Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

I had never read Arthur Golden before, although I was tempted to read this book through recommendation. Thus I had no pre-conceptions of the writing style of the author. Neither had I seen the film, and although I bought the film, was glad that I decided to read the book first, since the film pales in comparison.

The story tells of Chiyo, a young girl (aged 8), living in the fishing village of Yoroido in 1929, with her mother, father and sister, Satsu, and the road which takes her from the simple life she is leading to being a successful Geisha. From the moment I started to read the book, I was captivated by the writing style, though more than this the picture that it wove. Many authors succeed in describing characters, though few that I have read can conjure up the atmosphere to the extent that this book did. Whereas with other books, you are tempted sometimes to miss the odd paragraph and jump ahead of yourself, what I found was that I loved every word of the book, and that the words were not wasted. Instead, they were like the tiny pixels of a photograph and each had its place, and without them would not have portrayed the picture so well. It's amazingly interesting, cleverly put together and a very readable book indeed.

When Chiyo and Satsu are taken away from their parents to the City of Gion, neither are aware of why they are taken, and here the naivety of the girls is explained very well indeed, as they make their new homes, in separate communities called Okiyos, where Geisha girls are housed and sent out for schooling in their craft. Telling more of the story line would spoil the read although what is rather clever is the contrast of characters within the household itself. The Geisha that works to provide the funds for the Okiyo in which Chiyo lives comes over as a very strong character, and you feel the loathing for her that her character merits, although sad in parts for the life that the girl has led. The interaction between Chiyo and Pumpkin, who is another young girl in the same Okiyo shows a loyalty between people put in similar situations.

As the story unfolds, the reader learns of the art of Geisha, and how a Geisha is considered as entertainment and art form, and here I thought that the research that the author had done to make this book possible was astounding. Another thing that really did surprise me was that a male author could write a book from a female perspective, and the book is written in first person, Chiyo being the narrator.

Many books of this nature fail because of the introduction of expressions in another language that a reader is at a loss to understand. Arthur Golden doesn't do this and even though the words are Japanese, the meaning of each of them has a wonderful clarity and purpose to the whole experience of reading it.

Chiyo's life story would be a huge giveaway, so I am avoiding that within this review, since a reader needs to discover for themselves how her life progresses, the customs that make her road a very harsh one, moments of pleasure, moments of loyalty to other characters as they are introduced throughout the story. Here, what the author did was introduce many characters, though without making the classic error of making the reader confused. Each of the characters within the book make a very important contribution to the believeability of the story.

I could actually picture characters such as Mother, the lady in charge of the Okiyo, and indeed the other Geishas within Chiyo's story. It is so delicately woven as a complete tale that you really are enchanted and feel privileged to take a look at another society, and the way in which it works. For me as a reader, it is important to make sense of character portrayal, and the wording of the book was almost like the most delicate of lacework, each word having purpose and meaning, each explanation complete and enthralling.

Following the life of Chiyo and ever mindful of her humble beginnings, her character and how it is developed through circumstance, is really a journey into another place and time, and a very complete one. It touches on sentiment, emotions, aims and ambitions, although is almost written in an autobiographical manner. What I think impressed me the most was the glipse that you get of feelings that really are personal to Chiyo as she grows and develops within a new life, almost like a butterfly coming out of a crysalis. The symbolic happenings within Chiyo's life leave pictures of wonder, and her acceptance of her lot in life amazingly tantalising and enjoyable.

This really is a book for those who like a well written story, and the cleverness of word. It really is a skill that I have not seen managed so aptly in a book and is a wonderful story that I shall read time and time again for its metophoric skill and delicacy of language.

Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Film Tie-in Ed edition (1 Dec 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0099498189
ISBN-13: 978-0099498186

Enjoy !