This is not a memoir. Do your research people! Arthur Golden invented it all, and shamelessly used up Mineko (the retired geisha) who trusted him enough to tell him her life story. A real story and not the fiction printed on these pages. Mineko received death threats because of his lies. These are serious things. Many Asian women were sexually assaulted by Western man because of books like this one, books that paint them as promiscuous prostitutes.

This author was sued for breach of contract for mentioning Mineko in the acknowledgements and as they came to some kind of agreement in the court, I don't think the author still advertises this novel as a true story, but didn't he use to do in the past? At any rate, a lot of people think that was Golden wrote was based on a real life account and that is definitely not the case.

What do I think about his actions? Not only did the author trivialize and insult Japanese culture but he invented the whole thing. It is fiction, not memoir. Obviously nobody cares about that. What interest me is how readers be so stupid (or perhaps better to say culture ignorant) as to think this is a memoir? Haven't you noticed passages literally rewritten from Gone with the Wind? That episode when the heroine hides her hands after having to work during the war. Gone With the Wind rip off for sure. There are other Western movie references that I can think of but forgive me if I don't feel too inclined to overly analyze this excuse for a novel.

So, what do I think about this novel? If the author wasn't so immoral in advertising it falsely, had he been clear it was all invention- it would still be a terrible and shameless book. I mean maybe I could give it two stars if it was placed in an imaginary land. The story isn't great as such, but apart from being wildly racist, it's somewhat readable. Nevertheless, it is a shameless and racist attack on Japanese culture. The author should be ashamed of himself.

First book I've read on Geisha's and I loved it so much it has fueled my need to get to Japan and my fascination with all things Japanese.

I thought this was a fantastic book and a great insight to the culture although I am aware of the controversy surrounding it and the liberties the author took but this will still remain an all time favorite for me.

The world of Geisha is a secret and forbidden world. The shell is beautiful and seems to be a life of luxury, but the core is pure suffering. Geisha do not love, they do not choose their fate, and their life is owned by the men they entertain. They are not meant to feel. The very word geisha means moving art. That’s all they’re meant to be. Not humans but paintings. Like a sculpture, beautiful but cold as the stone their made of. Memoirs of a Geisha is a book that is based on a true story and let’s us catch a glimpsetof the world where the women paint their faces and don’t deserve to love.
Based in the 1920’s in Kyoto, Japan a young girl named Chiyo lives with her sister Satsu, in a poor town called Yoriodo along with her sick mother and elderly father.
Her father sells Chiyo and her sister to Mr. Tanaka to be taken to an office where they decide that Chiyo will become Geisha for her good looks and blue eyes but Satsu will be taken to a prostitution house in the pleasure district. Chiyo is taken to the Nitta okiya (Geisha House) to become a Maiko (apprentice geisha). She breaks her leg from trying to run away and her training is stopped. Chiyo is then told that both of her parents have died. She meets the Chairmen of Iwamura Electric Company and falls in love with him. She dedicates her life for him to become her danna (not a husband but similar, the danna gives geisha kimono, and money to afford an apartment. Danna are usually wealthy men). Hatsumomo is the lead Geisha in the Okiya and is jealous of Chiyo’s good looks and the attention she gets. Thus, she treats Chiyo like the dirt she walks on. The only person in the okiya kind to Chiyo is Pumpkin, an aspiring geisha the same age as Chiyo. Her dream is to be adopted by oka-san (owner of the okiya) and be the lead geisha of the okiya. Mameha, a renowned geisha, comes to the okiya to offer to be Chiyo’s onee-san (older sister). She teaches Chiyo all of the secrets to becoming a great geiko or geisha. She is no longer known as Chiyo but, Sayuri. Sayuri meets Mameha’s danna, the Baron. He takes an unusual interest in Sayuri, and when she goes to the cherry blossom festival held at his estate he brings her into his quarters. He presents to her, a beautiful kimono. He offers to give the kimono to her if she merely would take hers off. Sayuri panics and the Baron starts removing her obi. He did not violate her, just merely looked at her. Rumors spread that Sayuri is now a worthless Meiko (Meiko must be virgins for their mizuage; their first sexual experience which is sold to the highest bidder). With her debut not far away Sayuri has to mend all wounds with the patrons who heard the rumors that Hatsumomo spread. The bidding begins and Dr. Crab, one of Sayuri’s patrons, wins her mizuage. Sayuri then becomes a geisha, and unexpectedly is adopted by oka-san and is the head of the okiya. Pumpkin is extremely upset for that was her dream. Sayuri is given yet another name, Nitta Sayuri (taking the name of the okiya is a custom in the geisha world). She then obtains a danna, a general in the army whom she doesn’t really like.
War is declared on Japan. Sayuri’s danna leaves to fight in the war and is killed. Nobu, a patron and good friend, takes Sayuri into hiding in northern Japan. She lives there for years working at a dye factory owned by Nobu’s friend. Nobu comes for her and offers to become her danna. Sayuri, still in love with the Chairman, doesn’t know what to say. Nobu says that before she answers Sayuri and Pumpkin need to entertain a party with an American general to try and make peace. She accepts and tries to look like the geisha she was years before. Nobu clearly doesn’t like the General so Sayuri uses the general to make Nobu hate her. Sayuri tells Pumpkin to bring Nobu to the warehouse later at night. Sayuri brings the General with her and starts to be intimate with him. The door opens and instead of bringing Nobu as Sayuri asked, Pumpkin brought the Chairmen! The Chairmen sees and walks away. Sayuri runs to Pumpkin and asks why she would bring the Chairmen. Pumpkin says that Sayuri stole the one thing that she wanted, to be adopted by oka-san. She took what Sayuri wanted as vengeance.
Sayuri is depressed. She almost certainly lost the one she loved. She gets invited to a small get together and is surprised to find that the only person in the tea house is the Chairmen. He begins by saying that Nobu was supposed to come but heard about what happened and now is livid at her. He continues that he was the one who told Nobu because he understood Sayuri’s intentions. He says that Pumpkin explained and begins to kiss Sayuri. He confesses his love to her and offers to become her danna.
A danna is not a husband. Danna’s are usually married and have a geisha as a mistress. No matter how much she would like to marry the Chairmen she can’t. Sayuri moves to America because of a feud with who would inherit the Iwamura Electric Company, the Chairmen’s son-in-law married to the daughter he had with his wife or a rumored son with his mistress, Sayuri. She moves to New York and the Chairmen visits regularly.
The book ends with Sayuri saying that the day Mr. Tanaka took her away was the worst and best day of her life. She says, “As a young girl I believed my life would never have been a struggle if Mr. Tanaka hadn’t torn me away from my (house Yoriodo). But now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”
I would highly recommend reading this book. It’s a window into a different world and makes you admire but pity the geisha. ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ is an empowering novel that every person should read to appreciate what they have.

