This account gives the account of the life of Sayuri, a Japanese geisha in the early 20th century. It follows her from her harsh childhood to her adult life as one of the most powerful geishas in Japan. It provides a breathtaking glimpse into the enthralling and seductive tradition of geishas.

posted Apr 9, 2004

this book is outstanding and i recomend it to all the young adults.

posted Aug 5, 2009 at 9:12PM

Long before the film came out, I read this book and was disappointed. The disparity between the author’s experiences as an aged educated British man with being a young girl, let alone a feudal Japanese geisha, is far too great and account for the third person (rather cold) narrative. There is never a remote hint of outrage or anger toward her station in life, even initially - such as when she is sold or when she loses her innocence. It does go quite in depth into the politics within the geisha house, but how exciting can politics be?

posted Oct 31, 2010 at 11:43PM

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