Rating: 
Summary: Well done! Well done.
Review: Wow. This book was unbelievable! The way Arthur Golden translated meaningless words into pictures, dreams, hopes, and desires, was unbelievable. The quality of writing in this book was remarkable; the city of Gion comes alive through bright description and dialogue. Golden emphasizes minute detail, from face cream made of nightingale droppings to the high priced-auction of a girl's virginity. I think its astonishing the misconceptions that are displaced in this book; Geisha are not prostitutes, they are very pricey call girls who deal with relieving their customers anxiety and stress, yet they are almost like slaves to their 'mothers' in the okiya that they live in. Overall, this book was brilliantly done with masterful description and beautiful, poetic language.
Rating: 
Summary: Closer to four than to three stars.
Review: I would have given this book 3.5 stars if it was possible, but I guess it deserved four. It is a very captivating look into the private lives of geisha just before WWII. Mr. Golden manages to pull this off beautifully. Not exactly a page turner, but a wonderful book to read. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: a keyhole into another world
Review: It was a whole new world opening up, a pretty wierd world at that, and not an appealing one, but very authentic. I felt she was really talking; it doesn't read like a novel, yet it does have a good plot. However, I only give it four stars for I felt the plot fell apart at the end. A good story should balance out at the end, and as a reader i like the people to get their just deserts in a book, since in real life they don't - at least, not as far as we can see. in this case everything was lopsided at the end, smugness and deceit getting rewarded, those who were truly good just vanishing without a second thought. I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into the details!
Rating: 
Summary: White Man's Fantasy...I give this book a half star.
Review: Sayuri's a perfect male fantasy: An Asian sex slave with western features (grey/blue eyes). Now, why couldn't she just have been a drop dead gorgeous Japanese woman? Why the colored eyes? But that's not what gets me. Would any intelligent person fall in love with the type of man who takes her away from her dying folks, forces her sister to be a cheap ol' hooker, and pays her way to becoming a dumb little tea pourer? I'm talking about the Fisheries Manager and the man who eventually ended up being her sugar daddy. For Christ sake, these men were old enough to be her father! Talk about pedophelia and hooking. This book is pretty sick...sugar coating the male intent with a very willing female narrator.
Rating: 
Summary: Supurb descriptions and characterizations. Weak ending
Review: This book is overrated. If you want to read positive reviews, read the other reviews since I agree with many of them: the character is rich, the authentic descriptions of the geisha life is exoticly captivating, down to the last silk sash. However, the bad part is the ending: the novel does not end...it just stops. I think it is because (stop here if you do not want the ending spoiled) the protagonist does not find the solution herself; rather it is done for her by the man who she had been after almost all her life.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous
Review: Wow. What an amazing and beautiful story. I didn't even understand what a geisha really was before reading this book; now I feel like an expert. Mr. Golden has created a masterpiece so delicately written, it almost seemed like a poem to me. Very intriguing and thought-provoking; gorgeous, gorgeous writing; plus a history lesson like you've never had before. Wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: A Rainbow Named Sayuri
Review: I feel as though I've been asked to write a review about a person I've just met. Not a book I've read. I wouldn't be able to review a person. That would objectify that person and limit the possibilities of humanity. I could however reflect upon the meeting of an individual so that is what I will do here--reflect upon my meeting with the geisha, Sayuri. What an elegant woman. Arthur Golden brings her personality so much to life that rather than seeing a physical female person I get strong images of her essence. And her essence is exactly that: elegant. Sayuri is strong, determined, driven, clever, realistic, understanding and human. Each of these attributes make up the rainbow that is her. The most predominant of colors of this rainbow is yellow that represents her wisdom. Upon my reading I folded over many pages with sage sayings that resonated truth and understanding to me. One such example is the following: "Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be" (top p. 248)It is with this reflection that I invite you to meet my dear sister and friend the great and humble geisha, Sayuri.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written story!
Review: I definetly recommend this novel to anyone... You can truly get inside the mind of the young geisha Chiyo Chan.. I love the novel, I read it within a week... It's very educational as well, I truly learned a lot of the Japanese Culture.. It's definetly a "must read"
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: This novel was incredibly difficult to put down. It was filled with poetic beauty, gripping seduction, and sheer mysticism. I was amazed at how well Golden captured the essence of a girl during this time period, and of this culture. Not an easy undertaking, but Golden does it with relative ease. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to read something from out of the ordinary. It really opens minds, and broadens perspectives. I can't wait till the movie is released!
Rating:
Summary: In The Life of a Geisha
Review: I found this book above all others I have read to be the most heartwarming and informative on the life of the Geisha.Once you begin you are pulled along by Sayuri's tale .The writing so convincing you forget that it is a man who has written this exqusite tale of a small girl's shattered world. As the tale pulls you along she is transformed by circumstance and puppet strings till she ,the waif from a poor fishing village becomes the most sought after Geisha in Japan.Truly a book that one cannot put down.Intellectual and so detailed you feel and see every nuance Golden intends you to and quickly become attached to the main characters.Although at times Sayuri seemed without strength, the detail of her life written leaves you with no doubt she found happiness. Wonderful detail and researh very evident in this book.Not for the reader who wants a quick romatic fix.Truly unforgettable and a must read ,beware once opened you cannot put it down!
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