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A review by _michelle_
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
5.0
Let me preface this review by saying that I know that this novel isn't historically accurate (you should know that as well, if you don't already), particularly that geishas never auctioned off their virginity. I still still liked this book for the historical fiction it is. On to the review.
Fantasy is my comfort zone and, on the whole, I hate literary, contemporary and historical fiction. I can occasionally enjoy a few classics, such as [b:Great Expectations|2623|Great Expectations|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327920219l/2623._SY75_.jpg|2612809] or [b:Tess of the D'Urbervilles|32261|Tess of the D'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434302708l/32261._SY75_.jpg|3331021]. Otherwise, the closest I come to "realistic" fiction is stuff like [b: A Series of Unfortunate Events|65112|The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13)|Lemony Snicket|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524761836l/65112._SX50_.jpg|838691], which is obviously not actually realistic.
Early on, I couldn't help but notice the heavy-handed nature analogies that other reviewers pointed out, but I stopped noticing it stick out as the story gripped me.
Chiyo, as Sayuri is known before she adopted her geisha name, is an instantly sympathetic character. The sense of upheaval is a relatable emotion, even if essentially being sold into slavery itself is not. It's hard to describe, but little Chiyo grabbed my heart from the beginning and never let go. I know the grief of lost loved ones, and the way Chiyo/Sayuri always carried a sense of loss tucked deep into a small part of her mind made her seem all the more real.
Just so many things stirred my emotions; longing for an unattainable friend, partner, family, home and old way of life are, again, just more things to foster my love for this character.
For me, the worst part of this book is the awkward sex scenes. Usually, that would just mean I feel awkward reading sex scenes, but it was actually awkward for Sayuri, too, and that somehow made it even more excruciating to read.
Almost every character made a mark on me. Hatsumomo was a bitch and a bully, but I ultimately felt sorry for her. I can't say I envied any of the geisha, no matter how expensive their clothes or how popular they were. A geisha's worth is determined by what a man is willing to pay to have her around, and that's certainly not a confidence booster, if you ask me. As soon as men are unwilling to pay, geisha are discarded. A few are lucky enough to manage their own okiya or tea house when their geisha career is over, but the number of geisha relative to the number of okiyas and tea house establishments doesn't make this a viable option for many women (a vast understatement!). But that's not to say most don't find happy endings of some sort or other, it's usually just different than the life they knew (what makes a "happy ending" is unique to the person).
This novel owns a piece of my heart. I'm aware of the hubbub about Arthur Golden changing details or embellishing real details beyond reality, and the awfulness of him outing the real-life geisha he loosely based this book on (geishas have a code of silence and she assumed she was speaking anonymously); but if taken as historical fiction, and the art is separated from the artist, then I see no reason it can't be appreciated for the very touching story that it is.
Fantasy is my comfort zone and, on the whole, I hate literary, contemporary and historical fiction. I can occasionally enjoy a few classics, such as [b:Great Expectations|2623|Great Expectations|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327920219l/2623._SY75_.jpg|2612809] or [b:Tess of the D'Urbervilles|32261|Tess of the D'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434302708l/32261._SY75_.jpg|3331021]. Otherwise, the closest I come to "realistic" fiction is stuff like [b: A Series of Unfortunate Events|65112|The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13)|Lemony Snicket|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524761836l/65112._SX50_.jpg|838691], which is obviously not actually realistic.
Early on, I couldn't help but notice the heavy-handed nature analogies that other reviewers pointed out, but I stopped noticing it stick out as the story gripped me.
Chiyo, as Sayuri is known before she adopted her geisha name, is an instantly sympathetic character. The sense of upheaval is a relatable emotion, even if essentially being sold into slavery itself is not. It's hard to describe, but little Chiyo grabbed my heart from the beginning and never let go. I know the grief of lost loved ones, and the way Chiyo/Sayuri always carried a sense of loss tucked deep into a small part of her mind made her seem all the more real.
Just so many things stirred my emotions; longing for an unattainable friend, partner, family, home and old way of life are, again, just more things to foster my love for this character.
For me, the worst part of this book is the awkward sex scenes. Usually, that would just mean I feel awkward reading sex scenes, but it was actually awkward for Sayuri, too, and that somehow made it even more excruciating to read.
Almost every character made a mark on me. Hatsumomo was a bitch and a bully, but I ultimately felt sorry for her. I can't say I envied any of the geisha, no matter how expensive their clothes or how popular they were. A geisha's worth is determined by what a man is willing to pay to have her around, and that's certainly not a confidence booster, if you ask me. As soon as men are unwilling to pay, geisha are discarded. A few are lucky enough to manage their own okiya or tea house when their geisha career is over, but the number of geisha relative to the number of okiyas and tea house establishments doesn't make this a viable option for many women (a vast understatement!). But that's not to say most don't find happy endings of some sort or other, it's usually just different than the life they knew (what makes a "happy ending" is unique to the person).
This novel owns a piece of my heart. I'm aware of the hubbub about Arthur Golden changing details or embellishing real details beyond reality, and the awfulness of him outing the real-life geisha he loosely based this book on (geishas have a code of silence and she assumed she was speaking anonymously); but if taken as historical fiction, and the art is separated from the artist, then I see no reason it can't be appreciated for the very touching story that it is.