Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
i really thought that this book was brilliant and one of my favorite stories. whenever people ask me to recommend a book, this always escapes as one of my first ten that come to mind. what’s most ironic about this book, is that it is written by a nonJapanese man, taking the first person narrative of a Japanese female. it takes us along the journey of a young blue eyed fictional girl, Nitta Sayuri, who is sold into a geisha house, only to be treated with chastisement, unfairness, and all the aspects one can expect from a hierarchical society. She’s faced with rivals and friends, the novel being exquisitely rich with as colorful characters as the imagery itself. The reader is saturated with traditions, arts, culture, their life’s conditions, restrictions, rules, beauty, and discipline. The book heightens in many layers and subplots, with elements as love and illusion, appearance and deciet, truth and beauty. Overall, you are transported into the secret world of geisha, and realize that every action is an art of seduction, and an art of beauty… it’s a really really great book. 5.0 stars