Rating: 
Summary: Remembering the Memoir
Review: Arthur Golden opens the door of the arcane world of the geishas of the 1930's and 1940's by creating a fictional character who writes a narrative of a famed geisha, Nita Sayuri, who assumes the name Mameha. Golden's opening this door allows the reader to vicariously join Mameha as she maneuvers a sinuous, convoluted path, progressing from being a slave to achieving a measure of independence. Following this path requires the geisha to master many skills and rituals. Examples of these rituals include donning 20 undergarments which lie beneath the kimono, presiding over the elaborate ceremony in which movements reflect belief systems, propitiating the multitude of Shinto gods and goddesses, and practicing the recondite Oki (a social and economic system as well as a physical structure in which the geishas live). Intricate protocol must be observed while negotiating the geisha's mizuage, the selling of her virginity. Another significant negotiating period occurs when she chooses a danna, her principal protector. For Mameha this choice is complicated by a familiar interloper-love. The author reveals Mameha's charm and intelligence through the metaphors she fashions-some charming and innocent, some saucy and witty. The book closes with an image Mameha constructs describing the choices she has made:"But now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however, we suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper."
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent material.
Review: This book kept me up nights not wanting to put it down! I couldn't wait to see what was to happen! Golden writes well.. Excellent eye for detail and melodic writing style, especially for an American male living through the eyes of a Japanese Geisha. I liked that the heroine was not flawless, yet still you sympathized with her every dilemma. As another reviewer stated, a small weakness is in the speaking of her love interest, as Golden does not go into much detail as to why the sweet narrator loves him so. But, what seems to be hidden between the lines in her love for this stranger is that it was only he who gave her any kindness in such a harsh world. Sold into slavery when her parents were old and ill and unable to care for her, the main character has a terrible time trying to regain an indentity and place to call home. I suppose it is just when she has lost all hope that she has a brief encounter with this much older man, who instead of treating her like common peasant, sees her as a real person. For this reason, she pines for him. A little oedipal, maybe? But, this is not the main point of the story. We go through many years of her Geisha-hood and learn just what it is like to live solely to entertain and be perfect, while in the country as a whole one cannot find a place to call home. Excellent reading material. Kept my interests and then some.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book, saccharin aftertaste
Review: A commentator has said that this is a book that seems to stay open. It's absolutely true! I first had an interest in reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" because I have never read a novel about Japanese culture before, and I wanted to learn more about it from an author who had studied it in-depth. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down until I finished it a few days later. The story of Sayuri's life as a geisha in Japan around the time of WWII is engrossing, fascinating, and at times disturbing. "Memoirs" chronicles the life of Sayuri (as narrated by her to a fictional biographer), and how she goes from rags to riches, from riches to rags, and back again to riches. The plot is truly a page-turner; Golden also writes in lush detail about every aspect of Japan's geisha culture. However, Sayuri's development throughout her life, while believable, was disheartening. Here was a woman with so much potential--she's beautiful, intelligent, insightful--and she is trained to be manipulative, deceitful, and opportunistic. Not that this is surprising, based on the environments and upbringing she experiences. It could be argued that she made the most out of her circumstances; she took the hand she was dealt and then beat the dealer at his own game. Still, the reviews that compare Golden with authors like Austen and Dickens ring hollow when you examine the progress of a David Copperfield or an Elizabeth Bennett, who rise above their circumstances and whose individual characters are refined and brought to a higher level of integrity and morality--the opposite, in my opinion, of Sayuri's. As other readers have commented, the ending was a little to "neat" for me. I felt betrayed by the Chairman's reaction to Sayuri's last desparate act; indeed he seemed to condone the notion that the end justifies the means--go for what you want, and break the rules of ethics if necessary. Sayuri's lowest, most contemptible moment with the Minister is rewarded with a happy ending. Now I sound now like I'm not recommending this book--I do, heartily! But be forewarned, the ultimate message of this book is one that is very lonely and spiritually devoid: rely on yourself, because God and man alike will fail you.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written and Wonderfully read!
Review: Elaina Erika Davis reads the novel with fluidity and style. She has a clear concept of how characters should sound and captures each scene, each word with definition. Besides a very well written novel, Davis adds the spark a great audio book needs! I've only had the CDs for 2 weeks and have listened to it 4 times already! You catch little things you missed out on each time!
