Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
Taking on the role of older sister often feels about like carrying a sack of rice back and forth across the city. Because not only is a younger sister as dependent on her older sister as a passenger is on the train she rides, but when the girl behaves badly, it’s her older sister’s responsibility. The reason a busy and successful geisha goes to all this trouble for a younger girl is because everyone in Gion benefits when an apprentice succeeds. The apprentice herself benefits by paying off all her debts over time, of course, and if she’s lucky, she’ll end up mistress to a wealthy man. The older sister benefits by receiving a portion of her younger sister’s fees-as do the mistresses of the various teahouses where the girl entertains. Even the wigmaker, and the shop where the apprentice geisha will buy gifts for her patrons from time to time...they may never directly receive a portion of the girl’s fees, but certainly they will benefit by the patronage of yet another successful geisha, who can bring customers into Gion to spend money.
This story is presented as the narrative of Sayuri, one of the most successful geishas ever, a legend in her time, looking back on her life. In fact, she only gets as far as the first half of her life, and about three quarters of the novel is limited to her experiences before age 20, as she becomes a geisha in the first place. Because of the introduction, we know in advance that she has made it beyond what was thought possible, which you’d think would put a damper on the suspense. But no, this is an intense, gripping read.
Born beautiful into a poor fishing family, Sayuri catches the eye of a rich patron, who buys her and sells her as a slave by another name to a prestigious geisha house in Kyoto. Her degrading conditions and her rivalry with the vicious Hatsumomo (queen of the geisha pecking order) is the bulk of the story. Young Sayuri is bullied, scolded, punished by being put on the drudge track and told she will never be a geisha. The tale is gloomy, frustrating and possibly triggery, until it takes a Cinderella turn and she is given a desperate chance to come into her own with the aid of some proper tutors.
Beginning in 1929 and continuing through WWII and a decade or so beyond, Memoirs of a Geisha has a lot of food for thought about growth and growing pains, both human and national, about the changing of customs and convention over time, and about how one obtains and uses power from an officially subservient position. Highly recommended as both enlightening and entertaining.
Taking on the role of older sister often feels about like carrying a sack of rice back and forth across the city. Because not only is a younger sister as dependent on her older sister as a passenger is on the train she rides, but when the girl behaves badly, it’s her older sister’s responsibility. The reason a busy and successful geisha goes to all this trouble for a younger girl is because everyone in Gion benefits when an apprentice succeeds. The apprentice herself benefits by paying off all her debts over time, of course, and if she’s lucky, she’ll end up mistress to a wealthy man. The older sister benefits by receiving a portion of her younger sister’s fees-as do the mistresses of the various teahouses where the girl entertains. Even the wigmaker, and the shop where the apprentice geisha will buy gifts for her patrons from time to time...they may never directly receive a portion of the girl’s fees, but certainly they will benefit by the patronage of yet another successful geisha, who can bring customers into Gion to spend money.
This story is presented as the narrative of Sayuri, one of the most successful geishas ever, a legend in her time, looking back on her life. In fact, she only gets as far as the first half of her life, and about three quarters of the novel is limited to her experiences before age 20, as she becomes a geisha in the first place. Because of the introduction, we know in advance that she has made it beyond what was thought possible, which you’d think would put a damper on the suspense. But no, this is an intense, gripping read.
Born beautiful into a poor fishing family, Sayuri catches the eye of a rich patron, who buys her and sells her as a slave by another name to a prestigious geisha house in Kyoto. Her degrading conditions and her rivalry with the vicious Hatsumomo (queen of the geisha pecking order) is the bulk of the story. Young Sayuri is bullied, scolded, punished by being put on the drudge track and told she will never be a geisha. The tale is gloomy, frustrating and possibly triggery, until it takes a Cinderella turn and she is given a desperate chance to come into her own with the aid of some proper tutors.
Beginning in 1929 and continuing through WWII and a decade or so beyond, Memoirs of a Geisha has a lot of food for thought about growth and growing pains, both human and national, about the changing of customs and convention over time, and about how one obtains and uses power from an officially subservient position. Highly recommended as both enlightening and entertaining.