Memòries d'una geisha (1997)

The concept of Memoirs of a Geisha is brilliant. One of Japan's most celebrated geisha decides to tell her life story from the beginning. Even as a very young child Chiyo Sakamoto was smart. She knew her mother was dying of cancer and her father was too elderly to support her future. A chance encounter with Mr. Tanaka Ichiro put Chiyo and her older sister on a much different trajectory than if they had stayed in their poor seaside village. At nine years old because of her startling gray-blue eyes, Chiyo is sold into a geisha house. There she is forced to live like a 18th century scullery maid, catering to the glamorous geisha of the house. Another chance encounter, this time with a wealthy businessman nicknamed the Chairman, leads Chiyo to becoming one of the most famous geisha in all of the Gion geisha district. ( )

I've already read Cinderella. The exotic trappings didn't add much of value. ( )

This has been sitting on my TBR for a while now, so long that I can't remember where I got it from, it looks second hand though. I picked it up mainly because it's one of those books that appears on a lot of lists but I have to say that it's not the kind of thing I would normally read. With this in mind I decided to give a shot and see if it moved me in any way.

The way the story started was ok but because of the title I knew where it was headed. I guess the title is very fitting but it does point the way that the plot is going in the early stages. Fortunately this period of the story doesn't last very long and it struck me quite quickly that the writing style is nice and relaxed. This makes the books very easy to read and I found that I could read in long stints or dip in and out without having a detrimental effect.

There are quite a few characters but at no point did I feel I was unsure as to who was talking or the subject of discussion. After a while the main characters had formed a very strong mental image in my head and this is testament to the writing. After finishing the book I read a few reviews in which people complained that the book only really skims the surface of the Geisha culture in early Japan. I felt that Golden fed me as much information as I wanted without it feeling out of place. I'm sure that he could have gone into more detail but that would have taken away from the story. Maintaining the pace of the plot is very important in this kind of story and I feel that he got this just right.

While I was enjoying the book I didn't think that it had grabbed me emotionally. That was until I got to the big life changing things that happen to Sayuri. At this point I realised that I felt nervous when she felt nervous and I wanted to know what was round the corner. I found the ending was heading where I suspected it was but the way it was reached made me doubt that it was going to happen a few times. The situation that Sayuri found herself in with Nobu was a fantastic part of the story and the thoughts that she wrestled with got me thinking on more than one occasion.

This is a fantastic book made even more sweet given that I didn't expect to like it that much. I have already given my copy away so that other people get a chance to enjoy the story. If you haven't read it yet then don't delay. ( )

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. ( )