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As a reader of bodice-rippers and books that are a part of the Luxury Suite Trash Experience™, I'm prepared to discuss how and when some of my favorite reads can be problematic. I don't feel bad about enjoying them but I do think it's important to have dialogues about why others might not, and why this is 100% okay for others to feel this way without having their opinions lambasted by stans. I, for example, refuse to buy or read anything by Orson Scott Card for personal reasons and once had an Angry White Mann  ™ call me names for being unable to separate my personal feelings about what Card has said about the LGBT+ from my feelings about his books. We all have those lines that can't and mustn't be crossed, so I totally understand why others choose to get political with their wallets.n

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n  MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA came under fire for multiple reasons, parts of which had to do with the book, and parts of which had to do with the film. The book has obvious surface issues, like cultural white-washing (giving the heroine blue-grey eyes, downplaying the tragedy of Hiroshima by portraying all American soldiers as fun-loving rascals who are definitely not rapey (seriously)), as well as presenting Chiyo's rise to geisha as a glorified Cinderella story shrouded in Orientalism (and some of the blurbs in this book really underscore that view with coded language, such as the Chicago Tribune's describing the book as "[a]n exotic fable" (emphasis mine) and Vogue's "a startling act of literary impersonation, a feat of cross-cultural masquerade" (emphasis mine). I'm not sure what "cross-cultural masquerade" means but it sounds unfortunately like, "literary yellow-face."n

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n  The deeper issue came with one of Arthur Holden's sources, an actual real life geisha named Mineko Iwasaki, who took umbrage with the way the details of her life were mangled in the telling of this novel. I had always been aware of the controversy, and knew it had prompted her to write a memoir detailing her life with more accuracy called, GEISHA: A LIFE, but only found out today while researching the background for this book that she apparently sued both the author and the publisher on the grounds that he had allegedly promised to keep her identity secret, and yet her name features prominently in the "acknowledgements" section of the book.n

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n  The movie was controversial because Chinese actresses Ziyi Zhang (Sayuri), Michelle Yeoh (Mameha), and Gong Li (Hatsumomo) were cast to play the roles of the Japanese women in the book. The response to this was the typical "white people who are of X descent play characters of Y descent all the time, and no one bats an eyelash," but the problem with that line of reasoning is that it assumes that actors of color have the same opportunities and varieties of roles open to them that white actors do, which isn't the case. Actors of color have far fewer opportunities, and when opportunities do turn up, they are usually type-cast. Memoirs of a Geisha was a beautifully filmed movie and I felt very grown-up when my mom took me to see it with her after I'd read the book for my high school book club, and it will always have a place in my heart, and I still admit that it smacks of cultural appropriation.n

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n  Getting to the book, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is one of those rare books that I have reread several times, and I consider it the entre to my love of epic stories and bodice-rippers. There is something so exciting about following a character from childhood and seeing them evolve and grow over the course of a novel, following them as they navigate new and exciting life changes and forge new relationships. Chiyo/Sayuri was a very readable protagonist and her goal - become a successful geisha  - is a very clear one to follow, and root for, because the Cinderella story is so universal.n

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n  Upon this subsequent reread, I did notice things that somehow escaped my notice before. Chiyo's detachment from her family, and her under-reaction by the news of their deaths was very strange. I was also bothered by the fact that she never met her sister, Satsu, again, as it kind of felt like the author had left the door open for that reunion, seeing as how Chiyo/Sayuri experienced so many other reunions in her life. I also remember feeling sorrier and more sympathetic for Nobu the first time around, but now, as an educated and wise woman, I see that he is one of those "nice guys" who puts women on pedestals and cannot forgive them for toppling or getting dusty. Even when Chiyo/Sayuri was in his good graces, he was so mean to her, and it was kind of hard to read about that this time.n

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n  There were also some wtf moments, like the mizuage scene (or the virginity auction), which I guess was one of the portrayals that Iwasaki was much more upset about. Then the man who buys Sayuri's mizuage takes the blood stained towel her maidenhead dripped on and puts it in a briefcase holding his virginity collection, or vials containing blood-stained fabrics from all the geisha he has despoiled. What a creep! I couldn't believe I'd forgotten the virginity briefcase. It reminded me of a scene from a historical bodice ripper I read about this Norman invader who had a necklace made of the pubes from all the women he'd raped. You can't make this stuff up, guys. Romance novels are the wild, wild west.n

