Rating: 
Summary: Overrated!
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I was told that I wouldn't believe that it was written by a man. However, I could believe it! There is no character development or meaningful friendships or relationships. All of the characters in this book are one-dimensional. All women are portrayed as greedy, shallow, vain and vindictive. Even if this is an accurate depiction of geisha life, I think that these women deserve more credit, as well as personalities and not just a pretty face. Pass this one up!
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful, Lyrical Journary!
Review: Wonderful prose and a moving story. A rare literary find.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
Review: When I came to the end of this book I felt cheated. I didn't realise until the end that this book was a novel. The error was my own but the title and the introduction (named by the author as Translator's Notes) created and maintained the deception. It reads like a biography and, perhaps, in that form, one could excuse the shallow characterisation. At times the writing is long-winded. As a male I found some of the long detailed descriptions of the dress and make-up of the geisha to be tedious. However, despite my disappointment, the novel gives an apparently authentic view into the life of geisha and is an easy and diverting read. I would not rate it as fine writing or profound literature but nevertheless, a good book for a wet holiday weekend or a long aeroplane journey.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: I saw this book a lot in the store and always thought "It's just too hyped up and I'll get bored..." but I was so wrong. This book is absolutely LOVELY, and well written. It transformed me into a different world and a different time. The emotions are very real. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out what the life of a geisha really was, and what it really meant.
Rating:
Summary: TRULY one of the best books ever written
Review: I loved it! I could not put it down. If you're someone who likes to laugh and cry at the same time, as well love and hate, then this book is for YOU! Fascinating, entertaining, still thinking about it 8 months later.....
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Masterpiece
Review: I was enthralled within the first few pages. This book devastated me. It is THAT beautiful. Enough said.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: When I read this book it reminded me of listening to my grandmother telling me stories about when she was younger. This book realy sounds like one geisha telling her story, even though it is writen by an american man and is actualy derived from the colective notes from many geisha's experiances. I thought it was wonderful, how the main charictar (Sayuri) describes her live, how though for the most part she lived in complete "comfort" having everything she needed and plenty of money. But though you can seem to have it easy you can still a quite hard emotianal life. I do have to say however that it is more of a "chick book" and wont be verry enjoyable for many of the men out there but hey give it a try. It really is a good read and should be taken advantage of for all the readers out there.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry it ended
Review: I read this book back when it first came out. I genreally read thriller/mystery but for some reason the book attracted me. I loved it. This book brings you to a new world and it is DIFFERENT from all the other novels out there, even the ones that claim to be different. It was mysterious, it had real characters that draw emotions from the reader. It makes you glad, upset or worried about the outcome and the daily lives of these unusual characters. It atually reads like the biography but with a surprise ending. I can't believe a man wrote this and I will read whatever comes next from this author.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly researched and very imaginative
Review: I began "Memoirs of a Geisha" with many reservations. I was certain that this would be another Western man's tepid little fantasy about a specific facet of Asian culture. But happily, Arthur Golden surprised and delighted me. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is an imaginative, superbly researched, and well-written book. From the opening pages I was quite convinced that I was reading an actual Geisha's autobiography. The details of the geisha's life were compelling and quite believable. From what I understand, Golding performed quality assurance tests on his original manuscript by running it past several Geishas whom he had previously interviewed. Apparently, they faulted so much of the original manuscript that Golding rewrote the entire book. I applaud his persistence and integrity to that end. The book does have its imperfections. For one thing, I found the protagonist's constant use of similes to be a bit superficial and fake. But who knows, perhaps Geishas used this sort of lexicon out of habit. I also found the story's resolution a little disappointing. It capped a superbly written story off with a Hollywood cliché and detracted a bit from the believability of the characters. But even with these flaws the plot was still superb. I highly recommend this book for its imagination and attention to historical accuracy. Among other things it tears down a lot of Western stereotypes of Geishas as prostitutes. Contrary to some complaints that I've heard, very little of this book is sexual in nature.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I am usually adimant about reading only non- fiction, but when a friend gave me this book I decided to give it a shot. I absolutely could not put it down! This is the best book I've read in many many years,I'm not even sure why except maybe it's because it transforms you into another time and place. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Even my fiance loved it and he's pretty much a science fiction guy. This book is simply awesome! You just have to read it.
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