Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel

The world of geishas is shrouded in mystery and I admittedly knew little until I read this book. One of the surprising facts is how much schooling and practice goes into this profession. I never imagined that schools prepared the girls by teaching music and dance in order to entertain wealthy men. The description of the costumes and makeup was also fascinating. Yet, disturbing was the bidding over virginity. As far as the fictional story, it was certainly sad to see the sisters sold into this life due to their mother's illness. Chiyo/Sayuri actually gets the better fate due to the unusual color of her eyes. She must then battle the jealous geisha Hatsumomo who is out to destroy her. Meanwhile, her interaction with the Chairman, who shows her kindness, can seem both fatherly and romantic strangely. Her dream evetually comes to be but not likely in the way she expected it. This book is well worth reading as it will allow you to enter a world that is hard to understand in our culture. It may be fiction but you will also learn from it.

How wonderful that Sayuri chose to share her story. The history and culture of Japan, the struggles, hopes and dreams of the Geisha is the same that all of us carry inside. Beautifully written.

A commentator has said that this is a book that seems to stay open. It's absolutely true! I first had an interest in reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" because I have never read a novel about Japanese culture before, and I wanted to learn more about it from an author who had studied it in-depth. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down until I finished it a few days later. The story of Sayuri's life as a geisha in Japan around the time of WWII is engrossing, fascinating, and at times disturbing. "Memoirs" chronicles the life of Sayuri (as narrated by her to a fictional biographer), and how she goes from rags to riches, from riches to rags, and back again to riches. The plot is truly a page-turner; Golden also writes in lush detail about every aspect of Japan's geisha culture. However, Sayuri's development throughout her life, while believable, was disheartening. Here was a woman with so much potential--she's beautiful, intelligent, insightful--and she is trained to be manipulative, deceitful, and opportunistic. Not that this is surprising, based on the environments and upbringing she experiences. It could be argued that she made the most out of her circumstances; she took the hand she was dealt and then beat the dealer at his own game. Still, the reviews that compare Golden with authors like Austen and Dickens ring hollow when you examine the progress of a David Copperfield or an Elizabeth Bennett, who rise above their circumstances and whose individual characters are refined and brought to a higher level of integrity and morality--the opposite, in my opinion, of Sayuri's. As other readers have commented, the ending was a little to "neat" for me. I felt betrayed by the Chairman's reaction to Sayuri's last desparate act; indeed he seemed to condone the notion that the end justifies the means--go for what you want, and break the rules of ethics if necessary. Sayuri's lowest, most contemptible moment with the Minister is rewarded with a happy ending. Now I sound now like I'm not recommending this book--I do, heartily! But be forewarned, the ultimate message of this book is one that is very lonely and spiritually devoid: rely on yourself, because God and man alike will fail you.

With the long-awaited screen adaptation directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago") coming next month, Arthur Golden's original novel is certainly worth a second look as it remains one of the deepest and most convincing immersions into a foreign culture, the highly complex and mythologized world of the Japanese geisha. The first-person narrative is such a bold move because it immediately gives a sense of autobiography that a lesser writer would have come across as merely self-indulgent. Yet, he invents an academic figure to "write" the foreword - Jakob Haarhuis, a fictional professor of Japanese at NYU, provides an explanation for how the memoirs are gathered, that they are the taped memoirs of the protagonist Sayuri. While it's obvious that Golden has done his research, what takes the book to a higher level is the way he penetrates the psyche of the people caught within the orbit of this cloistered world. The story follows the life of Chiyo, a nine-year old Japanese girl who is sold into slavery along with her older sister Satsu. Because of her unusual grey eyes, Chiyo is then sold to an okiya (boardinghouse for geishas). The scenes in the okiya are Golden's most meticulous and accomplished, especially as Chiyo undergoes a grueling apprenticeship and competes with the beautiful, worldly but wholly spiteful Hatsumomo, who is the okiya's star geisha. Men become bewitched by her poise and subservient manner, and she takes her new name, Sayuri, symbolizing her metamorphosis into a professional geisha. Surviving some unsavory escapades with some of the okiya's most undesirable patrons, Sayuri surpasses Hatsumomo in stature and becomes the mistress of the man she had set her heart on all along, the benevolent chairman of an electrical supply company. While a more predictable story would have stopped there with the love story, the author goes further and has Sayuri move to New York to run a salon for visiting Japanese businessmen until the chairman dies. In a certain way, I wish Golden did stop the book in Japan when WWII ends in the story. The chapters afterward feel rushed as if the author is losing interest in her story and wants the reader to get to the inevitable ending quickly. Regardless, Golden fills the book with vivid images and subtle descriptions of the nuances of Japanese culture. Absolutely invaluable in its detail if sometimes too overwhelming to appreciate at once (a repeated reading is recommended), the story reflects a brilliant eye for the customs and rituals within geisha society, including its politics, rivalries, and traditions. Having been to the historic Gion district of Kyoto, where present-day geishas still live, I have caught a glimpse of these women scurrying about in their beautiful kimonos looking both fetching and anachronistic. Golden captures their stories with compassion and an anthropologist's fervor. This is strongly recommended both as fiction and an essential ingredient of Japan's cultural history.

