Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

25 reviews

ladybirder's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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liv_txt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5


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r3ader's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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dannilmp's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I picked this book up hoping to learn something more about a culture's history and I wasn't dissapointed. Here we follow young Sayori through the trials of her life that lead to her becoming a Geisha. A heartfelt story with plenty of heartaching moments to follow.

Golden really did his research to be able to write such a detailed piece of historical fiction. I felt as though I learnt so much more about Geishas and Japan's history while also coming to understand more what the Geishas roles and functions in society were. 

I don't typically read historical fiction so this was a venture outside of my usual comfort zone, and while it was written very well (bar young Sayori's obsession with a certain character feeling icky) it is not something I would rush to read in a hurry again. But parts of the story have still stuck with me months later, so I have to give the book credit.

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hanniquinn's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5


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memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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n1nareads's review against another edition

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dark hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I went into this thinking it would be quite light hearted and while it had its moments it also was very dark with a lot of sexual content 

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junothan's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

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dark informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I honestly went into this book hesitant because it follows the plot of a young Japanese woman in WWII but is written by a white man. Because of this, the book has no real narrative for Sayuri. And this is a shame because the book is written in the first person and could have been used to portray a powerful story about the transition from girlhood to womanhood, how concepts and the idea of what a woman changes when this geisha role is assigned to her. As for the war, this was only really added at the end and just sped past it-- which again is a shame because it had the potential to cover grief, rage, imperialism, violence, and all the other big things that come with the war in such a powerful way. All this to say, I would not recommend this book to anyone. 

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thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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