Chiyo and her sister, Satsu, live in the fishing village of Yoroido, on coastal Japan. Her father gives them to Mr. Tanaka Ichiro. He sells Satsu into a brothel and Chiyo into a geisha house. Satsu escapes but nine year old Chiyo does not. Because Chiyo tried to run away with her sister, she is demoted to a maid for two years.

Life in the okiya (geisha house) is difficult. Hatsumomo, a geisha who lives in the okiya, is cruel and manipulative. She lies and twist events around so that Chiyo gets in trouble. Luckily for Chiyo, Mameha, another geisha, takes an interest in Chiyo. She becomes Chiyo's older sister. Soon Chiyo's training as a geisha begins and her name will change to Sayuri.

I found this novel intriguing and captivating. I stopped the description so as to not spoil the book for future readers. Chiyo/Sayuri's journey keeps the reader turning the pages to discover what happens next. I will tell you the ending is perfect for this story. Very satisfying. I am renting the movie next. Can't wait to compare it to the book. I recommend this novel to those interested in the life of a geisha. The story reads like an autobiography. It's hard to keep in mind that it's fiction. Happy reading!

Creo que puedo contar con los dedos de las manos los libros que he cerrado con un suspiro de satisfacción, aquellos con un desenlace que roza lo perfecto y, por supuesto, Memorias de una geisha entra en este selecto grupo de mis lecturas.

Lo que entrega esta novela puedo dividirlo en dos aspectos. Por una parte, un acercamiento magnífico a la cultura e historia del Japón de la pre y post Guerra a través de la sufrida vida de una geisha de Gion. El autor nos pasea con crudeza pero también con una exquisita delicadeza narrativa por las casas de té, las casas de geishas y sus abusivos vínculos económicos, la educación de estas jóvenes, la superstición que las envuelve y mucho, mucho más. Me dí cuenta que de este tema no sabía casi nada y lo que sabía... bueno, en su mayoría eran percepciones erróneas. Me enteré también que en su momento este libro causó una fuerte polémica, ya que algunas costumbres no se describían con la suficiente exactitud, pero al menos en mi caso, eso no le quita valor.

Por otra parte, tenemos la novela propiamente tal, con todos los conflictos que rodean la historia personal de Chiyo/Sayuri, desde sus inocentes 9 años, hasta que logra la paz interior (no me atrevo de calificarlo de felicidad) que tanto necesitaba. Con unos personajes antagonistas tan bien dibujados que los llegas a odiar (Hatsumono, sin quien el libro se reduciría prácticamente a la mitad) y a amar (Nobu, quien me causó una profunda pena durante toda la lectura).

Una delicia de libro que recomiendo sobradamente.

n  Reto #44 PopSugar 2020: Un libro ambientado en Japón, anfitrión de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2020n

Incluso 4.5. Ha sido una maravilla seguir el camino de la protagonista desde niña y conocer el mundo velado de las geishas (o al menos tan tergiversado en occidente), y tantos términos, usos y palabras desconocidas para mí. Mundo todo él que me ha resultado muy interesante; libro didáctico y de lectura entretenida. Letras con vida. Para mi su protagonista es un ser que siente, padece (y mucho) y respira. Así como todos los personajes que deambulan en la novela. Y sin querer desvelar nada, el final es lo que menos me ha convencido. Pero nada grave, simplemente un gusto personal.

'Memoirs of a Geisha' is an incredibly exquisite novel to read. The life of the Japanese geisha Sayuri, the main character, in 1930's Japan is so realistically described I believed at times I was reading an actual memoir. The writing is as liquid and lovely as an ornamental pond with a small designed waterfall. Reading this book is entirely all delight - which it shouldn't be considering the subject is about forced formalized prostitution. However, Arthur Golden is a beautiful writer, and luckily, his main protagonist (based on a real geisha's interview) Sayuri is a fighter, the type of woman who made lemonade from lemons.

She was born with the name Chiyo, but she kept it only as long as she was an ordinary little 9-year-old girl, daughter of a small village fisherman, living in a typsy shack by the ocean with her dying mother and older sister, Satsu. After her mother took to her bed with cancer, her father sold her and Satsu to a rich industrialist, who in turn quickly sold them into prostitution in Kyoto, Japan. Satsu ended up performing as a low-end prostitute immediately, being transferred to a very low-class house, but Chiyo is given to a high-class okiya, a place where geishas were trained and indentured for life. Chiyo has a destiny she is forced to embrace because she has the luck to be a beautiful child with grey-blue eyes, and poor parents sick with bad health.

