Memoirs of a Geisha : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: This is well-crafted and worthwhile, if not truly inspired.
Review: I enjoyed this very much. Golden has a gift with the language and a lovely weight to his prose. The story never really seems to wind itself up and Sayuri doesn't seem to grow and change much as a person, but maybe that's Golden's restraint showing itself--after all, it's supposed to be a memoir, not a fable. It's well worth your time and I've read my copy over twice (and marked it up fairly well with my trusty pencil!).

Rating:
Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.
Review: I am a high school and community college English instructor. I had read and heard many positive reviews of the novel and therefore, decided to read it. I found myself thoroughly engrossed with Sayuri's successes and failures, so much so, that I finished the entire novel in a few days. It is a lovely and informative tale that has prompted me to further study Japanese literature and history.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: After reading this book, I read the summary about the author and boy was I surprised! A white male writing about the intimate details of a geisha? I don't know anything about geisha's but this author painted a pretty picture of the life of a geisha. It was truly enchanting to look into another culture and another life. Geishas as presented in the book were so valued and of such high status that it makes me wonder about values today since clearly here prostitutes don't come close to being valued as geishas are. It was a truly enjoyable book and I'm glad that I read it.

Rating:
Summary: too tranquil
Review: I'm not the sort of reader that demands action or high drama on every page, but I think a book ought to be going somewhere and this Geisha's story never really arrives. Seems like the real lesson about geishas is that it's an utterly superficial and subservient world, ultimately. Not the stuff of a great novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Learning Experience
Review: This is a book which draws you totally into the life of the main character, Sayuri. She is a strong character who manages to rise above her humble origins. Although her profession requires her to make herself available to men, she is able to hold back something of her inner self. The reader is able to glimpse a world that is so exotic, you find it almost unbelievable. Yet we know that until after the second World War this was a life lead by many young Japanese women.

Rating:
Summary: Love and dream of a teahouse entertainer
Review: This is an excellent book about a little girl who was sold by her parents. She grows up to be a geisha - high end prostitute. This book is not about prostitution or lame commentaries on prostitution. This book is about a little girl's dream and her pursuit of love. One of the best books of the decade!

Rating:
Summary: Images of Kyoto are incredibly real
Review: I finally broke down and bought this book after trying to borrow it for 7 months! I'm glad I did. I lived near Kyoto for three years, and the description and imagery in this book are superb. The minute details in this story remind one of Dickens, and the story is just a plain good read. Get it!

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous account of the life of a Geisha as if you lived it!
Review: This was a captivating story from the first moment. We lived in the shoes of this young girl and felt her experiences as she grew up and became a well-known Geisha. All the questions were answered about who these women really are!

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking-a book that still has me thinking about it!
Review: I am a high school student who is a voracious reader on the side. When I picked up this book, I read it from cover to cover during Christmas vacation. I cried, I laughed, I was spellbound. This book will appeal to mass audiences, from literary critics all the way to students like me. Read this book not because it is on the bestseller lists or you read a profile on the author, read it because you want to be transported to another place, where women painstakingly paint their faces and have their hair coated in wax and "evil" comes in the form of Hatsumoto!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Detail; Boring, Unrealistic Ending
Review: The detail of geisha life in historical Kyoto was marvelous and drawn with delicate words of detail; however, the ending left me cold. I wanted Sayuri to GROW UP and stay with the man who obviously cared for her throughout her life or perhaps to break off from all pre-existing relationships. The man she ended up with was a 2 dimensional, charicature of a man. However, I enjoyed the detail immenseley, especially of the kimono worn by the geisha. Beautifully detailed.