I basically hate it.
I wrote it, but hey....
In Arthur Golden's debut novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, the reader is instantly draw into the cold yet
beautiful, world of the geisha at the end of it's time before World War II. When the story opens, a retired
geisha (or entertainer), Sayuri, begins to tell the story of her life, beginning at the age of nine when she was sold into a
geisha house after her mother died. There, she unenthusiastically trains to become a geisha, until a spiteful,
well-known geisha, Hatsumomo almost ruins her chance to become great. Soon after, Sayuri meets a man, called The
Chairman, who buys her a treat. In doing so, this simple act of kindness causes Sayuri to fall in love with
him. Realizing the only way she can ever be close to him is to entertain him as a geisha. With the help of the popular geisha Mahema, she works defiantly against Hatsumomo, eventually becoming the greatest geisha of her age. Throughout the years, the reader follows one geisha's journey as she struggles to survive in a culture that traps her soul and denies her the powerful freedom of love.
Golden brings to life the country of Japan's culture in the 1930s, at the decline of the geisha era. With enchanting visual descriptions and haunting story lines, Sayuri, her life, and all those she encounters throughout her journey cause the reader to second guess, despite it being fictional, whether this actually happened to a real geisha or not. Stunning in every way possible, Memoirs of a Geisha is an insightful book that will entertain and teach.
"You belong in Gryffindor,
where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
set Gryffindors apart."