Helpful Score: 2
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.
Helpful Score: 1
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.
Helpful Score: 1
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!
Helpful Score: 1
This story was easy to get into- definitely took me to a new place- lots of great visuals too.
Helpful Score: 1
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.
Helpful Score: 1
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!
This is a great book. Make sure to read this before you see the movie because the movie does the book no justice. The story of girl who is torn from her family, raised similar to a slave but climbs her way to the top of the Geisha ladder.
I really really really liked this book!
you've seen the movie - now read the book!
I LOVED this book. The movie does it no justice. Can't wait to read it again
This is one of my all time favorite books. It is beautifully written and keeps you captivated from the beginning.
Loved this book. Couldn't put it down. A beautiful story.
What can one say? Just a great book that everyone must read. Done with such deftness by a man, from a woman's point of view...Truly a pleasure
I found this book fascinating. It transports the reader to a very different time, place, and culture. Definitely a good read.
I LOVED this book more than I ever thought I would. Very touching.
A difficult book to put down, very interesting to learn about a Geisha's life from begining to end.
One of my favorite books of all time. I think that I've reread this at least 9 times.
What a great book - historical fairy tale and wonderful character development!
Beautifully written. Of course far superior to the movie.
Beautiful story.
A must read!
Excellent book; that said, i would never re-read it.
Not many books get 5 stars from me. This is one of the best well written stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Historical accuracy abound. Character development that rivals the greats. Climactic building that whirl you to the end without stopping. An absolute MUST!
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It was wonderfully written with a unique and creative plot and fascinating characters. I highly recommend this book.
This is a hardback copy. This book has been made into a movie recently but the book is much more descriptive and is a must read regarding the life of a geisha. It has love, jealousy, kindness, greed and all the emotions in between. I found it thoroughly fascinating. Once you get into it you can't put it down.
Wonderful to travel to a different culture and to discover so much richness. I love the spirit of the women in their limited circumstances.
This is an excellent book. It is a little long, but a very rewarding read.
What a great book! I loved it.
I really loved this book. I recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I would put this in my top 10.
I can't wait for the movie to come out! Fascinating story about the life of a geisha.
I didn't kow what to expect when I began to read this book. In fact, it was a slow read at first. But then I began to enjoy it and now rank it as one of my all time favorite books.
Excellent!
I loved this book! I even thought it was non fiction, but found it was...but I became so engrossed in the plot..I couldn't put it down.
Great story.
Very informative book into the life of a geisha which I had no idea about. Interesting and well presented. Would recommend.
This is the Knopf hardcover edition, not a paperback. (The error is in the PBS computer source.)
