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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I've always been fascinated with Japanese culture especially the life of the Geisha ancient and modern. This book offered a unique perspective and broke some of my misconceptions about the lives of the Geisha. It's a much more complicated and in depth system then I knew! Great book, easy read!! Got me thirsty to learn more.
This book was written in response to Memoirs of a Geisha. The memoirs author interviewed Mineko and took liberties with her story. She was not happy and filed a law suit against him, hired a translator and wrote her own memoir.
I love all things Japanese and loved Memoirs so I was excited to read this one. It fell flat. It was a bit boring and tough to get through. Maybe things got lost in translation but I just felt liked I was being talked at. There was a lot of explaining but it was matter of fact throughout the entire story. She would also set up a story and describe it in detail, then nothing really happened.
Mineko comes across as being a bit arrogant. Apparently, she was perfect at everything *insert roll eye emoji* I got so bored with it, I skimmed through the last 100 pages.
I did enjoy reading about Gion Kyoto and her descriptions of the streets/houses and temples as it took me back to my Japan trip.
I love all things Japanese and loved Memoirs so I was excited to read this one. It fell flat. It was a bit boring and tough to get through. Maybe things got lost in translation but I just felt liked I was being talked at. There was a lot of explaining but it was matter of fact throughout the entire story. She would also set up a story and describe it in detail, then nothing really happened.
Mineko comes across as being a bit arrogant. Apparently, she was perfect at everything *insert roll eye emoji* I got so bored with it, I skimmed through the last 100 pages.
I did enjoy reading about Gion Kyoto and her descriptions of the streets/houses and temples as it took me back to my Japan trip.
2007 bookcrossing review:
I finally got around to reading this before my trip to Japan, and I think for anyone interested in Japan and/or the geisha world, it's a must.
It's the autobiography of Mineko, a leading geisha working in the second half of the 20th century. She was a really spirited character (and still is, I presume!), also a bit of a perfectionist and workaholic. I also admired her courage when she dealt with the unwelcome attentions of dirty old men in the street. And her older sister Yaeko... what a nasty piece of work!
There were also a few bits in there that certainly show up our cultural differences. I was surprised to hear that women used to (I am curious to know if they still do this) get their faces shaved!
And our current queen, Elizabeth, did not come out well in this book either! To be honest, I agree with Mineko - she really was rude regardless of whether she's a Queen or not. And the episode with Prince Charles was funny too - a little ignorant of him though to just take her fan and sign it without asking.
It was well-written too and an engaging book.
I finally got around to reading this before my trip to Japan, and I think for anyone interested in Japan and/or the geisha world, it's a must.
It's the autobiography of Mineko, a leading geisha working in the second half of the 20th century. She was a really spirited character (and still is, I presume!), also a bit of a perfectionist and workaholic. I also admired her courage when she dealt with the unwelcome attentions of dirty old men in the street. And her older sister Yaeko... what a nasty piece of work!
There were also a few bits in there that certainly show up our cultural differences. I was surprised to hear that women used to (I am curious to know if they still do this) get their faces shaved!
And our current queen, Elizabeth, did not come out well in this book either! To be honest, I agree with Mineko - she really was rude regardless of whether she's a Queen or not. And the episode with Prince Charles was funny too - a little ignorant of him though to just take her fan and sign it without asking.
It was well-written too and an engaging book.
4.5 stars. I liked it in spite of Iwasaki's arrogance brimming on every page. Why shouldn't she be arrogant? She was raised to be.
This book gives an interesting look into a pocket of medieval Japan that existed in the 1950s. I can't imagine having one's life bound by such rules, many of which are never spoken aloud. She demonstrates an Asian attitude towards relationships that still puzzles the Western mind: a combination of complete frankness and obfuscation. Yet, Iwasaki became frustrated by the difficulty navigating the academic and artistic world she lived in for many years, so maybe she didn't get it, either.
This book gives an interesting look into a pocket of medieval Japan that existed in the 1950s. I can't imagine having one's life bound by such rules, many of which are never spoken aloud. She demonstrates an Asian attitude towards relationships that still puzzles the Western mind: a combination of complete frankness and obfuscation. Yet, Iwasaki became frustrated by the difficulty navigating the academic and artistic world she lived in for many years, so maybe she didn't get it, either.
"Ahora me pregunto por qué era tan exigente conmigo misma. Tal vez mi actitud tuviera que ver con mi padre o con la soledad que sentía. Estaba convencida de que la autodisciplina era la solución para todos mis problemas. Creía que esa era la verdadera clave de la belleza."
Un vistazo privilegiado a la vida en el elitista barrio de geishas Gion Kobu de Kioto y sus rituales y tradiciones.
Un vistazo privilegiado a la vida en el elitista barrio de geishas Gion Kobu de Kioto y sus rituales y tradiciones.
- Cleaning is considered a vital part of the training process in all traditional Japanese disciplines and is a required practice for any novice. It is accorded spiritual significance. Purifying an unclean place is believed to purify the mind.
- A star geiko is never, ever alone and I always wanted to be by myself.
- They begged me not to quit. But they didn’t offer to change anything.
- How come we kept celebrating things that made me feel bad?
- A star geiko is never, ever alone and I always wanted to be by myself.
- They begged me not to quit. But they didn’t offer to change anything.
- How come we kept celebrating things that made me feel bad?
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Very beautiful memoir by the amazing Mineko Iwasaki and super insightful about the life she had as a geisha. I'll never forgive Arthur Golden for not only going against her wishes of being anonymous, but also twisting the information he was given about geishas and turning it into a white man's fantasy. It's not everyday you get to look into the life of a geisha, so I found it super interesting we were given first hand details on what it takes to become one.
This was a well-told autobiography of Geiko Mineko Iwasaki of her life as a "geisha" in training from the age of 5. She raises the lid on the complex artistic, political, and social world of the geiko and maiko of the Gion Kobu district in Japan. Like many others I did read Memoirs of a Geisha, but that is fiction and this is more realistic and set later in time (she was born in 1949). She was the "greatest of her generation" and retired at 29 in due to the constraints and inflexibility of the system. As an author she is informative, but as a person, I don't think she is very nice. Of course, having been taken from her home at age 5 and forced to support the hopes and dreams of her "house or Okiya" would have been a lot to handle. Also, she was quite badly treated by her fellow dancers/artists out of spite or jealousy. Interesting read, however, and I learned a lot about Japanese culture.
3.5 stars
this was a really interesting read and i loved learning about the traditions of gion kobu (especially after just visiting 6 weeks ago!), the beautiful kimonos, and the way of the geiko. i appreciate that Iwasaki shared her treasured experiences and also her critiques of the system. She's not a writer by profession, but I thought she did a good job telling her story, although it was hard to get into at first.
this was a really interesting read and i loved learning about the traditions of gion kobu (especially after just visiting 6 weeks ago!), the beautiful kimonos, and the way of the geiko. i appreciate that Iwasaki shared her treasured experiences and also her critiques of the system. She's not a writer by profession, but I thought she did a good job telling her story, although it was hard to get into at first.