This is an amazing piece of literature. I say literature as a high form of praise. Books can be found by the millions. Perhaps thousands will make an impression on you of one sort or another, yet far fewer will imprint themselves upon you with everlasting images and emotions. And far fewer still will remain on that elusive book shelf in your heart as well as your brain. For me this is one of those full experience reads which will be on my heart and intellects shelf/soul. This is a powerful book that defies genre. While many classify it as a love story, I feel that falls far short. It has a love story in it but also personal strife, adversity, coming of age, over coming obstacles and acceptance of the cards life deals you. It also is a richly woven historical piece which grandly painted imagery of the time and location. If you enjoy Japanese history, geisha, differences in cultures, this also has something for you. The faceted story weaves seamlessly many themes and morales with its prose like writing in places without odious or tedious repetition or pretentiousness. It is a breathtaking story which begs to be told yet flows flawlessly. I couldn't stop reading. I truly can't recommend this book highly enough. Its attributes are many. To name a few, flawless writing, descriptions as if you were there, intriguing dialogue, period perfection, a perfectly structured story with clear lines and directions, yet not so much so that you don't have surprises. Also it succeeds amazingly in capturing your interest and those of the characters. I felt very invested in their stories. This book touches emotional nerves and exposes the best and worst of human nature in a true depiction of that world at that time. This book also ignited my interest on several aspects which led my to further non fiction reading. What a compliment. The author did his job wonderfully with research and of course tying it together for the reader. I will never see the movie as there is no way it could capture or come close to the scene presented to us in this book. Some works can never be improved upon and I feel this surely falls into this category. Reading this book is a must. I've read it too many times to count and each is as enriching as the previous trips. I can't imagine too many people won't fall in love with this book. SHORT NON SPOILER PLOT SUMMARY: The story of a girl's life in 1920ish Japan as she is sold from her family into a geisha district. The story spans at least 45 years but centers on her evolution as well as historical and political events going on around her which impact her life's journey. You can probably find a better summary but I don't want to give anything else away as it is part of the allure of the story.

I forgot I repurchased this book I have so many copies lol lovely read none the less just don’t know why I have so many or when I ordered this one

This book contains a story that can be split into three parts. The first part is the story of young Chiyo, who is sold with her sister when their mother is too ill to care for them. Coming from a small fishing village, they are sent to Kyoto. Whereas Chiyo is seen with potential and educated as geisha, her sister is directly sold into prostitution. This part was really touching for me and made me think about the situation in my home country, where around the same time, children might also, if not sold, then at least be send to farmers, who had not enough children of their own to help them on their farms. Often, these children would be treated much worse than their own children. Both my grandfathers had to endure such a fate and one of them consequently never ate cheese, as this was all he was given to eat while there. The second part is then Chiyo’s education to be become a geisha. In order to do so, she has to get around Hashumomo, the senior geisha in her okiya. This has to be done with cunning and the way how Mameha can plot around the “evil stepsister” Hashumomo is like a heist story. This part is written humorously, but here, I could also understand why Japanese people will feel insulted by this book. On the one hand, the book says that geisha are no prostitutes, but then it goes on saying that the highest goal a geisha can achieve is a danna. The third part is then a cheesy love story, until Sayuri can finally be together with the man of her dreams. The conclusion of the story was so constructed that it made me happy when it was finally over. Nevertheless, this is an interesting read that I could finish within a week.

I had to re-read this book after watching the movie on Netflix. Obviously the books is always better :) I love the author’s use of similar and metaphor to me almost represent the beauty of the way that make me think of an elaborate kimono or a beautiful work of art. The story is a coming of age tale with characters that are certainly memorable, as well as the ones that break your heart.

Some find this story a bit controversial and misleading. I wouldn't take it as historic fact but this is a beautiful, captivating and vivid read. I didn't want to put the book down!

This is the second time I read this (last time was about 10 years ago) and I still loved it! Such a great story with fabulous characters, true to life, epic, a must read!! This consumed me in a good way.

Loved it

Comprei uma edição usada, e amei o produto. Adoro livros antigos, amarelados. Valeu muito a pena, tanto por isso quanto pelo conteúdo do livro, que é uma história incrível. A entrega foi rápida e o livro veio muito bem embalado.

If you had seen the movie and thought that it was an excellent movie then you might as well read the book because the book is exceptionally phenomenal.It is so much more than the movie. When you read the book you can feel Sayuri's pain and the loss she had to bear to walk the path of a geisha. And to think that this was written by a male author is another story . I fail to understand how a person especially that of a Arthur being a man could bring so much emotion and life into Sayuri that for a moment I thought he was Sayuri herself. He is exceptionally talented to be able to write such a work of art. 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is narrated by a geisha named Sayuri and the book is about the struggles, pain and the tragedy she had to go through physically, emotionally and mentally to become one of the most famous geisha of Gion overcoming all the misfortunes that came across her path. The story revolves around a certain 'Chairman' who had shown her kindness when she was a little girl crying by the bridge on a pleasant afternoon. The day he showed her kindness was the day she had a complete turn in life . She had a purpose to live. She felt that the only way she could reach the Chairman was by being a Geisha and from then on she was determined to become a Geisha who was worthy to be in his presence . I definitely don't want to spoil the book so grab a copy and read the book. Though you have watched the movie you will discover many new things that were important which were excluded from the movie as it is hard to include every element included in a 428 pages book in a 2 houur movie.