Memoirs of a Geisha : A Novel

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Summary: Best unexpected read
Review: This book brings the story to life in a way that was unexpected. The characters are well developed and the descriptions are full bodied. Makes we want to travel back in time.

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Summary: incredible, the detail and the point of view, a must read
Review: I had to keep flipping to the back flap to make certain that a man actually wrote this book.

Rating:
Summary: fine attention to detail, poor attention to plot
Review: This book began so promising, with lots of little tidbits about geisha life, but then it went absolutely nowhere. I think the mark of a really good story is that the main character is somehow fundamentally changed by the end of the book. As a little girl, Sayuri dreams of being adopted by a rich, older man. As an adolescent, she dreams of becoming the mistress of a rich, older man. As an adult, she achieves her goal. Where is the story in that? World War II, which should have been a turning point in the story, appears to have absolutely no emotional effect on Sayuri. She clings to her small-minded dream and is rewarded with a fairy tale ending. Bleh.

Rating:
Summary: A Tour de Force of Narrative Voice and Detail
Review: Arthur Golden's Memoir of a Geisha is a tour de force of narrative voice, cultural detail, and style. The author's painstaking research shows itself only in the believability of his story and never slows the pace of this novel which, at its basest level, could be called a historical romance. But there is so much more contained within these pages than a genre novel. Readers will find a richly described life with layers of history, emotion, and a coming-of-age story that lasts a lifetime. Although the final chapter seems tacked and the extra details revealed there are coyly supplied despite the previous forthrightness of Satuyi, Golden can be forgiven these last pages after having delivered his treasure wrapped in silk.

Rating:
Summary: More Pb than Au
Review: It is, at least, mind stultifying to read an amazon.com review whose writer finds it necessary to explain that "geisha" does not mean "prostitute." While the CBS smotherage of the Winter Olympics was wall-to-wall cultural arrogance and ignorance, surely America outside of the air-heads of the electronic media is more aware than you amazonians think!

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Summary: A wonderful, cultural escape!
Review: A truly enjoyable story. I delighted in the cultural history and geisha tradition presented in this book. Fascinating experiences throughout. I was sorry to reach the conclusion.

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Summary: A Must Read!
Review: This book is a fascinating tale of Japanese culture that little is really known by most. Once I started reading, I was unable to put it down until the last page was read. I have always been in awe of how the Japanese culture views the simplest things, especially nature. I learned much more that I expected to learn from a novel. It is a well written book and the author is to be commended for his work!

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Summary: I wanted to go to New York
Review: Even tho I knew going into the story it was fictional, by the end I was asking myself the question 'If I go to New York will I see her on a street corner?' - that's how involved I became in the story. I thought it was a wonderful 'read' and I have suggested to everyone I know who enjoys a good story to read it!

Rating:
Summary: I recommend this book to everyone
Review: I was lucky enough to hear Arthur Golden read from his book, and his melodic soothing voice let me know that this book would be a lot more than it seemed. When I finally started reading it, I couldn't put it down. As an Asian Studies minor with a profound interest in Japan, I found this novel both historically accurate and a good read. When I finished reading the book, I searched for anything else to read so that I wouldn't be finished so soon, I even read the note on typescript. I was profoundly saddened by reaching the end of the book, yet my faith in humanity was redeemed by knowing that everything happens for a reason, which is the point stressed in the novel. Best book I've read in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Too hard to put down - a race to finish it!
Review: "Memoirs" is one of the most enjoyable and intelligent books I've read in some time. It is rare to find a novel which is a joy to follow, a page turning addiction and an education all in one. This is one of them. I've always been interested in Eastern cultures, and here I find one of the seemingly best researched books on a geisha. Not only does Golden's work clear up some misconceptions and stereotypes, but it provides an abundance of information about the life of a geisha. It's fiction, but reads much like an autobiography. Even in the earliest chapters, we can hear Sayuri telling us her story, and we try to cheer her and steer her through the trials and tribulations of her young life. The reader in me was quite fulfilled through a majority of the book. The characters, with the exception of the Chairman, are very well developed, and each possesses a strong personality. This book, aside from the story itself, taught me a lesson: that sometimes the way we want a book to end is not necessarily the best ending. Those of you who have finished it may agree. I was hoping for this particular ending from very early on, but for some reason, I think now that I've read it, it might have been a stronger finish had it taken another twist. That aside, this is a thoroughly entertaining and fulfilling read, which I've already recommended to three of my closest reader friends.