She struggles against her dictated fate and succeeds in derailing the house's owners, Granny, Mother and Auntie, from their plans to train her as a geisha. She does this with with an attempt to run away, intending to return to her parents. Instead the escape ends in disaster and she is returned to the okiya by the neighbors, all of whom fully support the okiyas and the geisha system, because without the money produced by the party-girls, there would be a lot of suppliers and other businesses which would struggle to lure wealthy businessmen to spend. So, although she is returned to her owners, she is in disgrace. Granny and Mother make the decision she is too much of a risk to train as a geisha, an education which will cost the house thousands of dollars by the time Chiyo is a teen. She becomes a maid, cleaning and polishing while watching the magnificent geisha, Hatsumomo, already in place and supporting the entire house through the entertaining of men in tea-houses and invitations to appear on the stage in plays.

Hatsumomo is so important to the survival of the entire okiya, she is permitted every angry vengeful attack on everyone who displeases her. She is careful to maintain her appearance and dancing, singing and music lessons, keeping within the boundaries for her behavior by the traditions of the institution of the geisha - a Japanese word which means 'artist entertainer'- but her angry neurotic spite leads her to abuse every member of the house, especially those whose beauty or geisha apprenticeship threaten her place in the hierarchy of the house. She has hopes of being adopted as Mother's daughter, which means she would inherit the okiya upon Mother's death.

When Hatsumomo's number one Kyoto competition, Mameha, an independent geisha supported partially by a danna, shows up in the okiya one day, offering to become Chiyo's older sister, an official designation in geisha culture of a personal trainer, it changes Chiyo's path once again. No longer a maid, she is given a new name - Sayuri.

While these momentous happenings are shifting Sayuri's life around like a windblown leaf, the Depression is causing starvation throughout Japan. However, Japan's industrialists are doing well, so the geishas are also doing well since they are hired to entertain the wealthy industrialists. It isn't until near the end of WWII the geisha enclaves feel the upheaval all of Japan, including the industrialists, soon feel because of losing the war. Meanwhile, Sayuri, who has decided to be the best geisha she can be, is having to defend herself against the malicious attacks by Hatsumomo against her character and reputation. If she cannot build her clientele list or if she loses a single male supporter, she could end up in rags once again, scrubbing toilets and starving. Only one can be left standing...whoever becomes Mother's adopted daughter. Game on...

I have used current idioms for my review, gentle reader, but Sayuri's narration, and Golden's words, are far more eloquent and beautiful than my more mundane review. I should also mention, that while Sayuri eventually embraced the geisha life, had to be one for survival, and the book emphasizes the Fine Arts a geisha are trained in, fully describing the makeup, clothes and the ceremonial work behind being a professional companion, along with the cultural environment and traditions of mid-20th century Japan, she believes sex is far down the list of what is expected of a geisha. I do not share the geisha viewpoint in this. There would not be a geisha institution if not for the sexual desires and hierarchical dog-pack requirements of rich men. It simply boils down to whether a girl is a high-priced talented courtesan or a street whore by the price she charges for her services and what effort she makes at providing an illusion of having a good time with horrible men.

Examples of Golden's superb writing ability :

"The path from our house followed the edge of the sea cliffs before turning toward the village. Walking it on a day like this was difficult, but I remember feeling grateful that the fierce wind drew my mind from the things which troubled me. The sea was violent, with waves like stones chipped into blades, sharp enough to cut. It seemed to me the world itself was feeling just as I felt. Was life nothing more than a storm that constantly washed away what had been there only a moment before, and left behind something barren and unrecognizable?"

"During those first few days in that strange place, I don't think I could have felt worse if I'd lost my arms and legs, rather than my family and home. I had no doubt life would never again be the same. All I could think of was my confusion and misery; and I wondered day after day when I might see Satsu again. I was without my father, without my mother--without even the clothing I'd always worn. Yet somehow the thing that startled me most, after a week or two had passed, was that I had in fact survived. I remember one moment drying rice bowls in the kitchen, when all at once I felt so disoriented I had to stop what I was doing to stare for a long while at my hands; for I could scarcely understand that this person drying the bowls was actually me."

