AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Memoirs of a Geisha Uk by Arthur Golden ISBN: 0-09-977151-9 Publisher: Trafalgar Square Pub. Date: 01 January, 1997 Format: Paperback

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 5 (5 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Epic and Evocative
Comment: As a twentysomething Irishman who's only ever lived in the UK, my contact with traditional Japanese culture, society and history is, as you can imagine, scant. However, Golden's classic 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is so beautifully crafted, and so powerfully descriptive, that even my bare knowlege of Japanese history is extended by having read it.

It's the fictional story, cleverly told from an autobiographical point of view, of one of Japan's most famous and enthralling Geisha, a woman of a profession commonly mistaken for prostitution (Golden draws some clever and insightful distinctions between the two, both in general and specifically). Sayuri tells her story from her humble beginnings as Chiyo, the daughter of an impoverished fisherman, through desperation, war and trial, to the final happy ending.

For a man to write so convincingly as a woman is a very rare thing - Nick Hornby's 'How to be Good' is an example of how it can go wrong - but for an American man to write so beautifully and convinvingly as a Japanese woman from a highly secretive society is an unequivocal triumph. We believe, from the first few chapters, that Sayuri is this observant, silent little thing, a lower-class child facing the arduous and enforced task of becoming a Geisha. We are there with her when she is sold into servitude, when she attempts a failed escape, when she eventually becomes a successful geisha - all thanks to Golden's rare gift for combining a strong plot with incredible descriptive prose. You can smell the incense and see the kimono as Sayuri is preparing to go to work. It's a strange, wonderful style of writing - set at a slow pace (after all, this is the story of a life from start to near-finish), Golden neatly sidesteps any sort of flagging pace by creating some hugely memorable characters - Auntie, Mameha, Mother and the destructive Hatsumomo - and giving them fully-realised personalities. The consistency with which Golden creates these women is admirable - after a while we feel we know them. Their reactions and situations seem perfectly reasonable to us, thanks to excellent character construction and atmospheric prose.

An epic, enthralling and sensitive novel, 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is a huge recommendation for anybody fond of novels, epics and truly exceptional examples of fiction.

Rating: 5
Summary: A Truly Enchanting Story
Comment: I have never read a book so quickly in my life, I just couldn't put it down. Arthur Golden has done a magnificent job really capturing the reader. I felt that Sayuri was right beside me telling me all about her life. I felt so many emotions from excitement to anger to happiness and sorrow. Japan is so rich with culture and history and I strongly recommend it if you are a woman who has an interest in Japan and its unique ways. This story takes you away into the streets of Gion, Kyoto in Japan growing up with Sayuri from childhood to the wonders of womanhood. This is an eye opener. I am keen to read more.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rating: 5
Summary: Beautiful story
Comment: When I started to read Memoirs of A Geisha, I had no idea that it would be soo good! I couldn't put the book down...it is also fascinating to find out about the life of a geisha; beautifully written!