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From Amazon.co.uk
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, Golden trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired Golden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumour spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Golden's web is finely woven, but his book has a serious flaw: the geisha's true romance rings hollow--the love of her life is a symbol, not a character. Her villainous geisha nemesis is sharply drawn, but she would be more so if we got a deeper peek into the cause of her motiveless malignity--the plight all geisha share. Still, Golden has won the triple crown of fiction: he has created a plausible female protagonist in a vivid, now-vanished world and he gloriously captures Japanese culture by expressing his thoughts in authentic Eastern metaphors.

Amazon.co.uk Review
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, Golden trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired Golden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumour spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Golden's web is finely woven, but his book has a serious flaw: the geisha's true romance rings hollow--the love of her life is a symbol, not a character. Her villainous geisha nemesis is sharply drawn, but she would be more so if we got a deeper peek into the cause of her motiveless malignity--the plight all geisha share. Still, Golden has won the triple crown of fiction: he has created a plausible female protagonist in a vivid, now-vanished world and he gloriously captures Japanese culture by expressing his thoughts in authentic Eastern metaphors.

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239 Reviews 5 star:  (181) 4 star:  (38) 3 star:  (12) 2 star:  (6) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review (239 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: Breathtakingly beautiful, 3 Sep 2003 By  Boof (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews       I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is one of those few books so mesmorising that you truly live through everything the characters do. I was so emmersed in sayuri's life for the few days that it took me to read it that I actually feel as though I've lost a friend now I've finnished. The story is of a nine year old girl from a village in Japan who is taken away from her parents and sent to Kyoto to train to become a geisha. I actually felt I was living through the fear and the sorrow with her in those early days and found myself willing her on to become a top geisha. I still find myself thinking about not only Sayuri but also Mameha, the Chairman, Nobu and even Hatsumomo and wondering what became of them. If you read nothing else this year, read this. It is so worth it. Fantastic, exquisit, just wonderful.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: Gentle, beautiful..., 20 Jul 2005 By A Customer 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is a beautifully mesmerising read. It has been a while since I have found myself so immersed in a novel; so drawn to one single character. 'Memoirs' succeeds where other novels have failed in that the central character's complex life is retold with such simplicity and grace. This novel explores the Geisha tradition, and Japanese history to a point, with such love and admiration, it is hard not to appreciate it. I purchased this book a few years ago from a second hand book shop and until now, it had sat patiently on the shelf. Once I began this book I felt guilty I had not picked it up before. The gentle narrative of Sayuri/Chiyo is such that one almost imagines her sat alongside, softly telling her tale. I felt slightly dissatisfied with the ending, I wanted more, much more. It felt slightly rushed, or I was being selfish... I cannot highlight one particular element of the story or style which makes this novel such a gorgeous read - perhaps the author's sheer devotion to his novel? I think so. His connection to this book can be felt in every line and results in a novel as delicately fashioned as the elegant Kimono.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: An amazing, beautiful novel., 10 Mar 2003 By  "ally_carvill" - See all my reviews I was recommended this book by a friend who told me that it was hard to get into but brilliant afterwards. After reading it I wondered if she had read it properly! I didnt find it hard to get into at all. Infact, the first night I started reading it, I couldnt put it down and read untill about midnight. This was the same story for every night I read it- It was stunning. This book is not predictable at all. The girl who's perspective it is written from, Chiyo, has an unpredictable life that changes course many times throughout the book, and gives you many shocks! It's a very emotional book that made me cry more than once. Something that suprised me was that it was written by a man, as it is a very feminine book, which just proves the authors talent and sensitivity! This is an amazing, intriguing book that you will not be able to put down, definitely worth reading!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 239 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews