Friday, October 30, 2009

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Thought I’d drop a guest book review in by Karen that she posted on Goodreads, have a great weekend all – and yes Andy I will get back to the weekly blogosphere round-up this weekend:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden


I'm feeling pretty nondiscriminating giving yet another 5 star rating, but I really loved this story, too! I began by listening to this on audiobook during my commute and then switched to hardcover once my commute buddy was back on board. 

This is the story of a young Japanese girl, Chiyo. The story was set during the early 20th Century. Chiyo lived in a poor fishing village and her mother was dying. Her father was old and felt unable to take care of her and her sister so he sold Chiyo and her sister. They were immediately separated, Chiyo, destined to become a geisha because of her beauty, while her sister was sold into prostitution. Upon arrival, the geisha in residence at the okiya began to do everything in her power to ruin Chiyo's chances of a successful life. Fate stepped in via a man who took notice of her and Chiyo ultimately loves for many years. The story unveils the world of Japan and its geishas and teahouses. I found it a beautiful and captivating story. I believe that Memoirs of a Geisha was on the best sellers lists when it was originally published and know that it has since become a movie. I'm looking forward to the movie, but have seen that it isn't rated too highly. I'm hoping that is mainly from people who have not previously read the book. I am really excited to see (hopefully accurate) visuals to add to the story since I am not overly knowledgable about Japanese culture. I'd definitely recommend this book! 

Posted via email from Ross Nunamaker

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