Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating and precious book. A must read!
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It is very-well written and very touching. I look forward to more books from this author. It was fascinating reading about the life of a geisha. I could not put it down. I know I will read it again in the years to come. This book is especially precious to me since I received it as a gift from my new husband.
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Summary: Beautiful
Review: There's nothing I can say that could possibly add to all the positive reviews this book has received. This memoir, so poetically and beautifully written, takes you back to the geisha times, and does so in such a way that you could actually see, taste, and feel the narrator's feelings. From the first page to the last, I was hooked on every word. What shocked me the most, was the fact that this was written by and American man! The voice is so authentic, details so vivid, you would swear this was written by a genuine geisha. I highly recommend exploring this geisha subculture, I found it totally intriguing.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it
Review: "Never thought the story of a Geisha's life would be so engrossing, but I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writer.
Review: An interesting story on an arcane subject. However, accuracy is frequently sacrificed for the sake of literary license. 'Geisha', a documentary by Liza Dalby, is a much better book and should be read before 'Memoirs'. After reading both books, I find the geisha subculture totally demeaning. Despite their genteel facades, these feudal throwbacks are nothing but professional party girls who tease married drunks for a living. There's nothing glamorous about the monotonous charades they play.
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Summary: Simple....Fantastic
Review: From the moment I began reading this book I could not put it down.....I took it everywhere with me, even to work. One day sitting down in a cafe a waiter approched me, with a tear in his eye.....explaining that he had himself read this book and he had in fact sobbed whilst reading the ending.......I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone, it is easy to read and very touching.... The only disspointing part of this book is that it had to end....I felt I could read on and on forever....
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Summary: Beauty of Language Abounds
Review: There is nothing in this story of a young, Japanese woman ripped from her impoverished family that would lead you to believe that it was written by a Jewish, American man. The beauty of the language of this book is breathtaking. The imagery is so vivid that you feel as if you were right there, the entire time. And, for all of Sayuri's hardships, there is no means available to feel sorry for her. The tale does not inspire anything resembling sorrow. Her spirit is indominable. Her character wins your heart. I read this in one sitting, as has everyone I know who has picked it up. And, I didn't just enjoy it for the simple pleasure of reading. I learned things. Things about Japan and geisha and my own heart. Read it when you have time to not put it down.
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Summary: Three Letters W-O-W
Review: This book is a must read! I am not a big reader but after seeing my friends on a senior trip with it i was interested in reading it. I went to the library and borrowed it. I couldnt stop reading the book. I was drawn into the plot.
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Summary: Misinformation according to Mineko Iwasaki
Review: When you read about Mineko Iwasaki's reaction to this book you are thrown so off center. How do I get dreamy and absorbed in a book when the principal source says the author got it wrong and is left angered. Reading this story now will be like walking on a rotted floor--- you just don't know where the holes are.
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Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha
Review: This story is set in Japan in the 19th century during a period in time when young girls' futures were based on their ability to serve, and their appearance. A young girl's life changes at the age of 8, when she's forced to grow up. Seperated from the ones she loves she strugles to experience things that were of another world. This author, Arthur Golden, portrays the life of a geisha through stories that a dear friend of his tells him on her deathbed.He was inspired by the stories of these young girls that had experienced similar incidents. Although Mr. Golden is a Caucasian male that has only visited Japan a few times, he has a way of telling the story as if he were there in the first person. I've never been fortunate enough to read his other books, but if they're as good as Memoirs of a Geisha they're next on my list. This book is encouraging in a way that you would least expect, and one that everyone should read.
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Summary: penetralia mentis
Review: I bought this book after seeing a middle-aged businessman devour the book on a flight to Chicago. He was so completely engrossed in the novel that he didn't acknowledge the stewardess prompting him for his meal. By the end of the flight, he had finished the novel. The constrast between the concinnity of subject matter and the bulky stature of the businessman in an awkward airplane set made me curious. What made him so enthralled? After I read it, I knew why. The novel was an absolute delight! I read it in a single sitting despite my attempts to put it down so I could savor it. Mr. Golden delves deep into the character of a credulous child maturing into a woman jaded by the Machiavelistic ways of her lifestyle. He has an exquisite manner of depicting stirring detail and feeling so that you actually feel the high sash of the kimona digging into your ribcage. The book is sprinkled with jewel-like analogies such as as describing love as a stone dropping into a well. If you like to be educated while you are entertained with elegant (yet concise) prose, this is the book for you. It reminds of "Under the Tuscan Sun" in a way, because you learn the culture of a society, while you befriend (or at least emphatize with) the main character. At the same time, you learn tasty bits of trivia (whether it be ribolitta or waxed hair). After reading the book, the character names ring familiar as if they were your own friends. Gobbled up by me and a random American male businessman.
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