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Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha
Review: Memoirs of a Geisha was well written. At first I thought it was going to be boring and nothing but an old man rambling on but I was wrong! The author did a vey good job of portraying Sayuri's life. very well, in fact, that if it wasn't on the fiction shelf , you might have thought that this was the biography of a real person. What I realy liked about this book was that sayuri didn't have everyhting handed to her on a plate, she didn't become a star over night, she had to work very hard to become what she was and had to overcome many obstacles.
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Summary: a surprising novel
Review: Like most Westerners, my impression of "Geisha Girls" was a demeaning one. But because of my fascination with all things oriental, I decided to purchase this novel. Clearly, I have been enlightened! Mr. Golden did an excellent job in researching and chronicling this mysterious lifestyle.
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Summary: memoirs of a geisha
Review: memoirs of a geisha is an excelent book! I am friends with the authors daughter and the whole family is great! This is a very deserving book and i love it!
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Summary: Feminist Issues?
Review: None of the reviews I've seen--professional or otherwise--address this novel, and its attendant popularity, in feminist terms. That is to say, in terms of how it presents the relationships between women and men, women and women, and what women have a right to expect in those exchanges. And when we talk realtionship, we talk power.In this novel, power over women resides, unquestionably and always, with the male at the head of his particular power structure. Therefore the Chairman wins out over poor old scarred whatever-his-name-is, and because he always will, our heroine is his. The women in this world who gain power are women who care nothing for one another. The proprietess of the house is ready to throw our heroine out at the slightest provocation; the senior Geisha in the house exploits her at the first opportunity; her fellow apprentice, Pumpkin, turns on her after being left behind. Yes, women can be that way, as can men, and they did live with extreme pressures. Still, I know women, being one, and I know that somewhere in that world women would have found friends. When she reminisces, complacently it seems, in her New York apartment, her conquest of the Chairman seems to have superceded anything else in her life. She is happy simply because the Chairman deigns to visit her. And supports her, in the meantime. This is a life? And yet it is presented as a story of triumph. Surrender your life to the right man and Nirvana is yours. I can see why Arthur Golden found the subject matter so attractive. Can some woman out there write the sequel?
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Summary: Very interesting and a definate page turner
Review: I enjoyed reading this novel immensly. Definatly provides a cultural insight into Japanese traditions. I found it interesting that a Westerner could depict the feelings of a young geisha (who is forced into the trade) with such precision. A very captivating book which makes you fume with rage at some of the injustice that Sayuri <--(I'm not sure if I spelt that right) has to tolerate. While in the process of reading it I thought about nothing except getting back to the book until I finally finished it. Only after I reflected on the reality I was slightly perplexed. The ending seems unprobable and questionable - overall a good read.
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Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: This novel brings you to a time in history that no one will ever see again. Japanese culture is so beautiful and Arthur S. Golden captures it very well. My eyes have been opened to a new world and I loved every minute of it, I couldn't put it down!
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Summary: An Informative and Interesting Glimpse into Japanese Culture
Review: Wow. From the moment read its first words, it was impossible to put this book down at all. It really took my breath away. I'm surprised how well a Western author could, in such amazing detail, give us a first-person view of Japanese attitudes, lifestyle, and culture. This book makes want to visit the country all the more. In addition, I was captivated the emotional ups and downs of Sayuri's bittersweet life, from her heartwrenching separation from her family to her transition to life in a foriegn land. A well-written masterpiece overall.
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Summary: Transports You Back to A Different World
Review: As a half-Japanese woman who has always had that side of me sublimated by my Western culture, I seek out "Asian" books -- especially those about Japan and Japanese culture. After I took a class in the Japanese narrative, I thought I was very cultured and smart, and I thought, in all honesty, that this book would be trite and annoying; I admit that I was a bit skeptical. Well, I was proved wrong. "Geisha" transports the reader back to another time and place. It is mystical, magical, informative, controversial, well-written, touching and clumsy (in a good way) all at once. I was instantly drawn in by not only the characters but the setting and the plot. Even if you have no interest in Japanese culture, this book is outstanding. Highly recommended!
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Summary: Fascinating
Review: This is an absolutely fascinating look at another world. I was mesmerized the whole time.
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Summary: "Memoirs" proves to be more than a look into Japanese Life
Review: I am by no means literate in Japanese culture, so I was hoping if nothing else, I might learn a little bit, and I did. This book provides tremendous insight onto culture and life of Japan, and taught me so much about Geisha. But this book was a great story too. Sayuri's story was so well written, I thought that this tale encompassed so much of her life and made her seem very real. I was so disapointed in the ending though. She gave Nobu, who had been her benefactor for so long and saved her from the war, the short end of stick, so to speak, and ended up with the chairman. That was lame, there just isn't another word, such a typical-american-mushy-romance-novel way to end it. But all and all, a good read (and i can't believe it was sritten by a Man!)
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