Rating:8/10Readers 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. 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 rumor spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."
summary by Goodreads.com
Having a personal interest in Japanese culture I found this book a fascinating insight into the world of the geisha, the author is clearly very familiar with the subject, providing as close to an accurate novel as fiction gets, this only serves to better bring Sayuri and Gion to life. The exotic characters are inspirational and the plot succeeds in keeping the interests of the reader completely. I would recommend to those who are interested in japanese culture and/or geisha.
Good Points:
- Intriguing exotic characters and environment
- Insight into a "now vanished world"
Bad Points:
- The romantic love story woven into the novel is unfulfilling
- Not universally appealing
Buy/Borrow/Avoid:
Borrow - Its a good book in my opinion but not for everyone
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