This was one of the best-written books I have ever read. There was something so special about the writing style, I can't really put it into words. It was just so "fitting" and transported me right into this fascinating world. I knew absolutely nothing about the Geisha tradition going into this book, and I feel like I've learnt so much! It is extremely evident that the author did a lot of extensive research and clearly appreciates the Japanese culture. I never would have guessed that I could become so invested in the life of a single girl, who is growing up in a country I don't have any connection to, and who is living a lifestyle I've never thought all too much about before.

I thing the exquisite writing style is what truly makes this book. Of course the plot is interesting as well (especially if, like me, you don't know anything about all the work that goes into becoming a Geisha), but without  Arthur Golden's wonderful storytelling it would have been only half as good. He made me feel things I wouldn't have felt otherwise. He managed to make even the most mundane things sound exciting and interesting. I especially need to mention the fact that there were many things happening I would have found disgusting and appalling under different circumstances (this is not a critique on the book itself; these situations are realistic and an attribute to the time period the book takes place in). However, the author pulled me so far into the story and had such a beautiful way of describing things, that I just couldn't bring myself to be angry at anything.

All in all, this was an absolute perfect book to me. If I were to teach a writing class, I would definitely choose this novel as an example on great storytelling. It deserves all the hype and acclaim it gets.

In a small Japanese fishing village of Yoroido, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, a child Chiyo Sakamoto 9, lives with an ancient father, dying mother and older sister Satsu in a dilapidated home, leaning over a cliff the year 1929, things are tough and will get harder, as the Great Depression is about to commence...the impoverished family needs help and the two sisters are sold. Pretty Chiyo with beautiful eyes, to become a geisha after a long apprenticeship and the unlucky, plain Satsu, an abused prostitute....In a house that never becomes a home, in the former royal capital of Kyoto, in the section called Gion where most geisha live, and the tea houses to entertain rich men, there the scared girl is under the complete control of three money- hungry women, who show no pity Granny, (she has coins in her heart) the matriarch and her two adopted daughters, Mother the real boss and Auntie, they love nicknames, both are as unfeeling as Granny. The only genuine geisha in residence is stunning Hatsumomo, as beautiful as she is detestable and takes an odd, instant hatred to the little girl and torments her nonstop. One day while doing an errand, the child starts crying in the streets, her miserable life has no joy, a man known as the chairman , the owner of an important electronics business stops and comforts Chiyo, leaving her his monogrammed handkerchief, it will be the most prized possession the girl has, at last someone cares... she falls in love and this will remain forever. After an aborted escape try with her sister, she falls from the roof of a neighbor's house injuring herself, things become even more dismal, Chiyo is demoted to a lowly maid in the house, no more school to learn her profession, to the elation of cruel Hatsumomo. Still life is cloudy and is never foreseen, even the fortune -tellers, the geisha go to often can't predict accurately... the most successful , glamorous, admired geisha in Kyoto , Mameha, becomes her "Big Sister", a mentor that can help any woman rise to the top, how strange. Her name is changed later to "Sayuri", she returns to school, becomes a fine dancer and does a solo at the annual celebrations in the local theater, her poster is painted by a famous alcoholic artist in town, the career prospers, but the chairman, that Sayuri constantly meets in the tea house parties, ( where the men get drunk on Sake, listen to stories told, watch the singing the dancing and music played by the geisha) is rather distant, and doesn't recognize the grown- up woman ... Gruff Nobu, scarred and disabled in a war, the chairman's best friend and second -in -command at the electronics firm, likes Chiyo/Sayuri , he her love can never interfere, too much respect for his colleague, and they are so close, it is a sad, hopeless situation for Chiyo/ Sayuri ... The years roll by, and war is on the horizon, change is coming, it always is...the now renowned geisha, awaits...The most famous, popular, geisha Mineko Iwasaki, now retired, ( one of the characters is based on her, in the novel) greatly helped Mr. Arthur Golden , in research, revealing to him in confidence, the secrets of the mysterious life of these women for the first time much to her later regret...