Rating: 
Summary: sappiness overload
Review: i was in an airport waiting for my flight, and i bought this book in a giftshop to read on the plane. ugh. it was horrible! i almost threw it down the aisle at least ten times. it starts out ok, but once you realize that sayuri doesn't leave the mindset of a 12 year old in the whole book, it just becomes grating. bah!
Rating:
Summary: Misterious lives of Geishas...
Review: This is an absolutely wonderful book! I wasn't knowing much about geishas but this book tought me all about it. You can not drop it down when you start reading it. Nitta Sayuri's story will amaze you...
Rating:
Summary: A Quaint Story
Review: I picked up a copy of this book while I was in New Delhi, India for a study course in French. I know the two don't sound very complementary but thats how it happened. I was studying French during the mornings and had the greater part of the day free to myself and thought it would be great to sample Golden's (Premier?) work while free. Now, I won't be the average magazine hack and tell you what a good read it was and how fast paced it is ...Passe! This genre is certainly not what i read often but the idea of a little poetry, a fabled land and sultry seductress' did strike as a wonderful plot (pardon the pun)to while away a boring afternoon. The story is centered around a young girl and a later geisha, Sayuri. Taking its beginnings from a small town in Japan, the story is essentially a recount of Mme Sayuri's travails across a colourful canvas of Japanese Tea Houses, Suitors, Owners of Geisha Houses and other such equally quaint characters and locales. Though it does emit a tearful and at times "creeping" sadness on the fate of someone forced to start to eke out a livelihood very early in life, it has its moments of joy and happiness. Alas! they are few and rather far apart. Perhaps Golden attempts to mimic the Buddhist philosophy of the orient world showing with great candour, lyrical ability and poise, the thematic idea of suffering being a primal and defining characteristic of life and how, to minimise suffering, sacrifice and self-denial is the answer. A poignant story, the central theme revolves around how Sayuri driven by a combination of Ill-luck, poor Karma, Poverty and ensuing fate - which is a result of all her desires to be a woman respected in the world - is driven to be a Geisha. The story then takes on the character of a Jane Austen book detailing the need for young women to find good partners and finally along the central theme ends with Sayuri transported to a world different from her childhood - but respected and honoured. Is this the Nirvana that Golden tries to juxtapose? An interesting story, interestingly told...but caution, can become a little pedantic at times.
Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS!!
Review: A great novel. I couldn't put it down once I started with the first page.
Rating:
Summary: A sense of gradual disappointment
Review: At first I was transported by the young girl's fate in being sold to become a geisha and her original resistance to this destiny yet as she begins to actually succeed the more she seems to surrender to her fate. In fact her success seems to be the very opposite of what we would nowadays term as success. Somehow as she wilts in her destiny so does the novel itself. What originally had begun as an encounter with fate is gradually reduced into giving up all control of life in the hands of others more experienced than the book's heroine. In the same way the novel seems to lose steam about halfway through its course. Transported at first by the words of this novel into a diferrent world I eventually found myself struggling to read the novel merely so as to finish it. However I did particularly enjoy the steady use of language so as to betray the origins of the heroine as a fisherman's daughter. In essence the book's heroine is more convincing as a young girl than as a young woman which is rather a pity since the same character is somehow abandoned in so far as her development in a persuasive manner is concerned.
Rating:
Summary: grey eyes
Review: I have never been so mezmerized by the colour of a persons eyes, especially when they are only seen in my mind. the way this book is discribed is so wantingly believable, you never want it to end.I can't discribe my disappointment as i was getting to the last pages,i wanted it to go on and onlike a really good day. the depictions of beauty, love, hate, and cruelty were so real yet so surreal to a person who can't fathom such hardship in thier own life were comparable to angelas ashes which is a true story. I'de like this to be a commentarary rather then a review so i could tell the author about all the bits and pieces of the book i enjoyed so much, but i know i can give nothing away. Suffice it to say if you really want to be swept away by a book you must read this one, it is the first one i have been motivated enough to need to talk about after the last page was read at 2:30 am. hence , iwrote this review.
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