The world of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is unforgettably mesmerizing.


Below is a link to a geisha dance to a Lady Gaga song: Bad Romance

https://youtu.be/Hvwu80LT9To


This is a BBC/A&E production of the history of geishas:

https://youtu.be/4b4khFSChd4

This one is going to be a bit difficult for me to review. I enjoyed it, but it was kinda weird. It was interesting, but kind of slow. The historical fiction aspect is interesting, but I have seen many reviews critical of the actual truth of it all.

The pros:
- Very good storytelling - Each chapter was its own short story and I found it easy to read and stay interested.
- Characters - I was invested in the characters. In fact, I was so invested I could feel my loathing for one of the bad characters curdling in my very soul. It's usually a good sign when you want to reach into the book and smack a character.
- The setting and the history - it was fascinating to learn about Geisha culture in pre-WWII Japan and how different it is from anything in American history.

The Cons
- This one may not be fair because it is probably historically accurate, but the Geisha culture made all the male characters seem like creepers. So, even when there is one you are supposed to like or who is supposed to be a hero, you know that he is all about pre-pubescent, up-and-coming Geisha and hoping to be able to deflower as many as possible. Just skews things a bit.
- Kind of slow - even thought I thought the storytelling was great, there were a few times where it started to drag and I was ready to move on to the next part of the story.
- Accuracy - Without Goodreads, I would have probably never have known this, but it seems there is some question as to the accuracy of the account in this book. Often, other, more reliable titles are suggested. But, was this supposed to be a non-fiction memoir, a story based on some facts surrounding the Geisha culture but equal parts fact and fiction, or just a completely made up story? I am not completely sure, but it should provide some interesting follow up research.

So, I am going to go with 4 stars because it was an interesting story and despite some slow spots and creepers, it was pretty entertaining. Also, questions/controversy over its accuracy might actually raise the entertainment value!

حين كنتُ أدرس التاريخ الجاهلي في شبة الجزيرة العربية كانت هناك فقرة تتكرر دائما عن وضع المرأة في المجتمع عبارة كنت أشعر أنهم يكررونها بشكل متعمد لإهانة جنس النساء كان المؤلف يصف معاملة الرجل المرأة على أساس إنها متاع أو ما شابه حين كنت أقرأ الجيشا رنّت تلك العبارة في ذهني مسترجعة قسوة الرجل ولامبالاته تجاه هذا الكائن الحي !
أي وضع مأساوي كانت تعيشه المرأة في الهند أو الصين أو اليابان أو عند العرب أو غيرهم شرقا وغربا لم يكن يختلف !
الأنثى كانت تدور دوما في فلك الرجل تموت و تحيا لأجله !
الجيشا درّبت لتكون على هيئة لوحة جميلة يتبارز عليها الرجال وينالها أكثرهم سطوة وحظوة وذكاءا ..
هذا الوضع المأساوي ونوعية التفكير الذكوري المتوارث بلا شك يثير الحزن والحقيقة إنني طوال قرائتي لتلك الرواية أتعجب كيف كانت النساء تبيع أنفسهن بهذه الطريقة المخجلة وعلى الرغم أن الأمر مازال يمارس بأشكال مختلفة وأكثر بساطة في الكثير من الأماكن التي يخيم عليها كابوس الفقر إلا أن ما يثير الدهشة كيف أن الجيشاوات خلقن لهم عالما خاصا به قوانين خاصة تسيرها نساء غلبت عليهم شهوة الطمع والسيطرة وانتفت معها كل معاني الإنسانية !

