Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but not great literature
Review: I'm convinced this book has gotten so much attention because it was written by a man about a woman; not because it's a great book. I enjoyed reading about the details of life as a geisha. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had stopped there. I like love stories, but this tried and failed to be one. It's obvious throughout the book that Sayuri will end up with "the Chairman", but why should we care? The contortions the plot had to go through to bring it off were sometimes awkward and far-fetched, particularly Sayuri's method for ridding herself of Nobu, and the Chairman's explanation for why he'd never pursured her. Sayuri starts off as such an interesting person, but that fizzles once she becomes a geisha. It's understandable that her behavior would have become more conservative at that point, but she would have been a more interesting, and believable, character if her thinking had remained as full of spirit as it was in the beginning of the book. Read it if you want to know about the life of a geisha, but don't expect a believable plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: For someone who knew a little about Japanese culture, it was very informative and kept me interested. The book was written in such a way that read like a autobiography which made it seem all the more real.
Rating: 
Summary: Memoeirs of Geisha
Review: I didn't know very much about Gesha world even if I grew up in Japan.My image of them was simply professional entertainer at banpuet or hot spring inn's party. But this story tells us more than that.However over half of the story tells how cruel her youth year under being torrured by Hatsumomo. that was so painful to read.How utterly pecullier world the Geisha society was.(is? I wonder..)
Rating:
Summary: Ehhhhh....
Review: Not a bad debut... certainly informative about the life of geisha. Unfortunately, most of the characters seemed hollow and unemotional. I was angry that Nobu, who had been a friend through the novel, got shafted in the end. An okay book, not great.
Rating: 
Summary: If you nothing or very little about Japanese culture...
Review: or the geisha, this is a book you must read! Sayuri's story is one that is tender and bittersweet. I have never learned so much about one person's plight and hardship as well as glory and sucess in such a historic and entertaining way. Arthur Golden's insight to the woman's mind is unbelieveably profound! Read this book! I couldn't put it down and neither will you!
Rating:
Summary: Hooked from the Beginning
Review: Arthur Golden has done a supurb job of getting you inside the character. The book is so well written you forget that this is not only fiction but, that it was written by a man. Golden has done his homework well and made this not only an entertaining work of fiction but an eduction on a unique culture.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I loved this book. From the first page it had me turning well into the night. I couldn't wait to pick it up and continue. A bitter sweet story that moves along and characters that are well developed. I highly recommend this book to anyone
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good with reservations
Review: At the halfway point of this book, I was loving this book and called my father to ask him about it. I wasn't surprised to hear he had read it because he reads anything on Japan. I was shocked to hear him tell me though he was disappointed with it. By the end of the book, I understood, but I still say this is an excellent read.The problems are 1. it is a sappy love story much like a harlequin novel, BUT it is set in exotic japan full of history and culture you probably don't know about, so will enjoy. old japan hands probably won't. I equate this to the movie Titanic, a sappy love story that everyone should see. 2. if the author writes another book (and please do), please stop using metaphors so often. by the end of the book, this overused literary technique was nauseating. Lastly, my compliments to the author for getting the japanese culture and daily conversation of the men and their attitudes toward women spot on.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading, but not a masterpiece
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha works on some levels more than others; the narrator's climb into fame is chronicled with empathy, and the tale is peppered with interesting details of the time. However, when I finished it, I was left with a feeling of something being incomplete. I felt that the author was cramming the story of the geisha into the confines of a conventional western romance novel. The ending was more like Austen than, say, Tanazaki. There's nothing wrong with Austen at all, but I wasn't exactly expecting _Sense and Sensibility_-esque touches in this particular novel. Also the author's prose didn't have the sparseness that I perhaps expected. Also, the author whisked away the darker side of the geisha world with too much ease, especially with the obsessions of beauty and cruelty. This is a good bedside read but I think it's a little thin for a book discussion group (which is where I encountered it).
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This book really put me into the time of Saturi's life. I too found myself believing that Sayuri's story was that of a real person. I never before had interest in the geisha life, but this book sparked my interest and held it until the end. A great work of fiction!
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