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Loading... Memoirs of a Geisha (original 1997; edition 2006)by Arthur Golden (Author)
Work InformationMemoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (1997)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. An excellent, compelling read. ( ) The most fascinating thing about this book was easily the level of historical detail it incorporated. The story and characters didn't always captivate me, but somehow I had trouble putting it down and not reading one more paragraph (which without fail became two more chapters). The language and metaphors were beautiful and only added to the presence of the time and place. The ending took me by surprise; I could hardly finish the last couple chapters because I just knew it was going to end horribly. I still haven't decided whether it fit or not. The stream-reaching-ocean metaphor is somehow not very Western, where I think we don't (reflexively, at least) believe in fate. This is a book to be revisited in the future. There is more depth here than can be taken in with just one reading. A fictional memoir of a girl growing into womanhood like Jane Eyre, but in an eastern culture and different time period. The only drawback I had, was at times I think the language reflected a more modern American instead of an historically accurate portrayal of a geisha during the 1930s of Japan. I understand why this book is on the top 100 for Great American Read. The easy-to-read way that this book was written had me absolutely convinced that the story was true. It wasn't until finishing it this morning and reading the author's notes that I realized it was just a wonderfully written piece of pure fiction! (Feeling a little disappointed now!) It's been a really long time since I have enjoyed a book so much.
Golden fills the book with vivid images and subtle descriptions of the nuances of Japanese culture, and is absolutely brilliant in his description of the customs and rituals of the geisha. Through the meticulous detail the reader can fully understand the politics, rivalries, and traditions of the Japan geisha society. Mr. Golden gives us not only a richly sympathetic portrait of a woman, but also a finely observed picture of an anomalous and largely vanished world. He has made an impressive and unusual debut. Haarhuis's foreword and Golden's epilogue, the one appropriating the guise of a novel and the other taking it off, suggest an author who is of two minds when it comes to his work. It is not surprising, then, if his readers share this uncertainty. The decision to write an autobiographically styled novel rather than a nonfiction portrait is most obviously justified in terms of empathy, of allowing greater freedom to explore the geisha's inner life. Unfortunately, Sayuri's personality seems so familiar it is almost generic; she is not so much an individual as a faultless arrangement of feminine virtues. Has the adaptationHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
A fisherman's daughter in 1930s Japan rises to become a famous geisha. After training, Sayuri's virginity is sold to the highest bidder, then the school finds her a general for a patron. When he dies, she is reunited with the only man she loved. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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