Memoirs of a Geisha

Version: Unabridged (Abridged version available here)
Author: Arthur Golden
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Genres: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio Assets
Published In: November 2005
# of Units: 15 CDs
Length: 18 hours
Ratings:
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Overview

In this literary tour de force, novelist Arthur Golden enters a remote and shimmeringly exotic world. For the protagonist of this peerlessly observant first novel is Sayuri, one of Japan's most celebrated geisha, a woman who is both performer and courtesan, slave and goddess.
We follow Sayuri from her childhood in an impoverished fishing village, where in 1929, she is sold to a representative of a geisha house, who is drawn by the child's unusual blue-grey eyes. From there she is taken to Gion, the pleasure district of Kyoto. She is nine years old. In the years that follow, as she works to pay back the price of her purchase, Sayuri will be schooled in music and dance, learn to apply the geisha's elaborate makeup, wear elaborate kimono, and care for a coiffure so fragile that it requires a special pillow. She will also acquire a magnanimous tutor and a venomous rival. Surviving the intrigues of her trade and the upheavals of war, the resourceful Sayuri is a romantic heroine on the order of Jane Eyre and Scarlett O'Hara. And "Memoirs of a Geisha is a triumphant work - suspenseful, and utterly persuasive.

Selected Reviews

Geisha

by midirons
  • Book Rating: 5/5

Memoirs of a Geisha

by Reader19
  • Book Rating: 4/5

More...

Read All 36

Reviews (36)

Geisha

Written by midirons on October 13th, 2010

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Excellent listening, Great metaphors put the listener at the scene.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Written by Reader19 from Yorkville, IL on December 6th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 4/5

The unabridged is a bit long. Too many silly analogies in the story that don't add to the development or understanding. Great story, however. Lots of references to historical events. Worth a listen.

Memoirs Of a Geisha

Written by Sue on September 16th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Very entertaining!! Really enjoyed the whole long book. Glad I tried it...enjoyed listening to the reader also.

lots of heart

Written by DF on August 6th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This is a story with lots of heart, a romantic drama whose heroine goes through harsh trials and emotional tribulation in the world of Japan's Geisha system. The setting will be exotic for any American reader, but the everyday realities of the world it depicts are grim. I am a man and often found it hard to believe this book had been written by a man; it is such a tender and sensitive chronicle of the inner feelings of the woman whose story he tells.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Written by KaylaW from Fort Worth, TX on April 20th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

You are transported to a different time and to a place so real. This was everything is described is so...lyrical. I am so sad that it is over. The narrator was wonderful to listen to. Her voice was soft yet choppy, the way you would expect a Japanese with very fluent English might tell her story. I truly enjoyed this work.

Not a great reader

Written by LisMur from Seattle, WA on November 15th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

I really liked this book when I read it, but I didn't like the reader on the audio edition. Still, it's a good story.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Written by St. Simons Sheila on October 30th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This is a wonderful story with so much detail of a time and culture I was unfamiliar with. The reader did a wonderful job. I rented the movie after listening to the book... do rent the movie... listening to the book is SO much better.

Wonderful!

Written by Lori on September 11th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 5/5

I had plenty of time to relax and listen to this book since I broke my foot and had to have it operated on just as I recieved this in the mail. I'm so glad I got this then. It was a pleasure to be alone and stuck in my recliner while listening to this.

Not so good

Written by Alicia from Austin, TX on February 11th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

I may be the only person in the world that didn't really like this book. I was disappointed by the ending, and I thought it really was a poor attempt to glorify what in effect was prostitution. The writing is well done, and it was interesting to learn about the customs and history of Geisha. But overall I would not recommend this book.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Written by Sharon Allen on February 4th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I was uneasy about reading a book by a white male on the very private inner life of naturally modest Japanese women in an even more discreet profession. But the author clearly did his research, and whether or not the details of this secret society are accurate, the writing rings authentic. I was disappointed with the reader's voice: her inflection was monotone, and her mispronunciation of the Japanese words was distracting if not at times annoying. I think next time I'd prefer to read it in print rather than listening to it (this version, at any rate).

Selected Reviews

Geisha

by midirons
  • Book Rating: 5/5

Memoirs of a Geisha

by Reader19
  • Book Rating: 4/5

More...

Read All 36

Author Details

Author Details

Golden, Arthur

Arthur Golden was Professor of English at City College at the City University of New York.