my bookclub read this as one of our first choices, and I remember we had a great discussion. We all were in awe of the fact that a man had written it-the voice was so perfectly feminine.

I also really enjoyed this book and felt it was solid and balanced and beautifully written. I was also amazed at Golden's ability to convey the thoughts and feelings of a woman in such a pitch-perfect manner.

I didn't see the movie, but I could tell from the trailer the cinematography would be beautiful.

If you want to go into a more detailed discussion on the book go ahead by all means. I love in-depth chats about books.
What did you think about Sayuri and the Charman's relationship? I thought it was very interesting. Im not a prudish person to say that there was too great a age diffrence between them. But I did wonder why she loved him. I think it might just have been greatful to him for his kindness to her as a child, when she desperately needed any human tenderness. He also helped her escape the city when the war was on. Do you think it was genuine love between them (the kind us modern Westerners difine love as)?
What about the Charman? Do you think it was a 'true love' on his side or did he see her as a Geisha, a mistress he liked well enough to take good care of and protect?

I loved Goldens word use to. Everything was vivid but not garrishly so; it was gentle but still substantial. He knew just how much information to give his readers and how much should be left for them figure out for themselves. Its a mark of a true author that can acomplish that.
I hope that this will be a book that will one day become a Classic.
CMK

I think they genuinely loved each other. I believe their culture prevented them from having a more traditional relationship. She probably would have 'father abandonment issues' so she would be attracted to an older man. I agree that Golden did a wonderful job of writing from the female perspective. I was not too disappointed in the movie I think they did a pretty good job of transferring it to the screen. I remember being shocked by Pumpkin's betrayal but then after I thought about it it made sense- these girls were trained to be selfish.

Since you liked this book so much, try The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd. I first saw it as a Masterpiece Theater production and then bought the book. I really liked it better than Memoirs of a Geisha.

I also loved this book when I read it several years ago. I wish the author would write another one! I think Memoirs is the only book he's ever had published, isnt' it?

And I was also disappointed with the movie. I agree that a narrator would've helped. Poor Dh hadn't a clue much of the time what was happening in the movie, having never read the book. I think it would be a tough movie to fully follow if you didn't already know much of what was happening with the plot.

Kelly

I read this book as a part of a couple of book discussion groups; both groups really enjoyed the story and the discussion was lively.

One of the observations of the book was the way Golden, who greatly admires Dickens, uses some of Dickens's style in Memoirs of a Geisha; e.g., names of characters that are descriptive of their appearance (Pumpkin, Dr Crab); a story that draws our sympathies to the oppressed poor; a main plot with many sub-plots, etc.

It took Golden three drafts and over 6 years to write 'Memoirs of a Geisha', but I haven't read that he has published anything else since then.

I second Carolyn's recommendation of "The Ginger Tree." I think we here at RP even had a discussion on it some years back. I liked Golden's book and never could understand why it got so much criticism. I do think the Wynd book is much better.

I never heard, what was the criticism on this book?

I like to read all kinds of books, books that have been called here 'Unamerican Reads'. I find that sometimes I end up feeling quite unsatisfied with Asian (both from China and Japan) books. Sometimes they just seem rather pointless; a story with out a real meaning.
Like:
The Teahouse Fire- by Ellis Avery
Empress- by Shan Sa
Wild Ginger- Anchee Min.
Inheritance- forget the author, maybe one of you know.

I did like Empress Orchid- by Anchee Min though. I heard she made a sequel of it. I doubt it will be as good as the first.

-thyrkas, thats very interesting about the similarites between Goldens writing and Dickens. Im not sure I feel though that Goldens the plot was as complex as Dickens' are. But maybe thats becasue Goldens writing was so beautifully easy that the plot just seemed to flow so well and ended up feeling uncomplicated because of it.
I think I was also quite impressed that Golden, an American, was so convincing in his portrail of Asian scentiments. Do you think Goldens actual STYLE of writing was noticeably English?
CMK

Christinmk-

I'm pretty sure that Golden lived in Japan for quite some time.

Oh yes, I read that somewhere too. I belive he was born in Tennessee and studied Japanese culture. He lived in Japan for a time and interviewed former Geishas and gathered that info for this book. I was commenting on his style of writing...
CMK

Here is a short bio on Golden:

Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

CMK - I think Golden tried to, and did a good job of, writing prose that seemed to come from a Japanese woman, so no, I don't think Golden's characters sounded English at all. But he did use elements of style in his writing that were reminiscent of Dickens's style; he even echoed a phrase from A Tale of Two Cities, with Sayuri saying something like , "When I met Mr Ichiro, it was the best time in my life; it was also the worst time in my life."

I spotted an interview with Golden that must be fairly recent (I couldn't find a date for the interview) because Golden mentions the book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon which was popular in the US in 2003. I will try to include the link so you can read the interview if you care to. The interview also mentions an upcoming book by Golden.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/readersgroup/qanda0601.htm

Thanks SO much for that link thyrkas, it was very interesting and helped answer my question too.
I can't wait to find out more about Goldens new book. I wonder how many years it will take him to write this one?
CMK

The timing of this thread is incredible. I started reading this book on Friday. I'm more than 3/4 of the way through. I really like the style of writing and the cultural things I'm learning along the way. I've not read many other books set in Japan or even Asia in general.

After the Japanese edition of Memoirs of a Geisha was published, Arthur Golden was sued for breach of contract and defamation of character by Mineko Iwasaki, a retired geisha he had interviewed for background information while writing the novel. The plaintiff asserted that Golden had agreed to protect her anonymity, due to the traditional code of silence about their clients, if she told him about her life as a geisha. However, Golden listed Iwasaki as a source in his acknowledgments for the novel.

In 2003, Golden's publisher settled with Iwasaki out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.

Iwasaki later went on to write her own autobiography, an account different from Arthur Golden's novel. Thus proving that Golden's was a work of fiction and not entirely based on Iwasaki's life. The book was published as Geisha, A Life in the U.S. and Geisha of Gion in the UK.