spends what, five pages maybe, on the *entire*second*world*war. One whole star off for that, so we're down to four.

Then there's the whole issue of sourcing. Golden interviewed an actual reitred geisha and used her life as a basis for his novel. Nothing untoward there, is there? Well, apparently so...the lady was acknowledged in the book and she was subject to death threats and other reprisals. She sued Golden and the publishers, claiming breach of contract, and got an out-of-court settlement. Then she went on to publish her memoirs! After getting the settlement for having her privacy broached! Oh gross. Greed is a turn-off for me, and so, despite the fact that Golden didn't do jack poop wrong, half a star off. Three and a half, for those counting along.

But the last half star vanished more recently than I read the book (back in 1999). It went away because Arthur Golden's source, Mineko Iwasaki, painted in her memoir a very very different picture of her life and that of a modern geisha than Golden did. Different enough that I felt the novel, representing itself as an accurate portrayal of a geisha's life, was flying false colors. It's fiction, so changing stuff up is normal and acceptable, but the background of the book is what made it interesting, the world of the okiya and its rituals and its rhythms were the *point* of my reading the book...and the source herself, in a polite Japanese way, said “pfui” to it.

And now we're at three stars. All of them, at this point, are for Arthur Golden's pretty, pretty sentences.

What a disappointment. Why is it that in most books' reviews, only the marginal niche fans vote massively, upholstering the average score so unfairly. Unless, it is the romantics who do read diversely that in their unbiased way, gave the book four to five stars. Even people who gave the book the same score as me must have done so for different reasons. Maybe the ending threw them. Maybe I'll never know. I'm left scratching my head as to why this book is considered the best historical fiction on this site.

I'll pool all my misgivings from the last third of the book in this paragraph. Chiyo's outlook towards life is delusional, and is vindicated by her being united with her beau. I wonder what friends I myself would have had my life been more successful. Chiyo's memories of her past are very selective. Sometimes she wants to be a geisha, but anyway she has no choice. Her heart breaks and reseals itself over her journey in becoming one. Her infatuation with the Chairman and her laughable dressing of her repulsion to Nobu sums up the genre of romance. The book is an ungodly mess in its themes. The analogies and lesson-like counsel that passed for wisdom at the end made it all clear. This book's just an escapist dream for delusional romantics of all genders and ages. My reason for my score is mainly that at not one point did the book reel me in. I was never hooked.

I have to consider Hatsumomo, most of the book's main archenemy. She is described as stupid, but reveals herself as cunning. The latter attribute is proved beyond doubt. But her stupidity, abetted by drunkenness, only comes at the end. This was a missed opportunity to dress up a promising character. When Hatsumomo mars a kimono belonging to her rival, it's almost an act of vandalism. But we are never allowed to get the insight whether the act itself has the fuel of 30% meanness and 70% stupidity, or the other way round, or some other permutation.

I first intended to write more than I'm doing. But I want to put this book behind me quickly. I want to make two points (which is more than my favorite team can make at the moment). First, I knew that such a dishonest and cowardly book would make of the tragic Pumpkin, a mean spirited person. I knew it! Her separation from Chiyo should have been temporary. Instead, she estranges herself from joy and purpose in life in the most random way. She is very wimpy in her decision to "join the dark side". It's just not that convincing. Maybe her scavenging act early on foreshadows what the author did with her. It's not an excuse though. Second thing, the stupid and bizarre episode between Chiyo and the Baron. It should have had consequences, but it seemed like the mother of all treaties had been signed between all parties. Very inexplicable. Inexplicable but quite welcome. It's an occurrence that made me distance myself from the narrator. I don't have to be concerned with her when she troubled trouble.

This book, were it a flawed masterpiece and dealt with a genre I detest, would still have gotten more than two stars. But at no point did Memoirs reach a pinnacle or peak of sorts. No event was reciprocal, there was no theme except from a rags to riches story. Nature sometimes was described richly, but new objects of unfamiliarity and technology were glossed over, which is cool, as we're all aware of modern contrivances. It's just that everything I've mentioned makes the narrator fake. It's just sad. It means I'll never read this book again. Neither it nor I deserve it.

