Memoirs of a Geisha Book Review
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
By Arthur Golden.
434 pp. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf.
September 27, 1997
In Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, the reader follows the life of Choiy, a young girl who is taken from her family at the age of 9 to the Geisha district in Gion, Japan. Because of her blue eyes Choiy is immediately sold to an okiya (Geisha house) to learn the ways of the Geishas. At first, Choiy is tempted to runaway and find her family, but soon she accepts her new life in the okiya. Over time with hard work and immense training Choiy adopts the name Sayuri and becomes one of Japan’s most famous Geishas. Unfortunately the Geisha district shut down during WWII and Sayuri continues her life as a normal Japanese woman. The book ends with Sayuri starting over her career as a Geisha and finding independence as well as success through her talents. Overall the book was enjoyable. Everything was written very eloquently and gave a clear portrayal of how the author wanted the protagonist, Choiy, to be seen. She speaks in metaphors and long beautiful sentences, describing everything in an ethereal way. The imagery that Golden incorporates in his writing makes reading every word more and more enthralling. Sometimes the long poetic sentences dragged on a bit and consumed every ounce of description. At these points I sensed a bit of repetition in his writing style but proceeded anyway. With the story of Choiy came a major lesson in Japanese culture. The book pays a lot of reference to the customs and traditions of the Japanese, specifically the Geishas. Having been in Japanese class the last three years of high school, it was fun being able to recognize some of the terms that were included in the book. Through every meticulous detail, Golden provides his audiences with a greater understanding of the way the women live their lives. I initially chose this book because of my fascination with Geishas, I know
By Arthur Golden.
434 pp. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf.
September 27, 1997
In Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, the reader follows the life of Choiy, a young girl who is taken from her family at the age of 9 to the Geisha district in Gion, Japan. Because of her blue eyes Choiy is immediately sold to an okiya (Geisha house) to learn the ways of the Geishas. At first, Choiy is tempted to runaway and find her family, but soon she accepts her new life in the okiya. Over time with hard work and immense training Choiy adopts the name Sayuri and becomes one of Japan’s most famous Geishas. Unfortunately the Geisha district shut down during WWII and Sayuri continues her life as a normal Japanese woman. The book ends with Sayuri starting over her career as a Geisha and finding independence as well as success through her talents. Overall the book was enjoyable. Everything was written very eloquently and gave a clear portrayal of how the author wanted the protagonist, Choiy, to be seen. She speaks in metaphors and long beautiful sentences, describing everything in an ethereal way. The imagery that Golden incorporates in his writing makes reading every word more and more enthralling. Sometimes the long poetic sentences dragged on a bit and consumed every ounce of description. At these points I sensed a bit of repetition in his writing style but proceeded anyway. With the story of Choiy came a major lesson in Japanese culture. The book pays a lot of reference to the customs and traditions of the Japanese, specifically the Geishas. Having been in Japanese class the last three years of high school, it was fun being able to recognize some of the terms that were included in the book. Through every meticulous detail, Golden provides his audiences with a greater understanding of the way the women live their lives. I initially chose this book because of my fascination with Geishas, I know
Citations: Working Woman. http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/05/reviews/971005.05morleyt.html (accessed February 25, 2014) Arthur Golden. http://ifogo.com/1Authors/Arthur Golden/golden.html (accessed March 5, 2014) 2. Kakutani, Michiko. "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; A Woman 's Tale, Imagined by a Man." New York Times, October 7, 1997, http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/14/books/books-of-the-times-a-woman-s-tale-imagined-by-a-man.html (accessed March 5, 2014). "Arthur Golden." Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/614.Arthur_Golden (accessed April 6, 2014). Memoirs of a Geisha. http://www.cnn.com/books/reviews/9805/25/ (accessed March 5, 2014)