When I picked Memoirs Of A Geisha off my parent’s book shelf, I didn’t know what to expect from it. It was one of very few books in my parent’s house that wasn’t historical fiction & seeing as I’ve just read Earthly Joys & Virgin Earth, I wanted my next book to be a little different.
Memoirs Of A Geisha tells the story of Chiyo-Chan, Minoru & her journey to become the geisha Nitta Sayuri. It may not be obvious from the outset, but I believe this to be a love story at heart. Chiyo-Chan is born to a poor family, taken from her home & sold to become a geisha when her mother becomes gravely ill. When Chiyo tries to run away, her future as a geisha comes to a stop. A chance meeting seals her future and puts her back on the path to becoming a geisha. This meeting was deeply important to the little girl who experienced it & the young woman she grew up to become & governed some of her biggest decisions in life.
I really enjoyed this book, up until the very end that is. In the acknowledgements, despite the ‘Author’s Note’ stating that the book is the “…memoirs of my dear friend Nitta Sayuri…” and goes into detail about their eighteen month long meetings in which Sayuri told her story to author, Arthur Golden. The ‘Author’s Note’ also states that Sayuri stated that the “manuscript [be] published only after her death…”. So imagine my surprise when I turned to the ‘Acknowlegment’ page only to read “Although the character of Sayuri and her story are completely unvented…” Erm… pardon? That’s not what the ‘Author’s Note’ says!
Honestly, I felt a little like I’d been cheated. I don’t mind whether a story is true, based on truth or entirely fictitious, but I want to know which it is. I don’t want to get to the end of the book thinking one thing & finding out another. It makes me feel like I’ve been deceived & has spoilt the enjoyment of the story. Why world anyone make up the details of how the story was told to them? What’s the purpose of deciding the audience in such a way?
I wanted to find out if Nitta Sayuri was a real person. In an article from The Telegraph, I found out that Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha the story was based on, was very much alive when the book was published. Not only that, but Mineko Iwasaki was filing a law suit against author Arthur Golden for damaging her reputation by basing the character of Sayuri on her & falsely representing the way in which she came to be in Gion (she was not sold into slavery as a child) and the manner in which she lost her virginity (which was not sold to the highest bidder). I don’t know if the law suit was successful, but the deceptive side to this book has left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Have you read Memoirs Of A Geisha? What did you think of it?
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Not the type of book that I’d usually read but I do think I’d find the story quite interesting and would like the read it. Shame about the author being so deceiving, but I guess I know before hand so I know what to expect!
The Velvet Black | UK Style & Beauty Blog
I thoroughly enjoyed it, I just wish the author hadn’t been deceptive. That spoilt it for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (pre-deception). Xx
I saw the movie and it’s one of my favorites, I also heard of the lawsuit , really sad. I think I will read this book this summer break, thanks for the review.
http://estefaniareviews.blogspot.mx
I’m sure I’ve seen trailers for the movie & it looked good, but I haven’t seen it. It’s disappointing that the author & the muse didn’t see eye to eye on their expectations. Xx
I read this book many moons ago and I remember thinking the same at the end! All in all though I really enjoyed it, purely just for the description of the setting alone. It all just sounded quite beautiful and magical even though its not all in.
I did watch the film, which again was a beautiful and magical but I just didnt enjoy it as much as the book.
Am definitely going to have to look up on the history of the court case now! xx
themakeupartistschoice.com
I’m so glad it wasn’t just me feeling this way! I haven’t seen the film, but I may pass on it if it isn’t as good. I enjoyed the descriptions too, I felt I had a lot to go on to create a picture in my mind, which some books are lacking. Xx
If you find yourself on a rainy day with nothing to do I suggest watching it then. Its very aesthetically pleasing and the lady who plays Sayuri is stunning!! x
I’ll bear that in mind, thanks! Xx
I have never read the book, i have seen some parts of the movie. Will definetly plan on reading the book, sounds very interesting.
http://www.rshanphonsi.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (until the very end anyway!). Xx
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in eBook format where acknowledgement pages were missing so I never really came across this story behind the book (it sounds terrible though). The start of the book was kinda slow and I nearly put it down with intentions of NEVER reading it again but somehow I didn’t. Unfinished books are a nightmare. The ending was fantastic. It was heartbreaking-ly lovely.
Noor | Noor’s Place
That’s really odd that the acknowledgments would be missing from the eBook version. I wonder if that’s something across the board? Unfinished books are definitely a nightmare. I’ve a couple unfinished. One, because I couldn’t bear to read any more because it just upset me & another as I just need to be able to concentrate better to be able to read it properly, so that one is more ‘on pause’ until I’m well enough to return to it. Xx
Awesome review Tania! I have only seen the movie and been considering reading the book too. It sounds interesting!
xx Grace | KOUKI
http://www.koukionline.com
Thanks! I’ve heard great things about the film, so will be checking it out. Xx
I read this ages and ages ago and enjoyed the insight into the geisha culture and then read Geisha by Liza Dalby which is non-fiction and which offers a real insight into the life and training of Geisha. Well worth a read if it’s something that interests you.
Lisa | Not Quite Enough
Fantastic, thank you Lisa! I’ll definitely be picking up Geisha, as I was disappointed that Memoirs was made out to be a true story & in fact turned out not to me. I almost feel like I can’t trust any of the book so a non-fiction version is perfect. Xx
This is one of my all time favourite books, it’s just such a shame about the deception and Law suit!
The film is okay, but I much prefer the book and don’t think I would re-watch it. xx
Rambling Makeup
I’ve had a couple of people recommend the film. I’m interested in watching it as I did really enjoy the book (except the deception!). I’d like to see it, but I won’t be rushing to watch it. Xx
This was my first foray into the world of the Geisha and while I was disappointed that the story wasnt quite what it purported to be I was fascinated by the culture of the Geisha themselves and I have also read Geisha by Liza Dalby who is the only non-Japanese to ever by allowed to train as a Maiko/Geisha, if you can, track down Geisha of Gion – The Memoir of Mineko Iwasako translated by Rande Brown this is the true story of Mineko Iwasako on whom Arthur Golden based Memoirs of a Geisha,
I was fascinated by the culture too, but the revelation that the story wasn’t what true as it claimed to be made me question how accurate the cultural references were. I’ll definitely be adding Geisha and Geisha of Gion to my reading list to get a true account of life as a Geisha. Thank you so much for the recommendations. Xx