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.

We can never flee the misery that is within us.

Sakamoto Chiyo was only 9 years old when in 1929, out of desperation her father sold her and her older sister to a man who took them to Kyoto to work as entertainers.

When in Kyoto, Chiyo is separated from her sister and is taken to a geisha boarding house to be trained and eventually become a geisha.

The story itself was beautifully told, but for me, it sounded too American if you know what I mean. It felt like the characters in the book were only playing at being Japanese.

Despite the elaborate language and rich description, something important was missing: Authenticity.

Imagine if a Chinese author were writing a book about a 20th century Armenian woman. It may convey the story, but no amount of ‘dolma’s and ‘manti’s would be enough to make it sound authentic.

And that brings me to the book not being able to choose if it was fiction or non fiction.

On one hand the author professes penning the memoirs of a real geisha, who by the way, categorically asked him not to mention her name in the book, which he very unprofessionally did and was sued for and paid the price eventually.

And on the other hand, the facts are changed to the extent that the story sounds completely fictional, in which case the author didn’t have to mention the geisha’s name at all, which would have saved her the distress.
In a word, I liked the movie better.

I read this book for the Goodreads' book club Diversity in All Forms! If you would like to join the discussion here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

This is a realistic-fiction story about geishas in Japan. The book is based off of a lot of research the author did and what their lives were like. The book was very good and detailed their everyday experiences. Geisha's whole purpose was to be trained to beguile the most powerful men. Their whole life as a geisha is to be surrounded by men.

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.

I got tricked into thinking this actually was Chiyo's biography. I read the preface by the imaginary professor matter of factly, not giving much thought to it. Of course the idea of reading an autobiography sparked my excitement. I liked the prose, the part of the book in which Chiyo was not yet abducted stood out and "felt" Japanese. What quickly brought me back on the right track again, was the formulaic style. Chiyo's life consisted of a little too many Cinderella ingredients to not make me doubt her existence.

For example, her brief encounter as a child with the  Chairman and the way this affected her for the rest of her life didn't seem very likable, and appeared purely added for romantic 'it's fate' impact. Then there was Hatsumoto's limitless - evil stepmother! - hatred for what was in the beginning hardly more than a poor little girl from the countryside.You'd think a woman in her position would choose her battles in the snake pit that comes with the profession more wisely.

It was the ending though that bothered me most. Golden either became bored or felt his publisher breathing in his neck and thus tried to wrap up the story quickly. It showed. The final pages were hardly worth reading. Also, this book could've been so much more intense if Golden had avoided that sugary Hollywood ending. .

But then...despite its flaws this was one of those 'hard to put away' books. Geisha's in general are a intriguing - and dying - subgroup of Japanese culture, so it was interesting to read about their world: their habits, ceremonies and make up rituals. Despite me being in no position to comment on the veracity of his research, the author offers nicely detailed descriptions that showcase a lot of research.

Edit: He descubierto que el autor tiene una controversia por este libro y aún estoy reflexionando sobre eso.

Por otro lado: en las últimas etapas de su existencia, Sayuri, una anciana japonesa radicada en Nueva York, comparte la fascinante historia de su vida con un joven amigo estadounidense. A través de la cautivadora narrativa de esta legendaria geisha, el lector es transportado a un Japón marcado por guerras y aún impregnado de feudalismo, explorando una de las tradiciones más intrigantes del país (y del mundo diría yo): la vida de las geishas. Este libro, que para algunos podría parecer denso, a mí me pareció de lo más cautivador y encontré en él un relato envolvente y enriquecedor que destaca por sus personajes y narrativa. No saben cuánto lo amo y es realmente lamentable que esté cancelado.

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.