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n  To the author's credit, he wrote a somewhat convincing woman, especially with regard to sex and her views of her body and her relationships with other women. While reading this book, I couldn't help but compare this to Jason Matthews's RED SPARROW, in which the heroine didn't resemble an actual human being so much as an emotionless sex robot. Sayuri had hopes and dreams, and Golden doesn't kid himself that pretty young women dream about banging geeky older men for their personalities or their pasty looks; Sayuri does what she does to survive, but she prefers men she's attracted to on her own terms and isn't truly happy until she settles down with someone who can give her what she really wants. It's such a simple thing, but so many dudes either choose not to understand this or don't want to understand this in their writing of women and man, it shows. So, kudos.n

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n  I enjoyed this book, problematic content and all. I'm sorry it caused pain, and controversy, but I am reviewing this from my own biased, privileged perspective as a white lady, so take my opinion with several grains of salt. It helps to read this as a trashy bodice-ripper and not as 'historical' fiction.n

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4 stars

Absolutely beautiful! This story was so rich and vivid. With attention to personal details, you could almost think this is a real memoir.
from her childhood as Chiyo, her days as a maid and finally her transformation into Sayuri and her life as a geisha. It was a remarkable, heartfelt journey. She goes through so many hardships to obtain the best life possible and make her dream come true. It is a show of how life does not always go as we want. That others actions can affect our own.

The glimpse we get for the secrets of geisha are incredible to read about. Even just the lifestyle for the time period in general. From the make=up and dressing, to their training. How they entertain, what process they have to go through to get ready for an event, the different stages ans so much more.

***This review is not complete but these are my basic thoughts. More to come...***
I will admit the big downfall to me was the odd obsessive romance for a 12 year old girl toward a 45 year old man as it continues through the years. Admiration is one thing, but she really does go too far.

A great cultural eye-opener. I would love to read other historical novels by this author!

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

This is such a beautiful and mesmerising story! Arthur Golden paints a vivid and remarkable picture of the mysterious world of geisha and I'm not surprised it took him six years to write it. Even though the language can get a bit too dramaric in some places, I thought the story was still believable. This book didn't stir so much noise for nothing!

Two sisters in a poor, remote fishing village are sold off and sent to Kyoto. Thus the epic tale begins, with an abundance of distinct characters influencing the life of Chiyo, the younger sister: there's her age-mate and immediate consoler,Pumpkin, the elderly and grumbling Granny, money-obsessed Mother, and Auntie, a failed geisha with a walking disability. Also living in the geisha house is the famous and ill-mannered geisha, Hatsumomo, renowned for her wickedness and dazzling beauty, and most importantly, Mameha, who becomes her future mentor and guardian. All these characters and their actions form a grand cultural-historical soap opera that spans decades.

The prose is elegant and the character development exquisite. As you read, you become immersed into a world of a different time and place. As Japanese culture is extremely complex, this was no small feat on the part of the author.

The other feature of the novel examines the phenomenon that when women are reduced to slaves and prostitutes in a male-dominated society, i.e. when their livelihood depends solely on appeasing the other sex, they will turn upon each other, trying by all means to destroy one another so that they will be the only one holding men's favor. Women can be as poisonous and merciless as you can imagine when it is a matter of survival. In this respect, the novel reminds me of the story told in Raise the Red Lantern: Three Novellas, which I did not read but saw the movie.

The main source for Mr. Golden's book was Mineko Iwasaki, a retired geisha he had interviewed for background information while writing the novel. Iwasaki later went on to write an autobiography, which shows a very different picture of twentieth-century geisha life than the one shown in Golden's novel Geisha, a Life.

There had been quite a bit of criticism of the book from Japanese readers regarding insensitivity and inaccuracies in portryaing japanese culture, which may be justified, however I gave it 5 stars soley for the reading pleasure. The idea of auctions and geisha's selling their viginity has been claimed to be totally false.

