Rating: 
Summary: Best book of the year!
Review: When my book club picked this one, I wasn't excited to read it. BUT the writing was just magnifiscent and I was capitvated with the story, the characters, the history and the vivid imagery. I missed her when I wasn't reading the book and couldn't wait to get home to read more! I was thrilled with the ending but depressed that it didn't continue. I cannot wait to read his next book! Absolutely brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...
Review: My mother bought this book and lent it to me, knowing full well of my obsession on Japanese traditional culture and pop-culture... after starting "Memiors of a Geisha", I couldn't put it down, and finished it in less then a day. The storytelling is remarkable, and the events so detailed, without being heavy... It's almost impossible to believe that the story isn't being told by Sayuri, but by a male author... I recommend this book to all who love the Japanese culture, or just wonderful fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Although this book will probably not be remembered for knock-your-socks-off writing, it was a fantastic story which captivated me until the end. Every detail about every character was enthralling, I couldn't help but want to learn more. What upset me about this book was that it had to end ...
Rating:
Summary: A very Captive Novel
Review: Geisha...such a strange word rolling off the tips of my tongue, intrigued me to buy this book, and obviously, I was not dissapointed. I kept wondering whether or not this book was a fiction or not, the cat-fights, the battles for men, and lovers. The ending was beautiful, you just gotta find out what happens to this beauty of a Geisha. Buy this BOOK! You won't regret it, this is one of those books you'll be pulling off of your bookshelve quite frequently to read every once in a while.
Rating:
Summary: Too fascinating to be comfortable with
Review: This book was gripping. However, it draws the reader into such a state of deadly fascination that at the end of the book, one feels terribly melancholic, sad and lost in wonder. It is a perfectly well-written book, but doesn't make one feel enlightened, satisfied or happy after putting it down. The success of the author works against him; read it only if you are prepared to emerge strained, exhausted and feeling lost after putting it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Memoirs of a......Geesh I Don't like this book very much
Review: From several friends I heard that reading this book was necessary for both the betterment of me and my offspring. O-V-E-R R-A-T-E-D! I'll use a horse racing analogy for this book. Memoirs of a Geisha is a beautiful horse to look at with the capable Arthur Golden as its jockey. Memoirs is the horse that I received a "tip" on. This was the horse that couldn't lose. Based on this "tip" I bet $25.00 on this horse to win, place, or show. It did all three. It won a place at the glue show! Memoirs was fast out of the gate with images flying across my mind like furious stallions galloping around a race track. Unfortunately, Memoirs never made it out of the first turn. The book quickly became boring. Instead of finishing the race it seems as though it started walking backwards. It was a lot like reading this review; entertaining at first but leaves you wondering....where's the rest?
Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've read this year!
Review: This book was undoubtedly the best I've read this year. I found myself immersed in it and carried it everywhere I went. Engaging story and thourough character development made it seem real. I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Character development too thin to create important work
Review: The world described in Geisha is fascinating, largely because so little is generally known about it. However, what we are left with at the end is a fairly superficial look at it and the people in it. The character development that could have made it a lasting work of writing, is so thin as to render it little more than an extended "TV show" experience.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining plot; lame prose
Review: If you're looking for a fluffy romance novel, this is a good book for you: there's even the added benefit of feeling you're getting educated in another culture. The plot moves quickly and the story is absorbing.If, however, you're looking for good literature, I have to say that Geisha falls very short. Mr. Golden's prose is awkward and cliched. His style is to pummel you with one cliched metaphor after another. In fact, if you consider yourself a connoisseur of good prose, you might have a hard time making it through the story. Overall, fun story, miserable read.
Rating:
Summary: Japanese Culture With Depth
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha is an amazingly wonderful book. The well developed plot and fascinating story keep the reader interested. Authur Golden brings forward a side of Japanese culture that has always seemed proper and prim, but in depth we learn that "what goes on during the morning in the office and what goes on in the evening behind closed doors bear no relationship to one another, and must always remain compartmentalized and seperate." The way Golden weaves both the morning and evening details of a geisha's life is done well. The style of writing was easy to fallow. The vivid description he uses throughout provides for lovely inagery. "The radient smile she'd worn now faded, just as the darkness fades from a valley when the sun rises on it," is one of the many examples of how Golden displays his talents in writing. He also uses cultural terms and explains them for the benefit of the reader. For example, when he talks about zori, there is no definition in the dictionary, but he explains that they are wooden sandals with tapering soles that make it hard to balance. These cultural terms bring the reader further into the culture and the story. In all I would give this story a 9. It was a very good read, but I found myself wanting to find out what would happen faster then the author would allow. Gloden has written an excellent piece and it has met my expectations. I would recommend that anyone with an interest in Japanese culture read it, for it gives more depth to an interesting culture.
|
