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Summary: Very Interesting.......
Review: I actually thought the book was a true biography. I had no idea till the end that in was fiction. The book kept me interested and I had a hard time putting it down.
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Summary: Interesting cultural information and intriging plot
Review: I enjoy this book immensely, great view into an unreachable world. Scary and intriguing. Golden writes so convincingly in the voice of a geisha it makes for a wonderful novel.
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Summary: This is an exotic and vivid book,which will keep you riveted
Review: Initially I was very reluctant to read this novel as it seemed a bit boring from the excerpt I read on the internet. So you can imagine my surprise once I started reading and found myself fully engrossed and completely riveted. I was completely dispossessed of my misinterpretations and wrongful early pre-judgements. Forgetting that I was located in a one bedroom highrise in Chicago, I was completely transported to the teahouses and found myself actually observing the rituals of the geishas and their customers. At times I felt as if I myself were wearing the beautiful kimonos described in the novel. To forget that you are reading much less reading fiction is what I consider a literary work of art, and this is the best way I can sum up Memoirs of a Geisha. Thank you Mr. Golden.Simone A.
Rating: 
Summary: i actually loved it, but...
Review: although i am asian myself, japanese culture is so far removed from my own that i still found the descriptive parts of the book enthralling. i admit to being raised in a more westernized setting and it truly did alter some preconceptions i had of the meaning of the word geisha. however, i did expect so much more, and i've come to wonder at some of the pettiness involved in the plot. i wasn't so much expecting a love story but a peek into the secret world of the-mistress-that-isn't, and i guess although the author did reveal unchartered territory for me, i still found something lacking by his concentrating on the love story. i do have to admit, though, that the romance aspect was a bit touching, and i found myself feeling for the characters; not so much Sayuri or the Chairman, but rather Nobu, the underdog who never did anything to deserve being treated as he was. but then of course, this too reflects real life, right? maybe i'm just cynical, or maybe it's simply that i don't believe in huge turnarounds, but to me the ending would have been more poignant if it didn't end exactly the way all love stories seem to: with seemingly unrequited love being confessed in the span of one sitting and eventually conquering all. get real. nothing had been resolved. he stayed away from her for fifteen years because his friend was in love with her, and suddenly decided to hell with that only when his friend was disappointed with her. what then of his loyalty to his friend that kept him away for so long? and if you're going to bring in the whole true-love angle, why then did he stay away for so long? by now you're probably wondering why i gave the book 4 stars at all. don't get me wrong... i *did* enjoy reading it; the setting was fabulous and the characters intriguing. i just think that if he chose for the so-called memoirs of this geisha to center on one particular love story of hers, its complexity would have been better appreciated than a tidy wrap-up of an anti-climax.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling page turner.
Review: I picked this book up on a whim and began it without full knowledge of what I was getting myself into. What an uplifting story in so many ways! I couldn't put it down. For true historians of Japanese history, you'll find that even though the author takes some liberties in producing a work of fiction ( i.e. the importance and formality of some ceremonies, etc), he does do well in addressing the situation in Japan at the time of the war from a perspective much different than that of a normal person. What I liked best about the book was that I gained an interesting perspective into a world that has really been swept away with westernization. It is certainly well written, never baudy, but very eloquent and respectful to the culture, language, and tradition.
Rating:
Summary: It was so good I couldn't put the book down!
Review: A very believable story. I read the book in 2 days
Rating:
Summary: Truly unique, captivating story
Review: A "memior" written by a man which is fully feminine and wholly human.
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Summary: my oh my
Review: great book, makes you think of stereotypes a bit differently and how other cultures live. One of those books that you need to find out what happens at the end but try not to read the last page first.
Rating: 
Summary: Off kilter fantasy projected into a historical backdrop
Review: As an Asian American female, I find myself agreeing with other more cynical reviewers. Golden's attempt to prop his fantasy viewpoint within the historical backdrop of his novel falls completely flat. Granted, he manages to create a meticulously crafted world, but much like Lucas in Phantom Menance, in this case, effects override the actual plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: The girl at the bookstore said she and all her friends just loved it. Was hoping for something alone the lines of Shogun. Wasn't Shogun. Didn't love it. Was tempted to stop reading several times, but hoped it would improve. It took so long to get where it was going. I did learn about the life of a Geisha, but would have preferred something richer. The men, even the Chairman, were mostly jerks and so immature. Drinking contests! The word "love" was never mentioned. I would have run away, for sure.
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