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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
A really pleasant dive into the mysterious and multi-faceted flower and willow wolrd of the geisha. It is very complete. A first, historic part describing the shifting roles of geisha through Japanese history, interlaced with detailed stories of particularly important or famous women that read like tales. Another part describes the different geisha and geisha disctrict of today, from the tradition-keeper of Kyoto to the less reputable "onsen-geisha", taking us from place to place through intimate protrayals of women. The book concludes on perspectives for the world of geisha in our modern age.
Not only was this book very informative, I found it to be also a very pleasant read. The very personal tone helps understand this utterly foreign realm.
Not only was this book very informative, I found it to be also a very pleasant read. The very personal tone helps understand this utterly foreign realm.
I found this book really relaxing, although I appreciated the book more as the writer's forays into the 'Floating World' than anything else. (i.e. I did not read this book for reference.) Kind of like a travel book focusing on a theme. Because of this, my most favourite parts are the ones where the writer goes in search of little cakes to give to mama-san and little details like that. Probably reading the book wrong, but?
From the structure of the book, however, I think that Lesley Downer's point was to show us a brief history of the geisha/geiko so as to give us a contrasting idea of what it's like to the geisha/geiko nowadays. It's always an outsider's view of an almost mystical world. A Western outsider's view. A FEMALE Western outsider's view. And I think that's what also fascinated me.
Btw: I never read Memoirs of a Geisha and I don't plan on doing so. The author might have enjoyed the novel, but I have no interest in that sort of thing at all.
From the structure of the book, however, I think that Lesley Downer's point was to show us a brief history of the geisha/geiko so as to give us a contrasting idea of what it's like to the geisha/geiko nowadays. It's always an outsider's view of an almost mystical world. A Western outsider's view. A FEMALE Western outsider's view. And I think that's what also fascinated me.
Btw: I never read Memoirs of a Geisha and I don't plan on doing so. The author might have enjoyed the novel, but I have no interest in that sort of thing at all.