يحكي آرثر غولدن قصة فتاة وشقيقتها والدها صياد كبير في السن بينما والدتها كانت تعاني من مرض عضال أفقدها القدرة على الحياة ومع الوقت تفقد فعاليتها ويرجع صوت الألم مجلجلا ليحرم بطلتنا الصغيرة من الشعور بالأمان ومرارة الإحساس بقرب النهاية
وفقا لذلك لم يكن هناك من يرعى الطفلة بطلة القصة وشقيقتها المراهقة ، خرجت شيو لتحضر الدواء لوالدتها ولكنها أصيبت فأحضرها الصيادون إلى رب النعمة تاناكا ، اللقاء مع تاناكا هو الذي غير حياتها إلى إتجاه آخر تماما لم يكن يخطر في بال تلك الفتاة الصغيرة
شيو كانت تتمتع بعينين رماديتين تسرق الأنظار على الرغم من إنها تسير حافية القدمين مبعثرة الشعر والملابس إلا إن السيد تاناكا انبهر بتلك العينين وبدأ يرى مستقبلا آخر سيعود عليه بالمال !
ونظرا لظروف الفقر القاهرة والمستقبل الغامض الذي يحيط بالفتاتين اضطر الأب إلى بيع فتاتيه إلى السيد تاناكا الذي باعهم بدوره،، الصغيرة لأحد بيوتات تربية الجيشاوات والمراهقة إلى أحد بيوت الدعارة ومن هنا يبدأ مشوار عذابات الطفلة التي تضاءلت أحلامها في بيت ورعاية جيدة في معية السيد تاناكا

آرثر غولدن درس أصول الفن الياباني وهذا الأمر إنعكس بشكل بارع في روايته الجيشا وفي توغله لعالم الجيشاوات الذي يقوم على تربية الفتاة لتكون راقصة وعازفة ومتذوقة للفن ومتحدثة وقادرة على خدمة الرجال في بيوتات الشاي الشهيرة التي يجتمع فيها رجالات المجتمع الراقي ، ما لفت نظري بل سلب لبي هذا الوصف الشائق والدقيق الذي اعتمده غولدن في وصف الكيمونوات وهو اللباس الذي كانت ترتديه الجيشاوات لجذب اهتمام الرجال ويمثل مبارزة حقيقية بين الجيشاوات للحصول على أفخر وأجمل أنواعها وكان غولدن يسترسل في الوصف حتى تعرف أن الكاتب نفسه مولع بهذا النوع من الفن فيصف القماش واللون والرسوم ويقوم بتحليل حركتها فتبدو وكأنها لوحة تضج بالحيوية والحياة ، لقد كان غولدن أيضا يتوغل في تفاصيل صغيرة كالصباغ الأبيض وطريقة طلاء الوجه والشفاه والعينين وكل هذه الأمورالتي تذكرك أن غولدن استغرق أعواما طوال ليكتب هذه الرواية كما فعل باموق في اسمي أحمر هذه الدقة وهذا الشعور بالمسئولية تجاه الكتابة ألا يجعلك تقف احتراما للكاتب خاصة إنه قرر الدخول إلى عالم لا ينتمي له في الحقيقة !

إن الأمر لم يقتصر فقط على الدخول لذلك العالم ولكن بحبكة مشوقة لم تنتهي عند عذابات تلك الصغيرة مع منافستها التي لم تألو جهدا في زعزعة وجودها في الأوكيا ولا بفكرة الهرب التي ظلت تراودها للبحث عن حياة حرة وكريمة تلك الفترة المظلمة التي حولتها إلى خادمة مهانة
حين تخلى عنها الأب والأخت برق أمل وحيد كان دافعا لها لكي تصبح الجيشا الأكثر شهرة في تاريخ الجيشاوات
بل بهذا الأمل الذي يخلقه الحب ليصبح هو الدافع الرئيسي لإحتمال كل ما لا يمكن أن يحتمل ، إن اللقاءات التي جمعت بين سايوري ورجلها الوحيد كانت من أجمل المشاهد الدافئة والحميمية وإن كانت لقاءات متباعدة وقليلة وتحمل القليل من الأمل والكثير من اليأس ..

