Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Memoirs of a Geisha

Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

37 reviews

mariahmmm's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

A Geisha looks back on her life and recounts the struggles she faces on her journey to becoming a renowned Geisha.

Given the books apparent success, I was expecting a detailed journey on what being a Geisha involved. Instead, this poorly written historical fiction infantilizes the main character and breezes past mountains of abuse while trying to insert an uncomfortable romance subplot. The book felt half finished with unexplainable time jumps and large gaps in the story.

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calli_the_flower's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

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ennsez's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Lovely. Nothing extraordinary in most respects, but a strong voice for the main character/narrator.

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emily_y's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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claudiashelf's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

❝ Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be. ❞

I was very much looking forward to reading this book because it promised to be a classic history about Geishas; I hadn't read anything with this theme before, but it turned out to be just — alright. In some ways, this novel underwhelmed me since it included rather graphic sexual scenes that made me sceptical and uncomfortable. This book kind of emphasises why. Well, I believe this book is well-researched yet also provocative.

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