Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden : A Book Review
“Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.”
Author
Arthur Golden
Publisher
Vintage
Genre
Japanese Literature/ Historical Fiction/ Romance
Number of Pages
428
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Summary
Sayuri Nitta tells the story of her life, working as a Geisha in Kyoto, Japan. It was a very old tradition in Japan to have mistresses that entertain but forever remain loyal to their Danna – master. Appearance of a girl was paramount here. Parents who couldn’t afford to keep their girls, sold them to become Geisha.
My review
It is a brave and epic saga, told with so much humility and courage, that you will quickly find yourself fascinated by the characters. The storytelling will transport you to the tipsy house in Yoraido and the luxuries tea houses in Gion. Without actually seeing or touching a kimono, you will be mesmerized by its beauty and elegance.
A lot of exciting elements make the story a compelling read. The fierce competition between the geisha women, the desperation of the men to have what has been held out to them, Sayuri’s romantic determination, Mameha’s kindness, Mother’s manipulative moves all were very essential and made the story exciting and page-turning.
The Geisha of Japan reminded me of a similar age-old system in India, the Devadasi system. But the Geisha is a fast-vanishing world, yet their struggle, hard work, and humility stand out like a lotus in a muddy pond.
I loved reading about this little glimpse into Japan’s history and culture.
Arthur Golden
Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer in Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.
- Top Quotes from Memoirs of a Geisha -
“At the temple there is a poem called "Loss" carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss, only feel it.”
“This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely.”
“Grief is a most peculiar thing; we’re so helpless in the face of it. It’s like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it opens a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it.”
“The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.”
“He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.”
“I dont think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.”
“I had to wonder if men were so blinded by beauty that they would feel privileged to live their lives with an actual demon, so long as it was a beautiful demon.”
“I don't know when we'll see each other again or what the world will be like when we do. We may both have seen many horrible things. But I will think of you every time I need to be reminded that there is beauty and goodness in the world.”
“We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.”
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