What an emotional journey! I felt so sad reading the hardships that this woman endured. She is such a survivor and I can't imagine how she was able to survive both mentally and physically. It was tragic and the triumph of the human spirit.

I read this ages ago, therefore I do not remember the story fully, but I do remember reading this book and really enjoying it. However I was eleven when I read that book, and I'm not sure that was such a good decision on my part due to the fact that some of the content really made me uncomfortable at that age. However, despite my uncomfortableness while reading it, it was a very good read and fully recommend it.

Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of Chiyo Sakumoto who is sold as a young girl into slavery to a geisha house. She goes on to become an extremely successful geisha named Nitta Sayuri. Life in the beginning is not easy ... taken from her family, she is treated horribly by the people with whom she is sent to live with ....in particular by another geisha named Hatsumommo. The book is narrated by Sayuri and its easy to forget that this is not an auto-biography ... rather a fictional but factually correct account of her life. Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha and the effects of World War II not only on the geisha trade but on Japan as a whole. We also follow Sayuri as she pines for the love and affection of one man.

SUCH an excellent book and highly recommended! Rich with detail about the customs and rituals of the geisha world.

A beautifully written book that I have gone back to time and time again. Strong, passionately written characters and a wonderfully constructed storyline. Complex plot and character development. It's hard to put down.

Very well written - beautiful story - really captivates you!

A beautiful novel that was eye opening and intriguing. This is an amazingly written book - a must read for everyone!

Eye opening and interesting book! Explores different aspects of Japanese culture, and this book is SO much better than the movie. i know everyone says that but they say it for a reason...

This is by far my favourite book of all time. Its beautifully written, descriptive, you can't help by feel for the characters. A must read.

What a fantastic book!

This is not the kind of novel I would normally gravitate to but I found this wonderfully written novel captured me with a compelling story and fascinated me with the ins and outs of a world that I knew very little about. I have reread this book numerous times and it never losses its magic.

Also, one of the few movies that came close to doing the book any kind of justice.

well written and story stays with you. A beautiful trip to the past. I loved this story and it will remain as a keeper on my book shelf. Much better then the movie..then again, in my view, all books are