Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur GoldenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My rating: 4.25
The book was written very well that I felt like I was floating along a Japanese river while I was reading it. It really didn't get deeply into me... well, it did get into me but it didn't stab straight into my heart, though I must say that it was such a beautiful novel, with such delicate prose that I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to explore cultures and lives and history.
Seeing through a geisha's life is new for me and I had a lot of new learning not just about geisha, but also about Japan. The tale was a good historical narration telling us what happened to Japan and during the war.
What I didn't like about the book is that it may be a little culturally biased to the Americans, since the author was American. I don't know if the Japanese's view of the Americans changed as abruptly as it was stated in the book, but I just didn't find it realistic that they could easily forgive their enemy as quickly as that.
Another: I don't really like how the story turned out in the end, and I don't really find that twist amusing at all, no not at all. It wasn't realistic for me. It was so protagonist-serving.
Why, despite of my negative reviews, am I still giving this a high rating? Because it's such an undeniably good book! It brings you to places you've never been before, and I felt that what Golden wants to happen is for the readers to see what Japan is like, to give us a picture of a culture that is beyond our knowledge, in a manner so ethereal and so gentle that you could almost hear the shamisen strings while you're reading it.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment