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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Good read. Very enlightening about the Geisha life and customs. She's not the best writer though, it would've been nice to get more of a compelling story out of it.
Vida de una Geisha, nos permite conocer un poco mas de cerca a la cultura japonesa, y mas concretamente, al pequeño mundo de las Geishas. Además, intenta mostrar la realidad que se esconde tras algunos de los clichés mas manidos sobre ellas, que películas como Memorias de una Geisha, no ayudan a aclarar.
Atrapa desde la primera página y tiene bien merecido la máxima puntuación.
Atrapa desde la primera página y tiene bien merecido la máxima puntuación.
much better than the american version, get a better insight of the geisha life without it being romanticized
Memoirs are a tricky one to rate because they're essentially someone else's life. In this case, though, the rating is not a rating of her life, but rather, the sort of writing and narrative structure that falls flat.
For one, the title of the book led me to think that it was going to be about 99% of her Geisha life, and not necessarily extensive dives into the before and after, and as someone else has already commented, about whether she farts after being hospitalised. Nevertheless, still an interesting read and I would say that her writing is (obviously) more representative of the Japanese style of writing that most Japanese authors have. This already makes it better than Arthur Golden's book, which is arguably one of the few books I would unhesitatingly toss into the flames of hell. There are also some lovely bits I really liked, wherein she included conversations with her clients and patrons e.g., with the professor of Aesthetics and Philosophy.
The narrative structure, however, is all over the place. I am completely fine with memoirs that jump the gun (cases in point: Kalanithi's 'When Breath Becomes Air,' or Westover's 'Educated.') But for some reason, Iwasaki and her editor must have thought to shoehorn every single bit from her life's most major and acute incidents. The end result: it doesn't go too deeply, yet it doesn't clock itself as surficial either. What we get is this odd straddling between the two, a kind of liminality that I'm not entirely comfortable with.
Here's what I'm really trying to say; her novel feels reactionary and defensive. Oftentimes when you read memoirs, you get a glimpse of how the person thinks of themselves and especially of the anger or misery that may beget their souls during incidents years past. Yet, because of Golden's highly unethical and repulsive piece of whitewashed history, Iwasaki seems to have garnered this as a response to that. Unfortunately, her tone comes across as largely angry and placating. It's fine if she factually lays out her life and her achievements, but it certainly sounds like she's not giving us a dimensional view of her life, and instead, picking bits to dig back at Golden.
If she is willing to publish another novel which goes much more in-depth, I would be very up for reading it. This, however, barely allows me to skimp a glimpse of the Geisha culture.
*Also, the picture placements could be better.
For one, the title of the book led me to think that it was going to be about 99% of her Geisha life, and not necessarily extensive dives into the before and after, and as someone else has already commented, about whether she farts after being hospitalised. Nevertheless, still an interesting read and I would say that her writing is (obviously) more representative of the Japanese style of writing that most Japanese authors have. This already makes it better than Arthur Golden's book, which is arguably one of the few books I would unhesitatingly toss into the flames of hell. There are also some lovely bits I really liked, wherein she included conversations with her clients and patrons e.g., with the professor of Aesthetics and Philosophy.
The narrative structure, however, is all over the place. I am completely fine with memoirs that jump the gun (cases in point: Kalanithi's 'When Breath Becomes Air,' or Westover's 'Educated.') But for some reason, Iwasaki and her editor must have thought to shoehorn every single bit from her life's most major and acute incidents. The end result: it doesn't go too deeply, yet it doesn't clock itself as surficial either. What we get is this odd straddling between the two, a kind of liminality that I'm not entirely comfortable with.
Here's what I'm really trying to say; her novel feels reactionary and defensive. Oftentimes when you read memoirs, you get a glimpse of how the person thinks of themselves and especially of the anger or misery that may beget their souls during incidents years past. Yet, because of Golden's highly unethical and repulsive piece of whitewashed history, Iwasaki seems to have garnered this as a response to that. Unfortunately, her tone comes across as largely angry and placating. It's fine if she factually lays out her life and her achievements, but it certainly sounds like she's not giving us a dimensional view of her life, and instead, picking bits to dig back at Golden.
If she is willing to publish another novel which goes much more in-depth, I would be very up for reading it. This, however, barely allows me to skimp a glimpse of the Geisha culture.
*Also, the picture placements could be better.
Love this book. It really kick started my interest in Japanese history. I thought about this book when I visited Gion, I think it really did it justice.
Mineko Iwasaki is an interesting woman. In her biography she details her journey, beginning at the age of five, to become the most successful geiko of her era. This book chronologically details her years in the profession, until the age of 29 when she retired.
I found her story fascinating, with its many explanations of the cultural roles that maiko and geiko played, and also witty and funny. Although she seemed spoilt and naive in many of the stories she told, these flaws were acknowledged in the narrative. And despite these features she was also strong, brave and overcame many hardships throughout her life.
My absolute favourite parts of this autobiography were:
(1) where she described how she dealt with clients who tried to take advantage of her- by stabbing them with hairpins or responding with violence- because I felt it showed Mineko’s strength and that she wouldn’t let people walk all over her
(2) her judgements and insights about the famous people that she entertained - presidents, royalty etc. Not only were they amusing, they also served to humanise these figures.
This book also serves to combat many of the western misconceptions about geisha - particularly that they are equivalent to prostitutes.
Overall, it was both educational and enjoyable, the perfect mix :)
I found her story fascinating, with its many explanations of the cultural roles that maiko and geiko played, and also witty and funny. Although she seemed spoilt and naive in many of the stories she told, these flaws were acknowledged in the narrative. And despite these features she was also strong, brave and overcame many hardships throughout her life.
My absolute favourite parts of this autobiography were:
(1) where she described how she dealt with clients who tried to take advantage of her- by stabbing them with hairpins or responding with violence- because I felt it showed Mineko’s strength and that she wouldn’t let people walk all over her
(2) her judgements and insights about the famous people that she entertained - presidents, royalty etc. Not only were they amusing, they also served to humanise these figures.
This book also serves to combat many of the western misconceptions about geisha - particularly that they are equivalent to prostitutes.
Overall, it was both educational and enjoyable, the perfect mix :)
Amé este libro, es una mujer fuerte que desafió las tradiciones de su época y, aunque no necesariamente logró lo que se propuso, demostró que la lucha no fue en vano. Mineko demuestra que la elegancia y buena voluntad, combinadas con un espíritu rebelde son los mayores aliados de una mujer.
Lo que se aprende de la cultura japonesa es inmenso, sin embargo hay que ser críticos considerando que es sólo un punto de vista y que una persona no ha de recordar con presición de detalles su infancia. En sumo: altamente recomendable la lectura.
Lo que se aprende de la cultura japonesa es inmenso, sin embargo hay que ser críticos considerando que es sólo un punto de vista y que una persona no ha de recordar con presición de detalles su infancia. En sumo: altamente recomendable la lectura.
This book sat on my shelf literally for years. I forget exactly why I bought it, but I only got around to it a couple of weeks ago. I had some trouble getting into it, but I couldn't put it down for the few 100 pages or so. Iwasaki's story is compelling and her honesty about her life is awesome. The part memoir and part lesson in the true life of a geisha, not what those outside the culture thinks it is. I think the reason it took me a while to get into the book is because I was more compelled by Iwasaki's later life when she comes of age and begins to see the harsh realities of life around her. Finding out she was something of a badass is also a plus. This is definitely recommended reading and a great memoir for those who love this genre.
informative
slow-paced