Rating: 
Summary: This book sticks with you
Review: After much procrastination I finally read 'Memoirs of a Geisha". I certainly regret not reading it sooner. I cannot recall reading a book with such an original topic coupled with such vivid story telling. The Author must have spent a painstaking amount of time researching Japan and its culture for this book. I was also impressed by his ability to provide first person narration with a woman as its main character. I thought a Geisha was the equivalent of the American prostitute. I never imagined that in order to become a Geisha one must train extensively in the arts, culture, conversation and customs. In order to become a successful Geisha, one must also possess tremendous wit and ingenuity. The main character Sayuri may have had a number of unfortunate circumstances in her life, yet she refused to become a victim. She maintained poise, strength and determination. With the authors vivid description you often felt either compelled or sometimes repulsed and disgusted. Yet I found myself staying up late and unable to put this book down.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: This is one of my favorite books of all times. I almost want to read it a second time even though I only finished it a few days ago. It really makes you think - you feel as if you are inside the novel. I could not put it down. It is a little slow for the first 10 or so pages but after that I promise you will be glad you picked it up.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling!
Review: I could not put this book down, and I didn't want to. Very detailed and illustrative. Ending was somewhat abrupt, the last years of her life were condensed into one small chapter. Otherwise is very entertaining and seductive.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but not perfect
Review: Arthur Golden has managed to fool me with this book; I actually bought it after skimming through the beginning, thinking that it was an actual biography written by a Geisha. That enough should tell you how good this book is, and how talanted Arthur Golden is in writing for a woman, and a Geisha nontheless. However, not all is perfect. The beginning of the book is indeed captivating; You can almost smell the sea, hear the waves, see Chio's old crooked house. You immediately fall in love with the characters, aspecialy with Chio. Everything up untill the point Hatsumomo walks into the story is excellent. But this is one of the few, biggest flaws of the book-- Hatsumomo is a typical villain, with no motives other than "ruining it for the heroin". Quite a disappointment, as the other characters are so well-written, like Chio/Sayuri's best friend, "Pumpkin", who starts off as being light-hearted and amusing but reveals a "dark side" later on, and Mameha, Sayuri's mentor and friend, and , of course, Nobu, who is probably the best character in the book. The book somehow goes downhill after the war ends; some of the characters loose their spark, the story gets a bit dreary. But the worst part is probably the ending. I must agree with the other reviewers here on this-- the ending is overly cliche', mushy and unrealistic. Other than that, it is very informative on customs of Japan. Arthur did his research well and gives up an accurate view on the life of a Japanese Geisha. Is the book worth it? If you're interested in Japan, Geisha's and culture, you must have it. If you're interested in being captivated by a very good novel for a while, you should probably read it. It's probably not for everyone, but I liked it a lot and I did recommend it to my friends.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book transported me into another world! I felt like I was walking down the streets of Kyoto with my hair done up, wearing an extravagant kimono. I felt the pain that Sayuri suffered. This book was truely amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Like stepping into a moving painting!
Review: Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" is absolutely beliavable and beautiful from the first page until the last. Everytime I picked up this book I felt immeditaley transported to the geisha's world. Everytime I put the book down I needed a few minutes to readjust to my proper surroundings. Truly a magnificient book.
Rating:
Summary: interesting
Review: As I read this book I realized how ignorant I've been both in regard to Geisha culture as well as the intricate workings of Japanese society.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Fiction
Review: Suspend disbelief and accept this as a work of fiction, and you have a good story. Colorful depictions and an interesting plot hold your interest. I question whether a non-Japanese male can really creep into the consciousness of a Geisha. I found the male perspective peeking through at various points. Still... this was definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment
Review: I loved most of this book. But I found deeply disturbing the one dimensional characters of the "good" people and the "bad" people. I would have liked to have seen Golden develop his characters more. It was a great book to learn about geishas, but if you know anything at all, the lack of character development is sorely missed.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and unusual historical fiction
Review: This book tells the story of a woman who was sold as a girl to an okiya in pre-WWII Japan to be raised as a geisha. It is told from the perspective of the geisha as an old woman as she looks back on her life. It describes in fascinating detail the life of a geisha, from student to novice to full geisha, including such details as makeup application, styles of kimono, and, more intriguing, the politics of establishing status and position. This book is an excellent example of what I look for in historical fiction. Until reading this book, I had little knowledge of or interest in the life of geisha during this period, and yet the book made the topic compelling. Sayuri is a complex, sympathetic character, and through her adventures, we learn about the culture, the values, and the social rules of her time, as well as the details of daily living. The characters seem believable even though they operate by different social conventions. Even the style of writing rang true to me as the syntax of someone who doesn't speak English as a first language. As a bonus, I also felt I learned something about the art of triumphing over an enemy without fighting them head on.
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