A beautiful story that explores the secret world of the Japanese geisha (if you think that geisha = prostitue, you need to read this book just to learn how wrong that assumption is), told in the style of an interview with a woman named Sayuri Nitta, who used to be one of the most famous geisha in Kyoto. My favorite parts of the story were the detailed descriptions of geisha beauty rituals (they wax their hair and sleep with their necks resting on wooden blocks so they don't mess up the hairstyles) and tradtions (when a geisha leaves her okiya, or geisha house, a spark is struck against her back for good luck). The descriptions of the kimono worn by Sayuri and the other geisha in the book are also gorgeous.
The only part of this book that I didn't love was Sayuri's constant adoration of a man know only as the Chairman. Sayuri meets him when she's eight, and because he's kind to her and buys her a flavored ice, she decides that she's going to become a geisha just so she can meet him again. Did I mention that the chairman was about forty at the time? I didn't have a lot of faith in the level of Sayuri's love for him, and just couldn't wrap my head around the idea of an eight-year-old girl falling in love with a man more than thirty years her senior.

UPDATE: So, I wrote this review when I was in high school and didn't know much about the actual writing process of this book. Turns out Arthur Golden didn't actually do that much real research and had a bad habit of just making shit up. This book apparently pissed off a real geisha so much that she wrote her own book in response.

I'm writing this update now because today in my literature class we were talking about how we all basically read only British and American books, and this one girl starts talking about how she used to only read American books and then one day read Memoirs of a Geisha and it just, like, totally opened her eyes to other cultures. And everyone is looking at her like she just said that watching The Godfather helped her understand Italian history.

So basically what I'm saying is, don't come to this story looking for historical accuracy. It's still a good story, just not necessarily an accurate one. Think of it as fiction, and you'll be fine.

An engrossing historical fiction novel about a girl with extraordinary eyes named Chiyo and how she became a celebrated geisha named Sayuri. The path of her life was not always easy, but like water flowing over bumpy rocks, she braves the rapids and, eventually, reaches the ocean of her dreams.

"But the truth is the afternoon when I met Mr. Tanaka Ichiro really was the best and the worst of my life. He seemed so fascinating to me, even the fish smell on his hands was a kind of perfume. If I had never known him, I'm sure I would not have become a geisha." pg 13, ebook

It is a coming-of-age story but also a romance. Some have compared this book to the fairy tale of Cinderella. I see the comparison, but feel as if this historical fiction is better than Cinderella. Unlike the made-up fairy tale, the land and closed world of the geisha actually existed.

"After a block or two I worked up my courage and said to Mr. Bekku, "Won't you please tell us where we're going?" He didn't look as if he would reply, but after a moment he said, "To your new home." pg 41, ebook.

To be a geisha was to excel at the arts. It was to demonstrate excellence in dance, music and the art of conversation. It was a way of being, and dressing. As a geisha, Sayuri transports the men she is with to another world, the world of "Flowers and Willows".

I did some research into the history of the geisha and what I found was fascinating. From what I read, the history portrayed in Memoirs of a Geisha was rather close to the truth, minus the made-up characters.

"Because, you see, when a geisha wakes up in the morning she is just like any other woman. ... Only when she sits before her mirror to apply her makeup with care does she become a geisha. And I don't mean that this is when she begins to look like one. This is when she begins to think like one too." pg 67, ebook

The whole culture seems so exotic to me. This book is truly an escape into a different world. I, of course, adored the main character, Sayuri.

Years ago, I saw the film version of this book and remember enjoying it very much. Fortunately, I forgot most of it except for one critical moment towards the end. That, however, didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. It is better, much better.

There's more character development, more battles with Hatsumomo, more to the conclusion. Sayuri's life completes a circle in the written version of the story — I seem to remember that the story felt a bit stunted in the film. I think I'll watch it again to see if I'm remembering it right.

