Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Golden has hit pay dirt with this masterpiece. An insightful, curious, and caring look into the mysterious world of geisha, Arthur Golden peels away the ignorance and labeling that westerners have covered the secretive Japanese profession. Although it sinks at times into a near melodramatic prose, the book's protagonist is interesting, insightful, and enjoyable. Her witty anecdotes and thoughtful mannerisms in speaking make Memoirs of a Geisha a delightful and unstoppable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha
Review: First off, alot of you gotta lighten up, no book is as bad as some of you are saying this is, thats just ridiculous, I mean come on,your acting like its the downfall of society,lighten up.I'm not trying to tell you how to think or what to do , just telling you how i feel, despite how little you care, besides theres no such thing as a bad book its just not your style. Anyway...I enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha very much. It didn't really fit into any common genres like horror, mystery or suspense, it was just a good story, and I sometimes have trouble finding books like that.It was fiction so obviously not all compleletly acurate, but since he spent so many years researching Geisha i'm sure its valid enough(though obviously not valid enough for some). I'd get so involved into the story itself,I became attached to characters or ( I know this sounds dumb)even took sides with them. All in all it was a very good book and I'd definitly recomend it to someone. Especially if their into asian culture.
Rating:
Summary: An objective review.....(part II)
Review: cont... The book is good, easy reading and very informative. It's fiction. And now: why not five stars?... I have to agree with those that said that the end of the book was a simply 'happy end', but this does not make it a bad book. The book has a soft tone of romance novel, but I think it was the intention of the writter to place it like this in order to be able to recreate geishas lifestyles, otherwise it would be only a bunch of facts of what geishas do: I think it was well placed despite of the end.To those who did not got it: geishas are not synonimous of western prostitutes, they act as artists. As one reviewer well said: the sex part 'is in there' but is not everything. Geishas are much more than high class prostitutes. The book was not written with the intention of give us a whole japanese culture lesson, it was written to give us a general -and deep idea at the same time- about geishas and what they are, it was written with the intention of give us a pleasant reading: and he definitly made it! . Come on! this is not a bad or ugly or bore book as some has said: this is a VERY GOOD book. It's sensitive, it's well written... it's a great book. And I don't say it beacuse it's a bestseller - I personally don't like every bestseller- but this one DID deserve to be one. To the one who said that Gordon is not Flaubert he certainly isn't, but he is a very good writter and much more considering it's his first book. Only the time will say if this book it's to become a real classic -and besides that I particularly vote for it- it's not gonna be you or me who are going to decide that, or have the last word. What is real classic?... this is certainly not the very best book I have ever read in my life but IS GOOD. Is not Madame Bovary, but it can become a classic. I am definitly encouraging Gordon to write his second book. I will look forward for it, and DON'T let you down for those silly comments of simply people.
Rating:
Summary: An objective review.....(part I)
Review: I just finished the book a week ago and I must say that this is a very good book. I will not say "I love it", "I couldn't put it down", etc... like others reviewers, in an attempt to give a truly objective perspective as for the swung critics this book has received. First of all, I think that Mr.Gordon did made a great job with this book, very well informed about Japanese culture and certainly about geisha's lifestyle. I must say to those who made the negative and ugly commments below, that you know nothing about Japan or its culture, and much more less about good reading. Even the japanese readers had different perspectives about this book and we may ask: why?. There are some aspects about traditional japanese lifestyle that not even all japanese are aware of how exactly 'are' or 'functions' this practices: for example: everybody knows what is a kimono but NOT all women in Japan wears them. Even more, before a woman can wear one, she must go to a special school just to learn how to put it, this takes several years (and I am not talking about becoming a geisha, just wearing a typical silk kimono in today's Japan). I once wore one and it took 1 hour to the Japanese girl just to put it on me (and I am not fat to those who may be thinking how to destroy my comment). More: every japanese know what is a tea ceremony and everyone can go to one, but NOT everyone can take stage in preparing the tea because once again, japanese women must go to a school to learn every little movement they had to make with their hands to have the privilege of participating in one. Like these examples, a lot of things are like that in Japan: how they put the food on the table it's art, how they wear the kimono is art, everything has a deep meaning in japanese culture. So, this way not even all japanese can explain everything about geishas because NOT all men can afford to visit one. As simple as that...! Most japanese will never see a geisha in real life. As description of japanese culture and its deep and intrexicably meanings, the book is VERY good. That some....readers cannot understand this because of their very narrow mind that's something else, that others don't like japanese culture that's something else too. As an educated academic researcher, and as an avid reader from long time of real classics of 19 and 20 century good novels, good latin american and european literature (and not as a dump reader of 'rose novels' or garbage books) this is a good book: this is not japanese pretty woman or a soap opera book as some has said. To those people who said that I'll tell: it's a very different sensation of writting a book than reading a book: last part is much more easy and more to those who never had written anything in their lifes. Gordon DID made a very long a deep researh to writte this book(of course this solely fact does not make it a good book) and you are trying to put it down as garbage: to those who said they did not learned anything about geishas or Japan with the book, I don't think that was the intention of the writter: if you want to learn something more, go to college to study Japanese. To that who said the author is a storyteller and a typer more that a writter: I bet you had never wrote anything; and to that very silly and ignorant girl who said that she never saw the word 'love' in the book: this word is not indiscriminatly used in Japan, as we do in the rest of the world... cont....
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but too coincidental
Review: The book hooked me from the beginning. Golden writes with a very elegant style that's very well suited for a story of this type. However, the plot was just too convenient, especially the cutesy neat ending that reminded me too much of those dandy Japanese packaging.
Rating:
Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha
Review: This was a fantastic book- I finished it in a day and a half. It was beaufifully written, and so descriptive you could visualize the city of Koyoto & all of the characters. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Splendiforus read
Review: The memoirs of the Geisha are so real and believeable that it's like getting a glimpse of the lives of real geisha. Golden is a master author who's writing will captivate you and startle your senses. From rituals to entertaining Golden describes it all beautifully. The Geisha lifestyle was well researched and put into a great story with unforgettable characters.
Rating:
Summary: Memories of a Geisha
Review: This book lets you to escape to another world and time, when woman were treated more like beautiful objects than like people. This is not always a bad thing because they were cared for, pampered and admired. The attention to detail allows the images to appear in your mind as your read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: silly, sappy drivel
Review: Risking the wrath of those who love this book I have to say...this book is BAD. I felt a bit entertained during some of it but mostly I couldn't wait for it to be over-I only finished it because a friend lent it to me & I felt obligated to slog through it for him. The characters are two-dimensional, predictable and uninteresting. Another reviewer described it accurately as junk literature. This book reads like and has as much depth as one of those dime-a-dozen romance novels or that other really bad bestseller "Bridges of Madison County". Your time and money is better spent on popcorn and watching a Gilligan's Island video.
Rating:
Summary: A LIFE STYLE OF NOTE
Review: Here is another book I read out loud to my wife and it is a dandy. Again I read it only because it was a best seller for so long. It is a wonder that a caucasion is able to write so beautifully about a subject not well know by an American. This novel has the reflection of a memoir, a biography, and a resume of life in Japan after WWII. This is a well deserved winner.
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