You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by asparagusfern
Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
4.0
Geisha by Mineko Iwasaki is interesting, insightful, and elegantly written. She describes the world of the Geisha in great detail and anyone who is interested in Geisha culture or history should read this book, as this is an important piece of it. It's also a very easy and absorbing book to read through, and there were no points during the book that I had trouble getting through (as is the case with many great books). She gives a descriptive view into the world of her childhood and her adolescence.
This was a fully enjoyable read. However, there were frustrating moments. You can tell that this book was not written by a writer because there are storytelling gaps. There are parts of her life which she could have elaborated on more. For example, she could have gone into more detail about her progression from being completely co-dependant as a child to becoming independent, and more about the struggle this ensued. She could have explained how she went from being a friendless workaholic to having close, meaningful relationships. Or the long process of how she became disenchanted with her life as a Geisha and the constricting culture surrounding it (which is a theme described in the synopsis of the book). Or even how she learned to relax after working every day for years. Instead, she explains a hardship and then years later, somehow, the hardship has been fixed and all is well. As a reader, this is frustrating. Even though she neatly wraps up everyone's life at the end of the book, it still feels like there are loose ends. Maybe the biggest problem is that as a narrative there simply isn't enough hardship, or at least it isn't explained well enough. But I suppose this book isn't about struggle so much as its a window into a secretive culture and an autobiography. Without ever mentioning it within the pages of the book, this is a perfect counterpoint to "Memoirs of a Geisha." One is a great story, full of profound struggle, overwhelming emotions, and a tightly wrapped up story. The other is true. And both of those things are equally meaningful in different ways.
This was a fully enjoyable read. However, there were frustrating moments. You can tell that this book was not written by a writer because there are storytelling gaps. There are parts of her life which she could have elaborated on more. For example, she could have gone into more detail about her progression from being completely co-dependant as a child to becoming independent, and more about the struggle this ensued. She could have explained how she went from being a friendless workaholic to having close, meaningful relationships. Or the long process of how she became disenchanted with her life as a Geisha and the constricting culture surrounding it (which is a theme described in the synopsis of the book). Or even how she learned to relax after working every day for years. Instead, she explains a hardship and then years later, somehow, the hardship has been fixed and all is well. As a reader, this is frustrating. Even though she neatly wraps up everyone's life at the end of the book, it still feels like there are loose ends. Maybe the biggest problem is that as a narrative there simply isn't enough hardship, or at least it isn't explained well enough. But I suppose this book isn't about struggle so much as its a window into a secretive culture and an autobiography. Without ever mentioning it within the pages of the book, this is a perfect counterpoint to "Memoirs of a Geisha." One is a great story, full of profound struggle, overwhelming emotions, and a tightly wrapped up story. The other is true. And both of those things are equally meaningful in different ways.