This was the author's first, and I believe, his only novel. I guess he couln't top it and quit while he was ahead. He certainly got enough money from it!

I don't know what to make of this one. I liked the writing, I found the story okay but it was hard to get through. Not that it was bad but just the sexualization of everything had gotten a bit too much.
Apparently, the author made a lot of things up? well ¯_ಠ_ಠ_/¯

I had seen Memoirs of a Geisha described many times as the “Perfect Novel” and one of the 100 books you should read before you die, so perhaps my expectations were a little height for this one as I was expecting an emotional read and a novel that would transport me in time and enlighten me to mystery of the Japanese culture of the time but sadly this story while good and well written was too slow moving and an unemotional read for me

I had been wanting to read this novel for years and they say “what’s for you won’t pass you by” so when I found this one in a used book shop I felt it was time to finally take this one home. It has been loved by so many of my friends over the years and I really was intrigued by the the lives of Geisha.

TBH I actually thought this was a true story and only realised about 30% into the book that it was a fictional account. The novel tells the story of a fictional geisha working in Kyoto, Japan before, during and after World War II. I loved the first first 100 pages of this novel, the story starts out strong and the characters and culture is intriguing. I enjoyed the slow pace (to start with) but then the book just seemed to drag and become dreadfully descriptive and I found myself page counting and wishing the the novel was 100 pages shorter.
I enjoyed the characters to begin with and yet by the end I was very glad to part company with them.

The book does offer a fascinating glimpse into the hidden world of the Geisha and this was an aspect of the novel that I really enjoyed and the reason I rated this one 3 stars (which means I liked it but didn't love it) but I am afraid this copy will make its way back to the used book shop and hopefully another reader will enjoy the experience more than me.

I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to read this one, but I'm so glad I finally got to it.

This is decidedly a slow burn of a novel. The introduction confused me a little bit with a translator talking about meeting with Sayuri- a well known geisha that wanted to tell her story to this one person and leave her legacy behind. The reader is quickly taken back to the 1930's in Gion as we watch Sayuri become one of the most renowned geisha in Japan. The writing was beautiful and this is novel to slowly savor. It moves as slowly as I imagine Sayuri walking in her kimono across the pathway. The life of a geisha is thoroughly researched and detailed for the this novel. The characters are well drawn and I appreciated the delicate almost brutal pacing.

At times this just went too slow for me, and at other time, I couldn't get enough. This book was so engrossing and I can appreciate the extra time it took for me to have the relationship I did with it. Now, I plan to watch the movie.

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.

Like eating fancy dessert at a gourmet restaurant, Memoirs of a Geisha is beautiful, melts lightly off the tongue and will be forgotten shortly after it's done. The language is strikingly lovely, and Golden paints a remarkable picture of a time and place.

If you're looking to learn something deep about the psychology of Japanese culture, or meet nuanced characters, then I'd steer you elsewhere. The story only skims the top of the more complicated aspects of a Japan in decline, focusing mostly on a genteel lifestyle that probably seems more appealing from the outside. There's a way in which the book, written by a man and a westerner, is slightly fetishistic, but less so than you might imagine.

Another reader suggested that perhaps the superficiality of the story is intentional, and that the book, in a way, resembles a geisha. Beautiful and eager to please, yet too distant to really learn much from and ultimately little more than a beautiful, well-crafted object to be appreciated. If that's the case, Arthur Golden is remarkably clever, and I applaud him. If it's not the case, the book remains very pretty and an easy read.

Instead of bashing this book, I'm simply going to quote a post I saw because it put my thoughts into words:

"Japanese woman tells white American man about her past life as a geisha. White man then writes a novel that sells itself as an accurate memoir of Japanese woman's life, but instead falsifies a number of her life events, misrepresents her trade, and exoticises her culture. He also names her as a source even though she specifically asked him to keep her anonymous. Japanese woman gets death threats. White American man becomes bestselling author.

Then Japanese woman gets fed up and writes her own memoir to set the record straight. Meanwhile, white American man's book gets adapted into a film that grosses $162 million and wins three Oscars."

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.