2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Now this is what I call a book! A very well-written story bringing the reader into an exotic locale and lifestyle with a believability and grace missing in so many novels written nowadays.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The writing is amazing. More than just the flow of it, it's the pacing and the movement through time as the book progresses with the life of the narrator. Nothing drags, everything is so interesting, even the parts where the storyteller is a child (often the least interesting in a book for me), is riveting and strange and shocking at times. It does not read like anything I can really describe, it reads as if you are looking at a picture and watching what is going on. The narrator speaks like a person who is not used to the traditional way of phrasing sentences, but instead uses pictures to convey meaning instead of just description. You feel as though you understand everything that is going on while it is happening in the book, you understand all the storyteller is feeling and seeing. Not only that, but it is a fascinating story about a completely foreign culture and customs unlike anything we've ever experienced here. I can't think of anything to say that hasn't been said by the other reviewers, except that you will not be bored, and whether you are disgusted or angered or intrigued by the treatment of the characters in this book, you will have a new understanding for a time completely outside of anything you've ever known.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I am already a fan of Japanese culture and I really liked the movie so I was expecting to love this book. I did. I loved every minute of it, but not for the reasons I thought. Arthur Golden disappears when you start this book. You really believe he sat down with an old geisha and wrote her story as she dictated it. There are much more layers to the story than in the movie that make it all the more endearing. Take a look!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. It grabs you from the first page and when it ends you wish it didn't. Beautiful poignant story of a small girl who becomes a Geisha. Story follows her whole life. Just beautiful.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wonderfully written, completely enjoyable. This was a very quick read for me. The movie was surprisingly true to the book. Of course, the book offers much more detail and it's definitely worth the read!