"We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course. If I'd never met Mr. Tanaka, my life would have been a simple stream flowing from our tipsy house to the ocean." pg 112, ebook

There's also the development of the theme of water. The characters in the story attribute Sayuri's startling blue eyes to an abundance of water in her soul. Throughout the book, she's alluding to water — how it flows, bends and can wear down rocks. You really begin to view her life through this lens of watery inevitability.

"Here you are... a beautiful girl with nothing on earth to be ashamed of," he said. "And yet you're afraid to look at me. Someone has been cruel to you.. or perhaps life has been cruel." "I don't know, sir," I said, though of course I knew perfectly well. pg 119, ebook.

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. Memoirs of a Geisha is a surprising treat, like a sudden rainbow glinting off the water into your eyes. Blink once, and it's gone.

RTF. I started this before I went on my trip, set it aside and then brought it back out for the long air travel back home. The title is misleading, this is definitely fiction & not a non-fiction memoir, yet the structure of the story was as a memoir as related by the MC to a writer.

I found the Geisha culture pre-WWII to be fascinating and repellant at the same time. As far as the latter, I didn't know that girls were sold to an "agent" to either become a prostitute, maid, or a potential geisha-in-training. In any of those circumstances, it was just another example of slavery as many of the girls had no control over their lives.

This story follows 9 y/o Chiyo/Sayuri as she is taken from her home in a small village to the Gion district and placed in a home (okiya) as a potential future Geisha. Chiyo has unusual eyes and appears to have the right bone structure and facial features to become a successful Geisha. That potential makes the current Geisha in the Okiya fearful of losing her place in the world and she is quite clever & cruel in her machinations to un-rail Chiyo's trajectory in the life. There are quite a few very strong female characters in the story while most of the male characters are relegated to competing for a particular Geisha's time, attention & virginity.

Many reviewers felt the slow pace of the unfolding of the story was a negative; but I thought it brought the reader more fully into the daily lives as the characters which I appreciated.

n  A little girl named Chiyo (later changed to Sayuri) is forced to grow up fast after she is sold to a geisha house.n

Historical romances can go either way for me and this one most definitely went the right way. The writing was gorgeous and the characters were perfection. I hated it when I had to put this book down at the end of the night, but I knew that every time I picked it back up that I would instantly be transported back to Sayuri’s vibrant world. My favorite detail was when the author described the color and pattern on any one of the many kimonos mentioned in the story. I would pause and imagine one before me, wishing it was there so I could take my hand and gently graze my fingers across the intricate pattern worked into it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the romance hidden away in the folds of the story and was emotionally torn by the options available to Sayuri and which would be preferred. I went in to the story expecting a relationship of duty, forced by the world to benefit one and leave the other desiring more. What I received instead was a woman relentlessly pursuing her wants and desires. I still haven’t made up my mind regarding which path would have been best in the end.

Five stars to a book that left me pondering so much more.

Brilliant, nuanced, and startlingly complex for a book that I thought would just be about women who perform intricate dances and ceremonies. Little did I know it would have so much more. The story this book tells is heart wrenching and gorgeous. I happened to devour all 400+ pages in one weekend trip in the mountains of New Hampshire, just a few weeks shy of a trip to Japan myself, and I am so happy I chose this book before my trip. Arthur Golden only wrote one work of fiction that I can tell (this one) but it does not lessen the impact his prose and story had on the literary world, at least in the West (not sure how this was actually received in Japan). Historical fiction authors are often guilty of focusing so much on their settings and events that they neglect a vital part of the story - character, and a lack of inventive and smooth prose. Golden is guilty of neither, and paints a rich story that reads more like an autobiography of the protagonist Chiyo, than a regular run of the mill novel. At times, I even found myself forgetting that this was fiction. Such is the power of the story in Memoirs of a Geisha.

Also, Hatsumomo, the story’s villain, may be one of my favorite antagonists ever - once you realize the tragic societal factors at play that led to her position in life, you’ll realize that life is never so simple, something that Golden drives home in this wonderful book time and time again.

I read this many years ago but still remember how the story haunted me for weeks after I finished. My notion of a geisha was completely upended as these women, though trained to be hostesses for men, had extraordinary skills and acumen. I appreciated gaining insight into a facet of Japanese culture that was new to me. I was also unprepared for the emotional punch of the story. Highly recommend.

