Memoirs of a Geisha in Crazy Challenge Connection

Dec 30, 2020 Bucket rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-read-all-editions, history, literary, culture, life-and-death, reviewed, women, fate-chance, class

This is a hard one to rate. It's a well-written novel - interesting plot that pulls you along, great characters with clear motives (even though we disagree with most of them), it has a lot of depth as far as the details of the setting, clothing, lifestyle, etc.

But I felt a little icky the whole time I was reading it. It certainly fetishizes the history and circumstances of geishas. The MANY abuses Chiyu/Sayuri and the other women in this novel face are there but glossed over. The novel provides ...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Tien rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, historical-fiction, literature, favorites

Loved it, loved it, loved it! I was dragging my heels from reading this one due to all the hype about it and I finally picked it up for a challenge and I regretted that it's taken me so long to actually read it.

What a wonderful world Arthur Golden has created for his readers. I really liked in that he chose to write it in a memoir kind of perspective and that he's set it up in the beginning with the memoirist (if that's a word?) stating that he could still hear her voice telling him her story be ...more

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Mar 14, 2009 Marisa added it · review of another edition

This was an amazing story. I learned a lot of things about geisha that I didnt realise. I always thought that they were stage performers and that was it. I didnt realise how much more they did and went through. I also learned lot about the Japanese culture that I didnt know. The characters (while not always likeable) were real and believable.

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Jan 24, 2009 Brandi Moore-Declue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this book years and years ago while I was working at a book store. I thought the writing was unlike anything else I had read so far, it was stunning, as was the story. This is a book that everyone should read at some point in their lives.

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