كان غولدن متفوقا في رسم شخصياته الخيالية وكأنها شخصيات حقيقية ، إن تفرّد الكاتب جاء في المساحات التي قدمها لكل شخصية كتب عنها قد تكون صفحات كثيرة وقد تكون أسطر قليلة وعلى الرغم من أن سايوري هي الشخصية المحورية في هذه الرواية إلا أن حضور الشخصيات الأخرى كان متساويا من حيث قوة تأثيرها على مجريات السرد غولدن الأم التي تدير الأوكيا بجشعها وتسلطها
وهاتسومومو المنافسة الجميلة التي ظهرت كالأنثى الحية تبدل جلدها حسب ما تقتضيه مصالحها الشخصية أحببت جدا طريقة رسم هذه الشخصية المتحركة حيوية مجنونة مليئة بالغرابة والإدهاش , الفارس النبيل الرئيس , البارون القبيح المنفوخ كبالون والدكتور الذي تفوح من أسطر غولدن حين يتحدث عنه رائحة المستشفيات
ومامها الأنثى الجميلة العاقلة نموذج للجيشا المثال التي كانت تزاحم بنضج الأنثى ذات التجارب
ونابو آه من تلك الشخصية إنها بالفعل من أروع وأعظم شخصيات الرواية على غرابته وتصرفاته العنيفة التي كانت ترافق صفات أخرى نبيلة
لا أدري لم إستدعت هذه الرواية سيرة تلك النساء الصينيات ( بجعات برية ) كنتُ أفكر في الرابط بين الروايتين
ربما هو عالم الشرق أو ربما هي الأنثى المهانة ولعلها العذابات التي عانتها الصغيرة أو قد يكون ذلك النوع المتفرد من المتعة والتشويق الذي حصدته في الكتابين عن عالمين مختلفين عني تماما !

تا قبل خاطرات یک گیشا فکر می‌کردم گیشاشدن خیلی باحال و جذابه. اما نمی‌دونستم گیشاشدن یه انتخاب نیست، یه جور بی‌چارگیه...

برخلاف خیلی‌ها که از جزییات خسته می‌شدن برای من خیلی دلنشین بود. چون کلاً به فرهنگ شرقی علاقه دارم- به جز این نگاه وحشتناکی که به زن دارن و خیلی خیلی غمگینم می‌کرد. اما توصیفات رو دلم می‌خواست هزاربار بخونم و یادم نره، می‌دونم از همین الآن هم یادم رفته. ولی تجربه تکرارنشدنی‌ای بود. یه رمان رو این‌قد با حوصله و ریز به ریز بخونم و فقط بذارم وقتی که فکرم آزاده، فقط وقتی که می‌تونم حسابی روش تمرکز کنم. از کِش دادنِ مدت کتاب اصلاً خوشم نمی‌آد. ولی این انگار هرچی بیشتر طول می‌دادم بیشتر توی ذهنم حک می‌شد. یه تیکه‌هایی رو ول می‌کردم و تا یه هفته تو فکرش می‌رفتم. مثل قضیه خواهر سایوری- که دیگه هیچ‌وقت ازش خبری نشد و تا پایان داستان نامعلوم موند... یا مامه‌ها، شخصیت مامه‌ها واقعاً یه حالت فرشته‌گونی داشت. چطور می‌تونی یه غریبه رو پیدا کنی که این‌قدر خالصانه برات وقت بذاره؟ اونم برای چیزی که همه طردش کرده‌ن و به وضعیت رقت‌انگیزی افتاده؟

من حتی نوبو رو هم دوست داشتم و راستش درک نمی‌کنم چهره عشق اول آدم این‌قد برای سال‌ها- پونزده‌سال فکر کنم، بشه همه هم و غمت. به نظرم انگیزه‌های بیشتری هم دخیل بوده اما به خاطر کلیشه‌های سنتی و جامعه مردسالارانه و وضعیت سایوری... قابل درکه این تصور. و ریسکی که کرد هم خیلی منو ترسوند. حتی کتابو بستم بلند شدم یه چرخی بزنم سرم گیج رفت :)) و برام سنگین بود که به خاطر عشقت به دوستت، جدا از علاقه‌ای که بهت داره، به خاطر اون همه محبت، بازم بهش خیانت کنی. گرچه می‌دونم آدم تو زندگی‌ش با سفت‌ترین موازین اخلاقی هم اشتباهات وحشتناکی می‌کنه و خودمم خیلی وقت‌ها طبق پیش‌بینی‌ها و هنجارهای خودم رفتار نکردم. بنابراین اینم قابل درک بود.

پایان خیلی پایان خوشی بود که این‌قد خوش رو دوست نداشتم. اما همه‌ش سرگذشت شخصیت توی ذهنم دوره می‌شد و با اون خودمو توجیه می‌کردم. جدا از همه این‌ها، بیان و زبان نویسنده مسحورکننده بود؛ در عین سادگی بدون هیچ تکلفی با تصویرهای قشنگش- که نمی‌دونم دخالت سایوری چقد نقش داشت- خیلی گیراش کرده بود.

