Memoirs of a Geisha

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Author(s)

Arthur Golden

Publisher

Random House

Genre(s)

General Fiction

Age Range

14+

Release Date

January 10, 1999

ISBN

0375400117

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A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel tells with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it.

In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.

User reviews

9 reviews

5 stars

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4 stars

11%

3 stars

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1 star

22%

Overall rating

4.0

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4.0(9)

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Light yet Dark

April 12, 2011 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

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4.0

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Reader reviewed by Ruthie

This is definitely a classic, though not old enough to be featured in my Classic Tuesdays post. Memoirs of a Geisha bring you back to the world of young women in Japan during the 20th century. I personally did not know anything about the Geisha before I read this book and it taught it to me. This was just a fantastic piece of historical fiction. It brought you back in time, while teaching you some cool things about Japan. While there were parts in the book that were very cheerful, it was also very dark. It wasnt exactly light reading but if youre in high school, its something Id suggest. Sayuri was a very likeable character, as were many in this book. There were also an awful lot of characters you loved to hate. With the perfect blend of light to dark, Memoirs of a Geisha will captivate you, as it did me.

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Timeless classic

December 27, 2010 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Lauren

This book has become a classic to me. It's beautifully written, emotional and good enough to keep me rereading it. I think the subject matter is something that isn't over done which makes me love it even more. The characters are all very real and make me feel something toward them (love, hate, etc). I also love the setting and time. Great read that I will always keep in my collection.

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Hated this book

March 13, 2008 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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1.0

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Reader reviewed by YouKn0wYaLuvMe

I picked this book as a winter reading and could not get out of it, so I had to read it fully.

I found the book tedious and don't see why it was made into a movie. There was no excitement while I was reading it and nothing that captured my attention.

Before I finished the first chapter I was tempted to stop reading it.

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great book

June 15, 2007 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by mayu

I loved this book so much. i saw the movie but the book was so much better then the movie. i loved the character chiyo and her struggle to gain the one thing thats important to her and the thing that she wanted most, love of the chairman. arthur golden brought the book to life with the story of a gaisha and their struggle when they dont have a choice in who they can be with.

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O_O WOW

May 21, 2007 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by sue789

There's a reason why this book was turned into a movie, its an awesome book.
There are some mature parts in the book, several of my friends found the whole plot and idea of this book as being really bad or pointless, but you have to consider the setting and situation that main character is in.
Motherless at a very young age, Chiyo and her sister is sold off by their father and is forced to walk different paths; Chiyo is must work in a house full of geishas, while her sister, being less attractive, is left to fend for herself.
devasted at first, Chiyo refuses to cooperate, but soon learns that the only way to servive in this world of money, skill, deceit, and men is to become a geisha herself. This is when her life story begins as a beautiful geisha as she talks of her incredible experiences which is told in a really skilled narration.

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very inspirational

December 26, 2006 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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Reader reviewed by Blair

This book was one of the most insprational books I have ever read in my entire life. Reading this book made me feel as though I am able to accomplish anything, regardless of obstacles in my way. I really enjoyed reading about the struggles Sayuri went through, and how she was able to overcome them and find happiness in the end. After reading this, I was unsure of whether I wanted to see the movie because the book was so good that I was afraid the movie might be different.

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Impossible to Put Down!

February 23, 2006 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Aileen

Memoirs of a Geisha is one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. I am not normally a fan of this genre, prefering fantasy and science fiction books usually. But the book was recommended to me by a friend and I don't regret for a minute picking it up.

The book is centered around a young girl named Chiyo, who has to go through many challenges just to have the opportunity to become a geisha. The book is vivid and descriptive, portraying a foreign culture with flair and style. It is so well written, in fact, that I did not realize that the book had been written by a man until I had gotten to the very last page and read the author's biography. I could honestly not put the book down, because I was so engaged.

This novel is thought-provoking, and I think that is its best quality. It made me consider things that I never had before, to explore a culture I never had much interest in, and gave me a new respect for it.

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love you all the day

January 31, 2003 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Flower

Has it all -- A lengthy novel about the life of a geisha in the early 1900's. This book has rivalry, love, mystery, evil, happiness, and above all the yearnings of the character. A touching first novel by Golden, something every teenage girl should read.

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Has it all

March 21, 2002 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

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5.0

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by L. Eustace

A lengthy novel about the life of a geisha in the early 1900's. This book has rivalry, love, mystery, evil, happiness, and above all the yearnings of the character. A touching first novel by Golden, something every teenage girl should read.

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