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A review by mikitiale
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this book but I understand the author betrayed his informant and as someone trained in anthropology, I do not find this forgivable. I plan on reading Iwasaki's book soon.
The plot kept me interested. I wish Pumpkin and Sayuri were able to have a better relationship but I understand Pumpkin's motivations. Watching Chiyo grow into Nitta Sayuri was okay but the people around her were often more interesting than she was. Sayuri still felt like the same person at the beginning of the novel as at the end, though maybe a bit more cynical. Her motivations did not change and her obsession with the Chairman made her seem childish even in her 30s.
I dislike the end with the Chairman's confession about Mameha. It takes away from the relationship between the sisters and it felt like a cheap way to pretend the Chairman actually cared even though he refuses to marry her or have a committed relationship with her after literal decades of essentially grooming her.
I am glad the author spent a lot of time studying Japanese language and culture, even going as far as to have a master's degree in Japanese history, but I feel this story would have been told best by a cultural insider rather than an outsider looking in.
The plot kept me interested. I wish Pumpkin and Sayuri were able to have a better relationship but I understand Pumpkin's motivations. Watching Chiyo grow into Nitta Sayuri was okay but the people around her were often more interesting than she was. Sayuri still felt like the same person at the beginning of the novel as at the end, though maybe a bit more cynical. Her motivations did not change and her obsession with the Chairman made her seem childish even in her 30s.
I dislike the end with the Chairman's confession about Mameha. It takes away from the relationship between the sisters and it felt like a cheap way to pretend the Chairman actually cared even though he refuses to marry her or have a committed relationship with her after literal decades of essentially grooming her.
I am glad the author spent a lot of time studying Japanese language and culture, even going as far as to have a master's degree in Japanese history, but I feel this story would have been told best by a cultural insider rather than an outsider looking in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent