Memoirs of a Geisha

Rating:
Summary: breathtaking, captivating, and fabulous
Review: this novel blew me away with its story and characters. I honestly believed the story was written by a woman rather than a man and that the author could have been the narrator. it was the best book i have read in a while.

Rating:
Summary: Banal, Trite, and Overhyped--No wonder it's a best-seller!
Review: A caveat to linguaphiles and general fans of meaningful prose: don't read it. Perhaps Mr. Golden should have spent more time learning how to write engaging text rather than trying to dredge up verisimilitude via errata. Tedious and time-consuming, this book makes Hemingway's work seem verbose. I'm sure the movie will be a runaway best-seller as well; I only hope that Mr. Spielberg takes the cardboard characters and animates them somehow. A final note to those who prefer Pynchon to Grisham: if you read it, don't say that you weren't warned!

Rating:
Summary: So real!
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha was extraodinary. Although the story of Sayuri is fiction, it has every element that the story occurred in history. Arthur S. Golden researched the backgrounds of the life of a geisha. I, as a reader, was overcome by such awe. I have no words to describe this book.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down until I was done - then I wanted more
Review: The story of Chiyo/Sayuri was absolutely breath-taking. Golden did a fabulous job writing this novel. His use of metaphors & long descriptions of the scenery & objects is what made the love story so much more enthralling.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written novel that will consume you!
Review: Golden takes you into a novel that reads like an autobiography. I feel I'm a more informed person for having devoted the week I invested in reading this gem. I couldn't put it down and literally took every free moment I had to continue the sheer joy of his writing. A great bargain when purchased from Amazon!

Rating:
Summary: Enticing, lyrical, poetic history of a woman's life ....
Review: It is absolutely amazing to look back on the last fifty years for women the world over and see the changes that have taken place. This historical, yet fictional story tells of one woman growing up in Japan during WWII, but it speaks for all of us who have grown up in this era. Remarkable and intriguing. How did Arthur Golden acquire such knowledge about how a woman thinks??? I'd like to meet him!

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful eye opener into an incredible culture
Review: I enjoyed this book emensely. Some may call it "flowery", or too much like a fairy tale, but I couldn't disagree more. The author writes gracefully, and simply enough to carry you through without rereading difficult passages, but at the same time is thought provoking. You will fall in love with Sayuri, for her character is one we can all in some way relate too. True, it was difficult for someone who knew nothing about the life of a geisha beforehand to understand everything, but that only made me want to learn more-like any good book should. I definitely recommend to anyone, from as picky a reader as any!

Rating:
Summary: More than a good summer read--quite a history lesson.
Review: As I followed Sayuri through her challenges and obstacles I grew to know a strong character but, even more so, learned of a culture and lifestyle I knew little about. I found this book to be very well written, witty, and direct. My only disappointment was in the ending which took on a fairy tale element and seemed rather unrealistic.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating- Left Me Wanting More
Review: I finished this book after just purchasing it two days ago. I could not close the book. Every page I came upon was entrancing and the words suddenly gobbled me up. I have read two other books-The Joy Luck Club and The God of Small Things this summer and they haven't fulfilled me with satisfaction as I got by reading just the first chapter of this remarkable novel. I praise Goldman for his meticulous research on the life of a geisha. His imagery, the metaphors, and similes in the novel are amusing. His main character, Sayuri, is an enduring creature. All around I recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A spectacular read!! You must get this book, NOW!!!!
Review: You won't be able to put this book down. The first time I opened it, I told myself I would start at 7 pm then go to homework at 10 pm. I didn't stop reading until 1:30 am. The whole way through I felt like I lived every moment with Chiyo/Sayuri and every second I read this novel I felt as though I had escaped to a completely different world. As a reader all your senses are inundated but not to the point of obfuscation. The amazing sensations coupled with a great story and characters one can identify with in all levels of emotion make this novel a must get. Geisha is my favorite book and there is no way to reiterate what this amazing novel has to offer without doing it a dishonor. Now go, read, and live!!!!