Memoirs of a Geisha : A Novel

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Summary: Fran
Review: This is one of the most beautiful and romantic books ever written. It is a love story that will have you crying in the end with your heart lifted to the heavens knowing that good things due happen.

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Summary: A pleasant read, but not quite as wonderful as expected
Review: I recently bought this book as it was one my book club is reading. I liked it, don't mistake me, but I felt that it was in some ways like looking at the world of Sayuri through a dark glass, or a layer of thin silk. She goes through many travails, but despite lengthy descriptions of her life, I didn't feel pulled into it, quite. This may be due to the author being male, and trying to describe the life of a very female woman, I'm not sure. It was certainly full of much detail and description of the lives Geisha lead, but I didn't ever really feel drawn into a depth of emotion for the protagonist. It all seemed rather remote.

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Summary: Unforgettable.
Review: Fascinating. Amazing. One of the best books I've ever read. As many other people, I had trouble believing the main character was not a real person. I have heard people complaining about how passiveness and petty dreams of the protagonist annoyed them. Yes, Sayuri might have a strange outlook on life and what happiness is all about - but that's strange only to a person of a western culture living in the 21st century. For a woman in that place and time, that sort of thinking was probably an accepted norm. Not only does Golden give great insight into a life and culture so totally alien to us westerners, he also paints it so colorfully and believably that it's hard to put this book down. Bravo.

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Summary: This book is fiction, if that helps.
Review: see, i didn't know that until i was on the last 20 pages. i thought i was a real biography, which just goes to show you how believable and real are the characters and situations. until the last 20 pages, at least.

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Summary: MUY, PERO MUY BUENO
Review: Es sumamente interesante cómo el autor utiliza un personaje como vehículo para entrevistar a la protagonista, creando una atmósfera de reportaje cuando en realidad todo es ficción. La historia es simplemente bella y adictiva. Si acaso se desea saber si se tiene un genuino gusto por la lectura, ESTE es el libro que te hará un aficionado constante de este gran pasatiempo.

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Summary: Could not put this book down
Review: Golden has a way with words that defies description. I was totally fascinated by this book, from the first page to the very end. His name is now at the top of my "authors to read" list. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read.

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Summary: Ever been blinded by beauty?
Review: I am an extensive reader, and yet I have never read anything like this before. It's unbelievable. I can't put it down, it's so real. This book is the prime example of originality. You think that you know what's going to happen and it's just at that point that Golden does something totally different, something that you NEVER considered! His characters are lovely, intelligent, harshly gentle and yet they have the indelible flaws that come with humanity. Everyone who's ever thought their life was hard should read this book! A thoroughly delicious read.

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Summary: Just couldn't Sleep!
Review: Even if you live in Japan, lives of Geishas are not commonly known. Though I could only make out a part of the exclusive culture, the book clearly visualized what I knew(from history classes & TV shows! these things are hardly left in Japan). I was amazed at the emotional descriptions of Sayuri revealing the traditional Japanese way of thinking (also hardly left nowadays) both beautiful and evil.

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Summary: Hungry for more!
Review: This book is amazing. From page one it was hard to put down. I was completely addicted to each chapter! It really left me hungry for more.

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Summary: Male Fantasy more than Memoirs of a Geisha
Review: Arthur Golden did a fine job of researching the life of a Geisha. However, he failed to capture the emotions of Sayuri, the Geisha whose memoirs we are purportedly reading. This novel may be a stereotypically love story if one ignores the age and social status difference between the geisha and her love interest (sponsor). Or it may be a story of abuse of women in Japan. It may even be an outsiders view of what life is like as a geisha. It is not an insider's view of what it feels like to be a geisha as the title implies. Perhaps it is nothing more than a male fantasy.