|
|
|
|
|
|
In 1929, a poor fisherman sells his nine-year-old daughter to an elite geisha house in Kyoto. So begins the remarkable first-person account of how the lovely child, Chiyo, became the accomplished and much sought-after geisha Sayuri, with the help of a kindly mentor and despite the malice of a rival; and of how Sayuri struggled to balance professional success as a courtesan with the demands of her heart. Adapted into a 2005 movie starring Zhang Yiyi as the protagonist, this bestselling debut novel opened up a world hitherto unknown to most Westerners and sparked new interest in Japan and its culture.
|
|
|
"A scholar of Japanese art and history, Golden is intimate with his material, and it shows in his reconstruction of Gion in the 1930s and '40s....Sayuri's voice never falters--it is, to the end, utterly consistent. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is a breathtaking performance twice over, once by its bewitching central figure, and once by the masterful puppeteer who has given her life." - Diane F. Gillespie (Washington Post Book World, 9/21/97)
"Arthur Golden's MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is as exotic as a moonscape and as accessible and old-shoe comfortable as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. The ritual culture of the geisha seems utterly alien, as remote from contemporary experience as foot-binding or arranged marriages, yet Golden pegs his first novel to such a recognizable set of dilemmas that its initially foreign landscape is made utterly familiar....Golden's storytelling is rich and slow-paced. Like Austen, he lavishes attention on the minute details that regulate and define social distinctions. In the raising of a teacup or an eyebrow there are - Diane F. Gillespie (Salon, 10/29/00)
"MEMOIRS tells a captivating second story between the exquisitely crafted lines of the central tale. Themes of survival and ambition, of exploitation and renewal filter through this parallel narrative into the reader's consciousness....If Golden had 'only' told Sayuri's life story, [it] would have been a beautifully detailed but time-locked novel. By creating a subtext with larger themes..., Golden endows the book with powerful resonance for any time or culture." - Diane F. Gillespie (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, 9/28/00)
"There is a particular pleasure to be found in reading a novel that is sui generis and yet is imbued with subtle shadings of its literary predecessors: this is a high-wire act....Rarely has a world so closed and foreign been evoked with such natural assurance....If Golden had done no more than elucidate these details in fine prose, 'Memoirs of a Geisha' would still be of enormous interest....But in the unforgettable Sayuri...Golden has found the heart and matter of a truth that lies beyond detail." - Theodore Low De Vinne (New Yorker, 10/19/97)
"'Write what you know': in MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, the first-time novelist Arthur Golden not only defies that old piece of creative-writing class advice, but does so with impunity and panache as well. The outcome: a remarkable piece of sleight of hand, a novel disguised as a memoir, told in the voice of a geisha who grew up in pre-World War II Japan....In recounting her story, 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." - John R. Oneal (New York Times, 10/14/97)
|
|
|
| users who liked this item also liked these items...
|
|
|
- Average review for this item:
-
-
-
"I originally read this as an assignment for my sociology class in college. It has remained one of my favorites because of the main characters courage and desire for the dream she has always wanted."
-
-
"one of the best ever, so enjoyed this book, so much better than the movie, as they usually are"
-
-
"great book."
-
-
"This is definitely a must read. It tells what should be an extremely complex story in a most beautiful and gripping way. The movie follows the book almost detail for detail. Very beautiful story!"
-
-
"It has such powerful insight to a woman's mind and her struggles that it's shocking to remind oneself that it was written by a man. Surely a great test of an author's writing skills--one that Golden has aced."
1-5 of 121 | 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| popular books in the same categories |
|
|
|
|
|
 top types of characters books |
|
|
|
|
|
| top human qualities & behavior books |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For personal
use only. All rights reserved. (click for more)
books
music
movies
games
have it
rating saved!
