Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating glimse into the life of a Geiko
Review: I found this a fascinating book, filled with glimses into the culture and customs of Japan. I knew little of Japan before I read it, but Mineko filled in many gaps and clarified many misconceptions.She was the most successful geisha (actually "geiko") of her time--beautiful, graceful and determined. And yet, she grew tired of the life, and retired at the very early age of twenty-nine, ending the ancient Iwasaki line. She begins her book with her early childhood and her reasons for becoming a geiko. She takes the reader through training and all it's rigours through to her enormous success. She alludes to her disillusionment with the geiko life, and to her attempts to reform the educational traditions, but does not specify any of these. I was disappointed in that, for, having watched her mature in this book, I would like to have known more about her reform attempts, to have seen her in that role. Geisha, A Life is not the most well-written of books, which could be due to either author or translator. But then, that doesn't really matter. Let's face it. . . no one reads an autobiography for literary merit. Autobiographies are read in an attempt to KNOW the writer, and in that aspect, Mineko succeeded--I felt like I was ending a conversation with a good friend when I closed this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A little boring in spots... didn't always flow well.
Review: I found this book to be mildly interesting but it did not seem to flow well and some spots were boring and hard to get through. I also have read the book "Memoirs of a Geisha" and if you interested in reading about geisha, I strongly recommend that book over Mineko Iwasaki's "Geisha: A life". I got this book from the library and I am very glad I did not purchase it because after I read it I would not want to own it. Overall- a mediocre book.
Rating:
Summary: very entertaining and insightful
Review: I have an interest in Japanese related things and I had already read Memoirs of a Geisha before this one. I found this to be a great read and entertaining. I'm not very picky about my reading so I had no trouble with the order or structure of the book. It was fine to me. It seemed like a regular autobiography with very helpful information into the life of Geisha...or a Geiko. The most surprising difference I found between this and the other geisha book I mentioned (yes, I realize the Memoirs is fiction) is the deifnition of the "mizuage." In Memoirs it is about paying for sex, but in this biography, there is no sex whatsoever. I trust the biography. Both books were very entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Read in conjunction with "Memoirs..."
Review: I have to admit I only bought this book because I loved "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Golden and heard of the controversy surrounding both authors. I really was suprised that Mineko (who was thanked by Golden)was unhappy with his novel and with identifying her as his inspiration. And that she had issues with accuracy even though it is a work of fiction. It becomes very apparent that Mineko argues these accuracy points from the beginning; detailing differences between courtesan (high end prostitutes)and geisha, customs and rituals, even pointing out stories where Golden may have taken too much liberty (for example Mineko describes her friend's history from fishing village to geisha house which seems more the basis of Memoir's character Sayuri than Mineko herself). Overall, great account of her particular life, much more like a journal than an actual biography. I liked learning what a Maiko and Geiko are. The only issues I had were that it was difficult reading, don't know if that is the style, interpretation, editing, but it didn't flow as well as Memoirs. But to compare is apples to oranges. I also felt Mineko was over justifying a lot of her circumstances and decisions. I wasn't put off too much by her arrogance as other reviewers as I understand her purpose of writing this book (trying to clear up misconceptions). Still, was not as "fun" to read. Informative but not as enjoyable. Anyway, read both books together. "Memoirs" for entertainment, "Geisha A Life" for information
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable and informative reading
Review: I like to read about Japanese and Chinese culture, so this book was appealing to me for that reason alone. Iwasaki provides an authoritative look at the business end of being a geisha--and reveals just how much the geisha culture drove a certain part of Japan's economy, providing jobs for many people involved in making the elaborate obi and kimono worn by geisha, for instructors in the fine arts practiced by geisha, owners of tea shops, dressers, and many others. I did feel when reading the book that the author wanted to portray herself in a relatively favorable light; this is no contemporary, Western-style, tell-all confessional. There is a feeling of distance between author and reader. Among the most interesting revelations were the chapters describing the author's adoption as a young child by the geisha family, and the lengthy separation process from her birth family. Iwasaki had several sisters, some of whom also were adopted into the geisha family, though only the author had great success. It seemed to me there were more stories to be told here, but that was not the author's purpose in writing the book. I enjoyed the book and recommend it for anyone who might be interested in reading on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Account of the Geisha World
Review: I loved Memoirs of a Geisha, but this book goes beyond the actual "fairytale story" and becomes it's own classic. Mineko and the translator worked so well to paint a detailed, heartfelt, and honest account of this geisha's remarkable life. I commend them both and count this book as one of my two favorites!
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I loved the book! I devoured it in half an afternoon (that good!). I think this is the only book I've ever read by a real geisha. This book seems to me, an honest depiction of what Mineko Iwasaki's life was like. Not what all geishas' lives were like, but hers. She was in a special situation, as she was the heir to the geisha house. It gave me insight as to how a person in her situation with her background might think...and how different it is and is not from me and mine. It's not a sensational story of sex and scandals. I liked it the more because it wasn't. It was about a little girl who had to pet the dog, get a flower and trade it for a treat for her Auntie every day after class. It was about a girl who wanted people to like her, not envy her. It was about a woman who found her destiny in true love. (I learned a lot of new vocabulary in this book, too, but I see it as more of a biography than a "book about geisha.") I wish there were more pictures. The pictures in the book were all plain photos in two 8 page sections; real photos. Most of them were not glossy, primped, perfectly posed pictures, but regular pictures by regular people. I do wish the pictures had better captions, but it may be some names are omitted for privacy? Why a 4 and not a 5? It ended too soon! It was too good, and I had waited for it for weeks, and then it was all read in an afternoon. I will read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Selfish from beginning to end
Review: I picked up this autobiography because I thought it would be interesting and informative, shedding light even more truthfully and accurately than the excellent fiction Memoirs of a Geisha. I was mostly disappointed. Mineko Iwasaki might have been one of the most famous geiko of her generation, but she lets us know that over and over again, and, really, who cares? Even more appalling was her selfishness from early childhood on. Mineko (nee Masako) was coddled and pampered her entire life. She was spotted as a mere toddler by the head of the Iwasaki geisha organization and marked as the family's successor. She was treated to the finest in everything; every important moment of her life was marked with celebration and fame, and the best of everything. She was spoiled and indulged, all in the hopes of continuing the excellence of the Iwasaki tradition after its then-current matriarch passed on. What did she do? Dismantled the entire enterprise! Her adopted grandmother and mentor must have been rolling over in her grave watching her last great hope, her final oeuvre, turning the place into a beauty salon or whatever and letting go all the geiko who had placed their futures into the Iwasaki hands. The book is uninteresting, self-important, rambling, and maddening. Mineko Iwasaki makes a barely transparent attempt to justify her selfish behavior, while berating others (such as her oldest sister) for themselves going against revered traditions. Stick to Memoirs of a Geisha for a far better read.
Rating:
Summary: Don't assume this is memoirs of a geisha
Review: I read this because I had been doing research on geisha and truly enjoyed it. I expected it to be more like Memoirs of a Geisha at first, but this is written in a much more Japanese style, almost in the way a geisha would talk. There are streamlined anecdotes that are connected fluidly, though as a whole, it is meant more as a passage in her history and not focused on anything directly like a novel would be. The book is neither better nor worse than Memoirs, because they are two different categories. Iwasaki tries to prove how Arthur Golden had distorted the life of a geisha, but her arguments are never listed. One would imagine she objects mostly to how there is a mizuage, right to take the apprentice's virginty, auctioned off, but Golden's novel took place in an era where this was more acceptable. Iwasaki also tries to explain throughout the novel how she became fed up with the archaic and doomed system of the geisha world, though she does a poor job at explaining its flaws. The book is fascinating as a whole, but she doesn't fully explain her two main points of inspiration on writing this book: what's wrong with Golden's Memoirs and what needs to be done with the geisha system.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Life
Review: I read this book after reading Memoirs of a Geisha and found this one to be much more interesting and satisfying. But that's because I find real stories of real people more interesting than fiction. And I can see why Iwasaki is angry at Golden if indeed his premise that geisha auction off their virginity isn't true as she claims. Golden's work is a good read but for a fascinating look at a real life, read Geisha: A Life. I left off one star because I feel that Iwasaki could have given us even more detail and anecdotes. However I highly recommend this book.
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