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.

Memoirs of a Geisha is an American novel, and as such the attempt at West does East, especially on the complex and delicate subject of the geisha, is compelling, interesting, but also heavy-handed and ultimately ineffective (even more so in the case of the film). It is a wonderful introduction to geisha, Japanese culture, and the East for the uninitiated Western reader, and I can see why the book is popular, but I found it disappointing. For the reader already familiar with the culture, western influences are all too clear and the book comes off as a bit clunky and imperfect. I also had some problems with the general perception of the characters by readers versus the way the characters were actually portrayed in the book--Memoirs is far from the good-willed fairy tale that people assume it is. By all means, read it, but leave it open for critique and remember that a more authentic representation of eastern culture, especially in the details, will come from the east itself.

A lot of my critique stems from the fact that this movie has attained such wide-spread fame and been made into a movie, to be sure. I feel like it is being perpetuated as something it is not. Even the introduction to the book (a faux translator's note) perpetuates the myth that Memoirs is an accurate, beautiful, in-depth reflection of the life of a geisha, when in truth it is no more that historical fiction and is written by an outsider. Golden has done his research and is well-educated on his subjects, and I have no problem with people reading from, taking interest in, and even learning from this book; I do, however, think it is important that readers don't conflate the American novel with Japanese reality. They aren't the same thing, no matter how much research Golden did, and if we take the book as an accurate representation we're actually underestimating and undervaluing geisha, Japan, and Japanese culture.

Because Golden attempts to write from within the geisha culture, as a Japanese woman, he must do more than report the "facts" of that life--he must also pretend to be a part of it. Pretend he does, acting out a role as if he has studied inflection, script, and motivation. He certainly knows what makes writing "Japanese" but his attempt to mimic it is not entirely successful. The emphasis on elements, the independent sentences, the visual details are too prevalent and too obvious, as if Golden is trying to call our attention to them and thus to the Japanese style of the text. He does manage to draw attention, but to me, at least, what I came away with was the sense that Golden was an American trying really hard to sound Japanese--that is, the effect betrayed the attempt and the obvious attempt ruined the sincerity of the novel, for me. I felt like I was being smacked over the head with beauty! wood! water! kimono! haiku! and I felt insulted and disappointed.

The problems that I saw in the text were certainly secondary to the purpose of the text: to entertain, to introduce Western readers to Japanese culture, and to sell books (and eventually a film). They may not be obvious to all readers and they aren't so sever that the book isn't worth reading. I just think readers need to keep in mind that what Golden writes is fiction. Historical fiction, yes, but still fiction, therefore we should look for a true representation of Japanese culture within Japanese culture itself and take Memoirs with a grain of salt.

I also had problems with the rushed end of the book, the belief that Sayuri is a honest, good, modest, generous person when she really acts for herself and at harm to others throughout much of the book, the perpetuation of Hatsumomo as unjustified and cruel when she has all the reason in the world, and in general the public belief that Memoirs is some sort of fairy tale when in fact it is heavy-handed, biased, and takes a biased or unrelatistic view toward situations, characters, and love. However, all of those complains are secondary, in my view, to the major complain above, and should be come obvious to the reader.

Memoirs goes quickly, is compelling, and makes a good read, and I don't want to sound too unreasonably harsh on it. However, I believe the book has a lot of faults that aren't widely acknowledged and I think we as readers need to keep them in mind. This is an imperfect Western book, and while it may be a fun or good book it is not Japanese, authentic, or entirely well done.

A beautiful, poingnant story that is so incredibly, lyrically captivating you are seduced from the very first word. An absolute work of art, each page overflows with beautiful, sensual, evocative images.

Such is the skill and authority of Golden's writing, I feel as though I have spent hours, being entertained by the most gifted of all Geisha. Utterly Satisfying. I want to read it again for the very first time!

Very entertaining, but kind of made me gag. Everything was written in this faux-asian "My heart ached like cherry blossom petals floating on the river..." bullshit.

This book was wonderful. I absolutely love the movie, which I now need to watch!



In many ways, this was a sad story for me. I would really like to read a biography of a geisha and watch a documentary to really look into their world.





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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.

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Happy Reading!

Mel