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tsilverman 's review for:
Geisha of Gion
by Mineko Iwasaki
I'm conflicted about this book. I did enjoy the story and look into the life of a real geiko. I, like many others, first became interested in geiko and geisha when the book by Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha was published. I understand the controversy and inaccuracies of that book, but it is a work of fiction and one I still very much enjoy. Back to the review of this book. While I loved hearing Mineko's perspective, a lot of what she said deeply conflicted. She was a shy person who hid in cupboards and loved to be alone more than anything. Yet she seemingly overnight blossomed into a perfect maiko. None of her encounters that she related made her seem particularly charming, yet she was the number one geiko in Gion. Maybe there is a cultural divide that I am missing here. She also mentioned many dear (female) friends she had, yet several times talked about how she never made friends because all the ladies were jealous of her success. Despite all this, I still enjoyed the book and learned quite a bit from it.