"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."
"I didn't know it at the time..."

Kill me.

مازلت أتخبط فى رأيى.
ما بين الانبهار بحياة الجيشا و الدهشة حد الغيظ, تخيل فقط معى ما هو تعريف الجيشا "هن ببساطة محظيات الرجال فى اليابان" , طبقة إجتماعية معروفة بل أكاد أقول "راقية" , لوظيفتهن رتب و لأماكن تجمعهن مكاتب تسجيل و دفاتر و رسوم و لكل جيشا سمعة تسعى بتقاليد معينة للحفاظ عليها! !!!!!
كم الهوان فى الأمر رأيته من منظور مختلف , حيث الرجل ليس المتهم الوحيد , بل أيضا المرأة التى ترى فى كونها جيشا مدعاة للفخر و الشرف, هكذا صب فى أذنيها و هكذا آمنت على مر الأعوام.

و لأفسر كم الحيرة , لم أجزم على طول الرواية من أوصل "سايورى " إلى مصيرها كجيشا , فالدنيا فاعلة و مشاركة بدور رئيسى فى تغيير النفوس و أتت "بومبكين" فى النهاية لتخبرنى بأننا لا نكون أشرارا دائما بإرادتنا بل و أن تفسير الشر يختلف فما أفعله لأحمى نفسي شر الدنيا قد يضر آخرون و يعتبرونه ذنبا بحقهم لا يغتفر.

(Book 93 From 1001 Books) -tMemoirs of A Geisha, Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha is a historical novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997.

The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of a fictional geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.

In 1929, nine year-old Chiyo Sakamoto and her 15 year-old sister, Satsu, are sold by their father to work within the entertainment districts of Kyoto.

They are taken from their home, the coastal fishing village of Yoroido along the Sea of Japan, and travel to Kyoto by train; upon arrival, Chiyo is taken to the Nitta okiya (geisha boarding house) in Gion, whereas Satsu - deemed less attractive and therefore a poor investment - is instead taken to a brothel within Kyoto's pleasure district.

Chiyo is taken inside, and is introduced to Auntie, Mother (Auntie's adoptive older sister and the matriarch of the house) and Granny, their elderly and poor-natured adoptive mother and the okiya's former "mother".

Both Auntie and Mother are strict, though Auntie is kinder to Chiyo, whereas Mother is driven by money and business.

Chiyo is also introduced to Hatsumomo - the premier geisha of the okiya, its primary earner, and one of the most famous, beautiful and ill-mannered geisha of Gion.

Hatsumomo takes an instant disliking to Chiyo, and goes out of her way to torment her. Auntie warns Chiyo against both angering and trusting Hatsumomo, knowing the ill-mannered geisha's true nature very well. ...

خاطرات یک گیشا - آرتور گلدن (سخن) ادبیات؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: در ماه مارس سال 2003میلادی

عنوان: خاطرات یک گیشا؛ نوشته: آرتور گلدن؛ مترجم: مریم بیات؛ تهران، سخن، 1380، در 640ص؛ شابک 9646961703؛ موضوع: داستان - ژاپن - تاریخ از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا- سده 20م

نمیدانم، یادم نمانده، کدامیک از سالهای بگذشته بود، که برای نخستین بار، یک پی.دی.اف از همین کتاب، با ترجمه ی بانو «مریم بیات»، برایم رسید، برنامه ای نوشتم، تا متن پی.دی.اف را به فارسی آفیس نسخه 2003میلادی برگردانم، بسیار سخت گذشت، بارها و بارها برنامه را مجبور شدم هوشمندتر کنم، تا اینکه کتاب را پس از تلاش بسیار، در 174733کلمه، و در 409صفحه ی 31سطری، و هر سطر میانگین 22واژه، و هر واژه میانگین بیش از چهار حرف، برای خویش آراستم، البته باز هم مجبور شدم، بیشتر صفحات را ویراستاری کنم

