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A review by suchsweetsorrow89
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I honestly went into this book hesitant because it follows the plot of a young Japanese woman in WWII but is written by a white man. Because of this, the book has no real narrative for Sayuri. And this is a shame because the book is written in the first person and could have been used to portray a powerful story about the transition from girlhood to womanhood, how concepts and the idea of what a woman changes when this geisha role is assigned to her. As for the war, this was only really added at the end and just sped past it-- which again is a shame because it had the potential to cover grief, rage, imperialism, violence, and all the other big things that come with the war in such a powerful way. All this to say, I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent