Thursday 24 March 2011

First ever guest review courtesy of Charlene: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha
No doubt you will have heard much about this novel (and the movie that followed). I thought it was absolutely breathtaking and it completely absorbed me into the story of 'Chiyo' and her consequent years as the geisha 'Sayuri'.

The story is narrated by Sayuri as she recounts how she was sold to an 'okiya' (or Geisha House) in Kyoto where she grew up to be a famed geisha. There are lots of layers to the story though as Sayuri yearns to see her sister again and fit into life as a geisha, as well as win the affections of the Chairman.

This story is sad and uplifting in equal measures and it really does emphasise that a person may go through difficult times and can sometimes lose hope, but ultimately, happiness is achievable.
Whilst not an archetypal love story, I found the romance between Sayuri and the Chairman compelling and beautifully written.

I don't know much about how accurate or true-to-life the novel is, but it is a fantastic read and I couldn't put it down! And although it is a few years old now, it really stands out as one of my favourite books.

8 comments:

  1. Oh I thought it was a fantastic book! I also felt the movie was well done :) Totally agree with everything you said!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,

    I found you through the Hop and now I'm following, too (yay, I think I'm the first!). I really enjoyed reading your review of Memoirs of a Geisha - I loved this book :)

    Take care, happy reading, & welcome to the blog world,
    Ms. C
    http://www.coffeetalereviews.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have read and loved this book too. There's something about Chiyo, seeing what she wanted-in the form of a man that was older than her by an extremely large margin- and making it her goal to get him,even though she had no way knowing how and being so young at the time. Being very determined in such a controlled environment and at such a young age is very inspiring.

    I did find though that, the movie made their age difference a lot more obvious than I felt when reading the book. Especially when they first met-she was so obviously a child and he was so obviously a grown man and he treated her as a child. But all through the story, I thought there remained appropriate interactionsbetween the.

    It felt like a very gently written story.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PS. Ms. C,

    Thanks for the comment-and the follow! Yay! You are indeed my first :),but this review is my first guest review and came courtesy of my friend,Charlene.

    It's a great review of a great book so woop to her!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really liked this book.

    GREAT COMMENTS.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I adored this novel. It's still one of my favorites today.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and introducing yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Chi! Thanks for the visit and the follow! I'm now following you! I'll also be sending in a guest review, most likely about the first book in The Twilight Saga. Having guest reviews is a wonderful idea, by the way! : )

    ReplyDelete
  8. by the way, I haven't read this novel yet, but it is in my TBR pile. Nice review!

    Maria @http://twilightandotherdreams.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete