Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha is set in Japan from the Great Depression through just after World War II. A young girl named Chiyo moves from her small town in Yoroido to the big city to become a geisha. However, Chiyo misses her family, and an older geisha is determined to destroy her. One day, a man notices Chiyo crying in the streets, inspiring Chiyo to become Sayuri, a remarkable geisha. Will Sayuri have a happy ending?Memoirs of a Geisha is this month’s May Readalong, and I have mixed ...

This book was wonderful. I absolutely love the movie, which I now need to rewatch! In many ways, this was a sad story for me. I’m now really keen to read a biography of a geisha and watch a documentary to really delve into their world. If you're looking for captivating historical fiction, Arthur Golden's *Memoirs of a Geisha* is a must-read. We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course. ...

A timeless portrayal of a resilient woman navigating terrible circumstances. It's not just the protagonist's personal story that's so well-written; it's how Arthur Golden's *Memoirs of a Geisha* reveals Japanese culture and history from a fresh perspective. It challenges the stigmas and prejudices imposed on these women by the very men enforcing conservative, misogynistic policies.The Asian WayThe novel unflinchingly depicts male dominance and how Japanese culture historically structured prostit...

In the small Japanese fishing village of Yoroido, nestled on the coast of the Sea of Japan, a nine-year-old child named Chiyo Sakamoto lives with her aging father, dying mother, and older sister Satsu in a dilapidated home perched precariously on a cliff. The year is 1929, and times are already tough, destined to worsen as the Great Depression looms. The impoverished family desperately needs help, leading to the heartbreaking decision to sell both sisters. Pretty Chiyo, blessed with captivating ...

"Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." Geisha Mineko Iwasaki, the basis for Chiyo/Sayori.Chiyo, along with her sister Satsu, and her mother and father, live in a shack by the sea on the coast of Japan. The shack leans precariously and has to be propped up to keep from total collapse. Her mother is sick and on the verge of death. Her father is a fisherman, uneducated, and generally confused by anyth...

I became fascinated with Japanese culture when I was a teenager, and since then, I've devoured countless books, articles, movies, and anime exploring its depths. But let's be clear: I'm not Japanese. I've never even been to Japan. I'm a foreigner, utterly captivated by this exotic and profoundly different culture.As an outsider, I'm drawn to the beauty and uniqueness of Japanese traditions. However, I'm also aware of the darker aspects of its history, particularly the treatment of women in certa...

So... Memoirs of a Geisha. I'd been wanting to read that one for a very long time. I had heard so many good things about it. It's supposed to be awesome, and deep, and beautiful, right? Wrong. It's not. The writing was what bothered me the most. It's pretentious and superficial, and sloooooww and it goes on and on and on and on and on and still, very little happens. In some sort of weird combination, the writing is both superficial and cliché. It feels like Arthur Golden thought it would be a...

Damn it, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is one of the most problematic things I've ever read. Like much of non-Asian America, I was swept up in the delight of reading this book back in 2000. I was fifteen and precocious, and the narrative was arresting. I couldn't put the book down. I actually wrote this about Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" back then:"Golden has struck gold with this masterpiece. An insightful, curious, and caring look into the mysterious world of geisha, Arthur Golden peels away ...

Memoirs of a Geisha is an American novel, and as such, the Western take on the East, especially concerning the complex and delicate subject of the geisha, is compelling, interesting, but also heavy-handed and ultimately ineffective (even more so in the film adaptation). It's a decent introduction to geisha, Japanese culture, and the East for Western readers who are unfamiliar, and I understand why the book is popular, but personally, I found it disappointing. For readers already familiar with th...

Like savoring a delicate dessert at a high-end restaurant, *Memoirs of a Geisha* is gorgeous, glides effortlessly across the palate, and fades from memory soon after you finish. Arthur Golden's prose is strikingly beautiful, and he paints a vivid picture of a bygone era and faraway place. If you're hoping to delve into the complexities of Japanese culture or encounter deeply developed characters, I'd point you in a different direction. The story only scratches the surface of the more intricate f...