نقل نمونه متن: (یادداشت «آرتور گلدن»: چهارده ساله بودم، که در غروبی در بهار سال 1936میلادی، پدرم مرا به تماشای یک برنامه ی رقص، در «کیوتو» برد؛ از آن برنامه، تنها دو چیز را به یاد دارم؛ نخست اینکه من و پدرم، تنها تماشاچی غربی در میان تماشاگران بودیم، تنها دو سه هفته بود که از کشورمان «هلند»، به آنجا سفر کرده بودیم، بنابراین هنوز نتوانسته بودم، خود را با انزوای فرهنگی تطبیق دهم، و تاثیر آن بر من هنوز فوق العاده زیاد بود؛ دوم اینکه خوشحال بودم، که پس از ماهها فراگیری زبان «ژاپنی»، آنهم به صورت فشرده، میتوانستم از حرفهایی که میشنیدم، جسته گریخته، چیزی سر دربیاورم؛ از زنهای جوان «ژاپنی»، که روی صحنه میرقصیدند، به جز اشکالی مبهم، از «کیمونو»های الوان درخشانی که، بر تن داشتند، چیزی به یاد ندارم؛ مسلم است که به هیچ راه، به ذهنم هم خطور نمیکرد، که در زمان و مکانی بسیار دور، یعنی تقریباً پنجاه سال بعد، و در مکانی به دوری «نیویورک»، یکی از همان زنان، نزدیکترین دوستم خواهد شد، و خاطرات استثنایی اش را برایم تقریر خواهد کرد؛ در جایگاه یک تاریخ نگار، همیشه خاطرات را به چشم منبعی از مواد نگاه میکنم؛ خاطرات، سوابقی را فراهم میآورد، که بیشتر به دنیای خاطره نویس، تا خود او مربوط است؛ خاطرات با «بیوگرافی» فرق دارد، چون در «بیوگرافی»، خاطره نویس نمیتواند، جنبه هایی را ببیند، که برای «بیوگراف» نویس، امری عادی و منطقی است؛ «اتوبیوگرافی»، البته اگر واقعاً چنین چیزی وجود داشته باشد، به این میماند، که از خرگوش بخواهیم برایمان بگوید: وقتی توی علفزار، بالا و پایین میپرد، به چه شکل درمیآید؟ از کجا بداند؟ از طرفی، اگر بخواهیم چیزی در مورد علفزار بدانیم، هیچ کس بهتر از او، نمیتواند برای ما آنرا توصیف کند، مگر آنکه در نظرمان باشد، که در جستجوی چیزهایی هستیم، که خرگوش، قادر به مشاهده ی آنها نیست؛ ....)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/05/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 09/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

I think this is going to be one of those books you either love or hate, or is that a tattoo I’ve seen somewhere?.

Having checked my Almanac I knew I had to finish this book before the east wind of Hurricane Milton reached the Tiger Claws of Alligator Alley. Thank goodness I did, the leaves need sweeping.

Although a fictional tale set predominately in Japan in the 1930’s, it gave me a wonderful insight into the vanishing world of a life of a Geisha.

From childhood, to apprentice Geisha, to a fully fledged Geisha was a daunting ride.

The Characters for me made this book. On one side you had the main Geisha’s battling out for their dominance of Gion. All sorts of mixed cunning methods, friendly, smart or down right wickedness hidden behind the white faces and beautiful kimono’s. The other main Characters being the customers visiting the tea houses mainly Businessmen, Politicians, Generals and Doctors. Some of these perhaps more caring than others and some simply that give you the creeps, let’s not talk about Dr Crab.

Anyhow, I worked out the ending pretty quickly but still loved the plot.

Geisha meaning artist, performing artist or artisan. What a wonderful way to describe something else, only the Japanese could do that.

Sadly there was no Dancing Queen when the Shamisens were playing, although I’m sure there was an hint of a Gary Glitter track “you want to be in my gang” when Dr Crab paid a yen or two.

There is actually a Shamisen Thunderstruck cover on YouTube, check it out.

If you hate metaphors, you will hate this book, it’s full of them. There are more metaphors than dinghy’s blowing north in the Channel.

Off to buy some more books but I need a danna.

5 Stars.