Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - Memoirs of a Geisha

This is the first time I participated in a Goodreads Readalong Discussion, and I would definitely do it again. We read at the rate of one chapter per day (until the very end), and I decided not to read ahead. This gave me time to turn things over in my mind and discuss different perspectives with others. It also gave me time to research geisha customs, and there are a lot. There are different hair styles, collars, obi lengths, make-up, and so on, and it was interesting.

Chiyo (later to become Sayuri) begins her memoir as the best and worst afternoon of her entire life. It’s 1929, and nine-year-old Chiyo and her older sister are sold by their father, taken from their remote fishing village to Gion, Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Chiyo ends up at a geisha house, and searches for her sister. Unfortunately, Chiyo finds her at a brothel in Gion. They make plans to run away together, but Chiyo is caught. That is the last independent decision she will make for a long, long time. Chiyo acquiesces to those who now own her, and her geisha apprenticeship begins. She soon falls in love with a much older man who will dominate her thoughts and dreams for many years to come.

The storyline follows the dynamics of the geisha home (okiya) and Chiyo’s power struggle with the devious and jealous geisha that is the top breadwinner. When things are sorted out, World War II begins and Chiyo’s life is again in upheaval. Once life is back on an even keel, the story continues through about 1970-ish.

While I liked the writing, I didn’t like the writing! The memoir is assumed to be Chiyo narrating her life story, and while the author certainly does give us insight into her feelings, there are sooooo many similes:

“The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none.”

“This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely.”

“Adversity is like a strong wind.”

“He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.”

“Grief is a most peculiar thing; we’re so helpless in the face of it. It’s like a window that will simply open of its own accord.”

“We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.”

I found the book interesting and it sent me off in many directions to find more information about a different time and culture, but it was tedious at the same time. A lot of time is spent on the beginning of Chiyo’s life, a little time on the middle of her life, and even less at the end of her story. I’m not sure what my expectation was, but it felt rushed and abrupt.

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Content Warnings

bri_lliantlybookishef669's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

0l1v1a's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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