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Book Review of Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
Author: Arthur Golden
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
kayprime avatar reviewed on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I've read reviews that say anyone who is familiar with the Japanese will find this book to be an oversimplification and exaggeration of Geisha culture. I feel sorry for those people.

This novel has voice from the very beginning. I was want to believe that this was an actual recounting of a woman's life. Golden paints a breathtaking and delicate portrait with his geisha. The language and imagery are beautiful, the story is touching. There was not one page that I was not engrossed by Sayuri's life, her struggle, her tradition.

The reason I picked up the book was because I was so enticed by the movie. However, the book provides subtlety and detail that cannot be translated onto the screen. (Though, both are amazing pieces of work in their own right.)

Bravo, Golden.