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yetilibrary's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I wish to note at the outset that, while I really liked this book, I think a lot of people will find it very dry. Mineko Iwasaki's memoir is a story of her life as well as the story of geisha, and, as the latter involves and relies upon so much detail, it is necessary to include a lot of description. I found it fascinating; I know other people will be bored.
So. Know that going in, if you decide to read this book (instead of Arthur Golden's fictionalized rip-off of Mineko Iwasaki's life).
I know very little about geisha or about what life was like for children in post-WWII Japan, so almost everything in this book was new to me. Mineko Iwasaki (and Rande Brown)'s writing style is light and the book is well-organized. There are a lot of Japanese terms, and fortunately most appear in the foreword (I'm calling it the foreword--it's the initial, unnumbered chapter); the book could really use a glossary at the end, because at times it got a little difficult to keep everything straight. There are two photo sections, which are lovely, but I wanted more--and in a book with this much detail, I think more photos is a fair request!
I learned a lot from this book--about geisha, about Mineko Iwasaki herself, about the culture surrounding geisha--and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
So. Know that going in, if you decide to read this book (instead of Arthur Golden's fictionalized rip-off of Mineko Iwasaki's life).
I know very little about geisha or about what life was like for children in post-WWII Japan, so almost everything in this book was new to me. Mineko Iwasaki (and Rande Brown)'s writing style is light and the book is well-organized. There are a lot of Japanese terms, and fortunately most appear in the foreword (I'm calling it the foreword--it's the initial, unnumbered chapter); the book could really use a glossary at the end, because at times it got a little difficult to keep everything straight. There are two photo sections, which are lovely, but I wanted more--and in a book with this much detail, I think more photos is a fair request!
I learned a lot from this book--about geisha, about Mineko Iwasaki herself, about the culture surrounding geisha--and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Incest
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Self harm, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Physical abuse
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