Memoirs of a Geisha in Around the World in 80 Books

Nov 22, 2008 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, xx-2010-xx

Admittedly, at one point early on, I almost gave up on this book. You should probably avoid sharp objects at the beginning, lest you impale yourself on one of them. Stay with it. This book is tremendous.

Why? Because it has everything you want in a work of literature:

1. Living characters - I've read books with great characterization. The kind that make you stop and admire the writing and say to yourself, "Wow, these characters are so real! How did the author manage to do this so succinctly and so Admittedly, at one point early on, I almost gave up on this book. You should probably avoid sharp objects at the beginning, lest you impale yourself on one of them. Stay with it. This book is tremendous.

Why? Because it has everything you want in a work of literature:

1. Living characters - I've read books with great characterization. The kind that make you stop and admire the writing and say to yourself, "Wow, these characters are so real! How did the author manage to do this so succinctly and so well?" This book was different. This book actually made me say "Ah, that sounds like Auntie." These characters were so alive, and so well-drawn, that I fell into their world completely. A world by the way (Kyoto, Japan) that is completely unfamiliar.

2. Gorgeous writing - As a rule, I don't buy fiction, but I'm going to buy this book. I really just want to be able to hold on to the phrasing, the imagery, the many, many quotable passages. If I'd have stopped to write them all down in a journal, it would have taken me a month to read it. Here's one, just to give you a flavor: His face was very heavily creased, and into each crease he had tucked some worry or other, so that it wasn't really his own face any longer, but more like a tree that had nests of birds in all the branches. And that's just page nine.

3. A rip-roaring plot - This is no action-packed thriller, and that's where the mastery is here. This is a story that pulls you in so thoroughly and so instantly that you don't even realize it. You never really realize it, actually. You're too busy turning the pages. There's no disconnect, not even a breath, or a crack, between the reader and the story. You are there, you care about the protagonist from page one, and if you have to put this book down, the audiobook better be handy. I've read very few novels that I could hardly bear to put down. This is one. I listened in the shower, in bed at night, cooking, sewing, I even attempted to work while listening - um...don't try it.

I thought this book would be tawdry, considering the subject matter. It was as gentle and honorable as its main character. I thought it would be hard to follow, because the time and place are so different from my own. It was like slipping into a warm bath. This book was everything I expected, and everything I did not expect, all at once.

You owe it to yourself to read this book. ...more

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