-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 19, 1999
Pros: Excellent detail, surprising plot twists
Cons: Certain parts are drawn out, ending slightly too perfect
Summary: Open the pages, and become engrossed as you follow the life of a young girl in a fishing village to the mature world famous retired geisha in New York. I promise you that you won't close this book until you've read everything in between. Arthur Golden ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 18, 1999
Pros: Strongly written
Cons: Could have been a bit longer
Summary: This is a first novel by this author. As soon as I finished this great book I looked to see if he had a new book published. The writing is fresh and informative. The type of book that is hard to put down because you have to see what is going to happen ... read more
-
-
Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 17, 1999
Pros: Excellent imagery, well developed characters
Cons: A bit lengthy in some parts
Summary: Memoirs of a Geisha is a skillfully written account of the life of a poor girl sold by her father who ends up in a geisha house. Although the story is fictional, it is very accurate in its depiction of the lifestyle commonly chosen by Japanese women ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 16, 1999
Pros: Very beautifully written, tastefully done
Cons: The main character is fictional
Summary: Truly mesmerizing, this book is enthralling from beginning to end. Carefully spinning the tale of a world-renowned geisha,it charters her humble beginnings and tastefully records her captivating life span. Arthur Golden does a commendable job of steering ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 15, 1999
Pros: Keeps you interested from beginning to end.
Cons: It is not a biography as originally indicated.
Summary: I am an avid reader and this is certainly the best book I have ever read. I took it on vacation with me, and proceeded to stick around the room and on the beach just devouring each page. It keeps you spellbound from beginning to end.
Since I live ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 15, 1999
Pros: Fascinating plot; intriguing setting
Cons: A bit on the long side
Summary: Once I opened this book, I was no longer in my familiar house, but in a Japanese Geisha district. The author very successfully blends truth and history with fairy tale and romance. The ascension of a poor young girl to one of Kyoto's top geisha is a ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 15, 1999
Pros: Excellent Details
Cons: A little muddy 3/4 of the way in
Summary: Rags to riches stories aren't uncommon. There are hundreds and hundreds of them, even in modern fiction. What's less common is a story where you might feel even more for the main character when she was in rags. Arthur Golden's novel is like this. ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 15, 1999
Pros: nice description of the clothes
Cons: cardboard characters, poor plot, a real yawn
Summary: Golden may be a great writer, but he's definitely NOT a woman. Hasn't the faintest clue how woemen think either. He wrote a nice romantic, fuzzy tale of a geisha's life; But he never caught the reality of women. Women -when their backs are to the wall ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 14, 1999
Pros: Excellent historical basis, quite eloquent. Also, character development is perfect.
Cons: May not be as appealing to men--about a woman, and is a sort of Cinderella story.
Summary: I've often been handed a book by a friend, with the words, "You'll love it." Upon opening such a book, I ordinarily encounter a story with little depth, and even less character development. I'm picky; I like to have a story with some meat to ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 14, 1999
Pros: character development
Cons: stereotypical plot, despite the nationality
Summary: It seems that because our country is relatively young, compared to the rest of the world- we cannot help but be intrigued by other cultures and other cultural practices of the past.
Geishas are no exception to the rule.
Films, and ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 13, 1999
Pros: little known subculture revealed
Cons: not long enough
Summary: A friend let me borrow "Memoirs of a Geisha" with the mixed recommendation that it was "different." The use of the memoir format for Mr. Golden's novel made it seem all the more real. I recently heard an interview with him on NPR. ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 11, 1999
Pros: The story is simply told and easy to follow.
Cons: The novel feels unidimensional and leaves the reader feeling a hollow sense of wonder.
Summary: The premise of this novel seems to be a good one, but the tale fails to engage the reader. The story is told through artifice which creates distance rather than enchanting or intriguing. The author fails to establish an intimate relationship between ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 11, 1999
Pros: Well-written and nicely paced
Cons: Ending is weak
Summary: "Memoirs of a Geisha" represents a wonderful opportunity to peek into a culture very foreign from any available in Midwestern America. It tells the story of girls caught by poverty or by being orphaned. It is terribly sad, and yet, ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 4, 1999
Pros: Emotionally engaging, fast paced, and well written
Cons: Not a tremendous amount of depth, linear plot
Summary: Too cheap to buy a new book, I approached my mom in search of something to read. She recommended Memoirs of a Geisha. I obligingly took up the book, forgetting what a sap she is. However, from the first page, I became captivated in a story that ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 28, 1999
Pros: A pleasure to read, Handsomely written.
Cons: Drawn-out scenes, readers' thoughts may wander.
Summary: A literary masterpiece and bestseller, this book completely overtook me with true narration from one of the most prominent and distinguished geisha in Japan. Memoirs of a Geisha reveals to us the tragedy and suffering experienced by these women who must ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 17, 1999
Pros: A beautifully written tale that will completely envelop you from start to finish
Cons: Maybe a bit long and wordy for some
Summary: I try not to use words like compelling in my reviews because it seems so cliche but really that's the word that best describes this book.
This is story (if you haven't guessed from the title) about a geisha. More about the hardships in her ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 14, 1999
Pros: elegantly written, vivid descriptions of people and places
Cons: a bit long
Summary: The author does an incredible job writing from a women's point of view -- if only more men in the world could be this insightful. The tale is both haunting and inspiring, told with passion and awesome color commentary to make the reader really see the ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 13, 1999
Pros: sucks you into a lavish Japanese fantasy
Cons: beginning is slow, but stick with it.
Summary: I am a book addict. However, sometimes it takes me a long time to get around to reading a book that it seems everyone else has already read. I just read "Memoirs of a Geisha" a week or two ago and I immensely enjoyed it. I got totally ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 12, 1999
Pros: Accurately depicts what a geisha is, and the geisha's role in Japanese life, through an interesting, honest story.
Cons: The use of similes becomes repetitive.
Summary: In "Memoirs of a Geisha," Arthur Golden explores the process of becoming a geisha in Japan, during the height of geisha business, through after World War II, when the geisha business suffered permanent decline. Golden successfully portrays ... read more
-
-
Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Oct 31, 1999
Pros: Learned something about another culture
Cons: Too much detail, characters either all good or all bad, too long.
Summary: This book received a lot of "hype" both by professional reviewers and my friends and so I was quite eager to read it. However, I was very disappointed by the mediocre writing and especially annoyed by the minute detail. I found that having to ... read more
-
|
|
