Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35034 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, Golden trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired Golden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumour spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Golden's web is finely woven, but his book has a serious flaw: the geisha's true romance rings hollow--the love of her life is a symbol, not a character. Her villainous geisha nemesis is sharply drawn, but she would be more so if we got a deeper peek into the cause of her motiveless malignity--the plight all geisha share. Still, Golden has won the triple crown of fiction: he has created a plausible female protagonist in a vivid, now-vanished world and he gloriously captures Japanese culture by expressing his thoughts in authentic Eastern metaphors.

Amazon.co.uk Review
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, Golden trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired Golden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumour spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Golden's web is finely woven, but his book has a serious flaw: the geisha's true romance rings hollow--the love of her life is a symbol, not a character. Her villainous geisha nemesis is sharply drawn, but she would be more so if we got a deeper peek into the cause of her motiveless malignity--the plight all geisha share. Still, Golden has won the triple crown of fiction: he has created a plausible female protagonist in a vivid, now-vanished world and he gloriously captures Japanese culture by expressing his thoughts in authentic Eastern metaphors.

Synopsis
Summoning up more than 20 years of Japan's most dramatic history, the geisha's story uncovers a hidden world of eroticism and enchantment, exploitation and degradation. It moves from a small fishing village in 1929 to the glamorous and decadent Kyoto of the 30s and on to postwar New York.

Customer Reviews

Magical
I loved Arthur Golden's novel `Memoirs of a Geisha'; I found it surprising that an American male was the author, this a testimony to his talent as a writer. When reading the novel, I truly believed that he was translating the life story of a real Geisha based on interviews. The time and the location of the book is beautifully described, making the book almost `magical'.

The story captures the life of Chiyo/ Sayuri, a grey-eyed Japanese girl, who along with her sister, is sold by her family as a result of poverty. Upon arrival at a Geisha house, the sisters are separated and Chiyo succumbs to her new role as a servant for the dominating Mother.

Hatsumomo the Geisha of the house, develops a dislike for Chiyo and begins to make life difficult for her. Soon Chiyo starts attending Geisha school. Later circumstances will end in her punishment, as a result she will be banned from attending the school.

One day, while attending to some errands, she meets the Chairman who extends her a kindness that she will never forget. When Chiyo grows up, Mameha, a leading Geisha, trains Chiyo can become the most desired Geisha.

The opposite of a 'feel good' book
While it was a good book and I enjoyed it, there was just too much pain and suffering in it. The poor wee soul had it rough and the book just brought me down.

I (think) it's meant to be a happy ending but overall it just left me very sad. Every page I turned I thought "hopefully THIS will be the break she deserves"....but sadly it was usually just more unfairness and sadness.

It's packed with cultural reference which is interesting and if even half of the practices are ture..........they were rough times indeed.

The author takes you by the hand and leads you on a breathtaking journey
I read this on the recommendation of a friend, and have now myself recommended it to others. I mistakenly believed this book would be hard to follow given that I knew next to nothing about geishas and their lifestyles. However, the book is written in such a way that everything is explained to you in a non-patronising way and doesn't detract from the action. Memoirs of a Geisha is a truly remarkable book, and I'll definitely be watching the film at some point in the future off the back of my enjoyment of this novel.

Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of a young Japanese girl, who, as her mother is desperately ill and her father elderly is taken away and sold into Gion, a geisha district in Japan. To begin she is fearful and distraught at being removed from her family. However, she is a very intelligent and resourceful girl and realises the consequences could have been much worse, had she not been brought to Gion. She has been earmarked to be trained as a geisha, much to the disgust of the fully-fledged geisha living in their 'okiya,' Hatsumomo. She knows that young Chiyo, later Sayuri, is a threat to her and does everything she can to try and ruin the young girl's chances. However, with the help of another well-known geisha and some external influences, Sayuri eventually becomes a geisha and is incredibly popular. This does not stop Hatsumomo's hate campaign though, and the battle goes on for a long time until the evil Hatsumomo is forced to admit defeat.

The novel gives us the opportunity to watch Sayuri grow from a child into a beautiful young woman, and take in all the sights and sounds she is experiencing along the way - giving a fascinating glimpse into the world of the geisha. We see Sayuri use her beauty and wit to her advantage, and she manipulates the path of her destiny to lead her to a man she has always desired. It is difficult to say whether it is love Sayuri feels for the Chairman, but I don't think this is through any fault of the author. I simply feel he was being accurate in not describing it as love because geisha are trained and expected to belong to the highest bidder, as opposed to falling in love and choosing who they spend their time with. It doesn't make the character appear one-dimensional, as she experiences so many other thoughts and feelings throughout her life that we are desperate to see her happy and settled at some point in her life. You'll definitely find yourself rooting for the little girl from the fishing village as she in thrown into a hard and hectic life where she is paid to entertain, and her virginity is sold to the highest bidder.

Although this book is fictional, it describes so well the customs and cultures of Japan and geisha, and the scandals, that you feel as though you're reading a fascinating autobiography. I felt as though I was learning about the culture and habits as well as taking in a beautiful story. I heartily recommend this - despite the number of characters and complexity of their names and place names, you won't get lost. The author takes you by the hand and leads you on a fascinating journey, one that you will be reluctant to bring to an end. Excellent.