A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel tells with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan’s most celebrated geisha.Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story … immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men’s solicitude and the money that goes with it.
In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl’s virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.
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How can a man write as a one of the most feminine of women? I have probably read or listened to this book a dozen times over the years. It is a story both beautiful in it language and imagery, but it sad and terrible at the horrors the war caused her.
The first time I listened to it I wondered about the naration, but then I realized the narator was speaking with the same inflections as my co-workers from Japan. Suddenly it was real. When a friend was going back to Tokyo to visit her family I gave her the book in paperback for the plane ride. She looked at the title, smiled and told me her aged mother had been a Geisha in Kyoto just after WWII. We have talked many times since about the book and how a man could possibly write about something so very female as the life of a Geisha and get so much of it right!
Memoirs of a Geisha is approaching its 20-year anniversary this year… and I just picked it up on a recommendation from my aunt. I’m so disappointed in myself for not reading it sooner!
The story follows a young girl plucked from her rural home and transported to Kyoto to become a geisha. It spans several decades, giving us the privilege of watching the protagonist grow over time. I’m not sure how accurately Golden portrays geisha culture, but it certainly made me want to read more perspectives on it!
I read this for the second time after I moved to Alaska on my grand adventure so I associate it with blizzards.
It’s an astounding story that is told so well you find yourself falling through the page into the life of a young girl sold to a geisha house in the 1920s. It spans years of upheaval and change and truly brings that world to life.
My favorite books are those that mix fiction and history in such a way that I can “see” the characters as real people. This book does that better than most.
This was a fascinating historical fiction novel that looks at a girl named Chiyo who works as a Geisha in Japan before and after WWII. The author interviewed an anonymous retired geisha in order to give a raw look on what life was like for women who worked in that position. The information he received was able to make him weave together a fascinating story of hardship, betrayal, survival and love.
One of my all time favorite books, which I’ve now officially read three times. I love being transported to another world and learning a great deal about a culture and honorable profession that is rarely talked about.
Sure this book has romance and heartache, but that’s all secondary to the most incredible thing about it: the details. The way Arthur Golden describes the life of a Geisha – from their schooling to the ritual of their kimono and makeup – is stunning. This book is a great glimpse into the rich and often harsh life of a geisha – a lifestyle that now exists mostly only in history books.
This is a book that lingered in my head long after I finished reading.
As Satsu grows and experiences Japan in the early 1900’s, I did too. I held my breath with her as each new horror and beauty taught her something about the society she was in and her place within it. Satsu doesn’t change the world around her but she does survive it and finds a small piece of something for herself.
I really enjoyed the setting and world, they were so vivid and consuming. The cast of characters often made me cringe at their brutality but I couldn’t look away. Great read.
A must read. You feel so connected to the characters. LOVED it!
One of my all-time favorites.
One of my all time favorites books
I know this is essentially a romance but it was really so well written I just had to read it. It is incredibly moving and really pulls at the heart strings.
I must admit I was really annoyed with the very last disclosure at the end of the book – spoilt what was a sensational and totally believable story.
One of my all-time favorite books. If you’ve never read it, pick it up.
My favorite book of all time. The Japanese culture comes alive in this book, so captivating! I learn something new everytime I re-read this book. It is a treasure on my bookshelf. The cover is very beautiful as well.
This is an extraordinary story of tenacity, resilience and human interaction. Full of Japanese tradition and insight into the world of the Geisha. A wonderful story with love, hate, and poignant romance. An incredible story.
Written beautifully – every time I am in Kyoto I look for her characters on the streets of Gion. I love this book.
I read this with Taylor as a sister/buddy read and we watched the movie together which was really fun. I found it entertaining and interesting but also sad. It started out slow and there were definitely slow moments throughout but overall a good read. I was confused with the author’s note at the end referencing someone other than Sayuri because of the ‘translator’s note’ at the beginning. After looking it up though, I can’t give it more than one star. It looks like the author did interview a former geisha and not only named her in the back of the book when she wanted to be kept anonymous but twisted her stories/made up things to make the book more entertaining, like the bit with Sayuri’s virginity being put up for auction. It does say the author studied Japanese art, earned an M.A. in Japanese history and worked in Tokyo, but it just doesn’t sit right with me that a white guy from Tennessee wrote about the struggles of a geisha.
One of the best all time writtn books ever. Beyond excellent.
Great Reading. Clarifies preconceived ideas about geishas. Recommend It.
A favorite all time read – exceptional
A sweeping literary masterpiece. The characters and scenes are forever imprinted on your mind. Mr. Golden immerses the reader in another time, place, and culture as we follow the tragic life of young Sayuri, a Japanese geisha.