Memoirs of a Geisha (1997)

Historical fiction about the life of a geisha in Japan starting with her childhood and moving through her training and the turns her life takes through WWII and beyond. I enjoyed the story quite a bit up until the end, when I became annoyed at the main character's life choices and the path the love story took. I felt the novel would have been more interesting and would have ended on a much stronger note had Sayuri shown more actual character growth (or maybe she did grow and just in a way I didn't want her to?). Also, I'm slightly uneasy with the fact that the author is a white American male. The writing is good and the story is fairly interesting, but just because he can doesn't really mean he should. I now feel like I should seek out authentic geisha stories by #ownvoices authors. ( )

It's been many years since I read this book, but lately I've just been craving a re-read since I unpacked it along with the rest of my long-since boxed up collection. I'm so glad that I caved rather than insisting on reading more new material because this novel was a total palette cleanser - and I needed one. The last time that I read this book I remember being a bit disappointed that it didn't match the film, but honestly I don't see the problem anymore. I think that the narration threw me off a bit previously, since the story in the film is presented with a bit of distance between the reader and Sayuri, but this time around I felt like it actually drew me into the story more to see things from Sayuri's personal perspective. Golden could easily have told this story from a variety of perspectives, but having Sayuri narrate her own story made me feel like we were hearing the story while seated at an intimate teahouse engagement. Obviously this mode of storytelling (and its subsequent intimiacy with the audience) is meant to mirror the relationship between geisha and their clients - we are there to be entertained and made to feel welcome, but we must not forget that what we receive is not necesarily the truth between two true companions. Sayuri's story is told to us with many startling secrets (some of which I am sure would never be divulged by a true geisha), which breaks the reality of the story somewhat, but is the result of the author's artistic license. All that formatting stuff aside, this is definitely one of my favourite historical fiction novels. Golden may have taken some liberties with the facts of geisha culture, but the narrative he has written touches on many themes that ring true for humanity as a whole and for that specific period in time, and are sure to spark reader's interest in discovering more about Japan. It's been even more years since I seriously studied Japanese culture or language, but it is compelling stories like these which pique my interest in expanding my knowledge. ( )

Loved it! ( )

Fantastic. So real ( )

Listened to audio narrated by well Bernadette Dunne. She helped transport me to another country, in another time.

Nitta Sayuri is unique with her blue-gray eyes. At nine years old she is sold into slavery into a renowned geisha house. This story is about her life and transformation from poor child, to slave, to renowned Geisha, to surviving the war. First she's driven to escape, then to survive. Her life and her choices aren't always pretty but it made for an engaging story.

The mysterious world of the Geisha, the beauty and the ugly and everything in between was fascinating to listen to as Bernadette Dunne's wonderful narration helped transport me into this fictional world of Geisha.

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