Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden | Book Review

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is a highly popular historical fiction novel that was released in 1997. Despite the novel's huge popularity and the fact that it was even made into a film, I only got around to reading it recently. Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of a young Japanese girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, who is sold by her poor family to a geisha house. It shows her journey of becoming the renowned and successful geisha, Sayuri. 

Due to the novel's historical setting (Kyoto, Japan, between 1929 and the mid-1940s, spanning the period before, during, and after World War II) and insight into the geisha world, I found it very interesting to read. I did not know too much about the geisha traditions before reading this novel. It explores the rituals, rigorous training, strict hierarchy, and specialised arts of a geisha's life. 

The novel is told from Sayuri's perspective as an older woman looking back at her life, which I thought worked really well. The story is emotional as you follow her from when she is a child determined to escape the okiya (geisha house) to her accepting her fate and aiming to become a successful geisha. The novel portrays the harsh reality of being a geisha as Sayuri navigates child trafficking, abuse, intense rivalry, and more. 

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is its vivid, memorable characters. Sayuri’s journey is compelling, and you do find yourself rooting for her. Mameha also is a great character and very supportive to Sayuri. Hatsumomo is portrayed as the main villain of the story, and is a complex and believable character. The range of characters keeps the narrative engaging from start to finish.

A big focus of the story is the Chairman, a man who shows Sayuri kindness as a young girl, and because of this, she becomes infatuated with him. Some may call it a happy ending, however, the novel reminds you that Sayuri cannot get her complete happily ever after as she is limited as a geisha. I found the Chairman and Sayuri's relationship a bit unsettling as she meets him as a little girl when he is an adult and then he later becomes her love interest. In addition, another uncomfortable part to read was the depiction of mizuage (selling virginity). These uncomfortable elements come from the time the story is set in, when strict social rules and traditions controlled geishas’ lives and limited their freedom.

Overall, I found this novel interesting to read as it's the first book I've read about the geisha world. It has a strong plot, memorable characters, and Sayuri's journey of becoming a geisha is very captivating. 

Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