Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden 448 pages Historical Novel

Summary Memoirs of a Geisha is about a girl named Sayuri who goes from living in a small impoverished fishing village to becoming one of Japan’s most well known geishas. Sayuri grew up in a fishing village with her dying mother and fisherman father. Sayuri and her sister Satsu are then sold to different okiyas (geisha houses) in Kyoto Japan to endure back breaking work in the hope of one day becoming a geisha. While at the okiya, Sayuri plans an escape but when she falls off a roof and breaks her arm, this ultimately made her dishonor her okiya and as a result, Mother (the owner of the okiya) stops investing in Sayuri as a geisha and instead makes her pay off her debt as a slave. One day while Sayuri was running errands for the okiya, she meets a man she refers to as Chairman who buys her ice cream and gives her money. Sayuri then donates the money to a shrine and prays that one day she will become a geisha so that she could see Chairman again. After a funeral, a woman named Mameha takes interest in Sayuri and takes her under her wing to train her to become a geisha. As a result of leaving her slave life, Sayuri endures a long and challenging journey to become adopted by Mother’s okiyas and ultimately, become a geisha.

Favorite Passage After she is stripped and left alone by the Baron, Sayuri tells Mr. Itchoda the whole ordeal. Mr. Itchoda tells Sayuri that if her mizuage is still intact than she is fine so that she can still sell it. Hatsumomo finds out about this and uses it against Sayuri, saying that no one will want her. “Who wants a plum when someone has already had a bite?” I really like this passage a lot because although it may sound negative, this analogy that Hatsumomo uses is one of the huge collection of analogies used throughout the book. I love the writing style of this book and I feel like this quote is just one of the things that symbolizes how poetic the book really is.

Would I recommend this? Yes!!! (personal response) I would recommend this book to anyone out there. The writing is great, the storyline is amazing, and it just gives you a glimpse of one of Japan’s most beautiful things in its culture. I loved the book and the movie as well, and everyone should read this book because as well as being a classic, it teaches you a lesson in life. Whatever you strive to be, you can be. You just need to have the will and whenever there are things blocking your path, find a new one. Just as Sayuri’s mother said, “Water can carve its way through stone. And when trapped, water makes a new path”.