Memoirs of a Geisha
by Golden, Arthur
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Used; Like New/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Seller
-
Haines City, Florida, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York, NY, U.S.A: Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated, 1997. Hard Cover. Used; Like New/Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. SIGNED ON BOOKPLATE BY AUTHOR. Small bump from binding defect (too much glue at bottom of back endpaper). Bestselling novel of the true confessions of a celebrated Geisha. Sayuri's story begins at nine years old when she's taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. She's trained in the arts of dance, music, makeup, dress, and hair until she's transformed physically and then given the secrets of being more desirable to men than other rivals. World War II closes the geisha houses and Sayuri must reinvent herself.
Synopsis
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first-person view, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.
Reviews
On Jan 16 2014, a reader said:
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, is a warm, happy read. It is the story of a Japanese girl whose father sells her and her sister to strangers as her mother dies. Her older sister is sold into prostitution, and our heroine, Chiyo, only nine years old at the time, is sold to a geisha household in Kyoto, and expected to become a geisha. We discover that, at this time, becoming a geisha requires years of schooling. Chiyo studies various instruments, singing, dancing, and the tea ceremony, so that she can become an entertainer of men in tea houses. Eventually, she is adopted as a “younger sister” by Mameha, a first-rank geisha. All of this occurs before the Great Depression and the Second World War. During that terrible period, everyone in Japan underwent great hardships. The geisha profession was legally abolished. Chiyo, by now known by her geisha name of Sayuri, spent the war years sewing parachutes in a former kimono maker’s home and shop. After the war, she eventually was able to return to her geisha life. The story of her success, largely guided by Mameha, and her own desire to become worthy of a man she has fallen in love with, is very endearing. Somewhat to our surprise, she eventually comes to live in the USA, along with her lover. We suspect, although we are never told outright, that she has an American son. She tells her story verbally over a period of months to a sympathetic writer. This is a hard book to put down; the action is so real, and the writing so lyrical, that we feel we must keep reading until we know the end.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Books Music Videos 4 U (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- HBBK01908
- Title
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Author
- Golden, Arthur
- Format/Binding
- Hard Cover
- Book Condition
- New Used; Like New
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Publisher
- Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY, U.S.A
- Date Published
- 1997
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾"
- Keywords
- JAPAN FICTION LARGE TYPE BOOKS HISTORICAL
- X weight
- 26 oz
Terms of Sale
Books Music Videos 4 U
Will ship within 2 business days. Returnable if damaged or not as described, including postage, prompt refund.
About the Seller
Books Music Videos 4 U
Biblio member since 2007
Haines City, Florida
About Books Music Videos 4 U
30 years in the used book business, running some of Florida's largest retail bookstores Many thousands of unusual, interesting, and quality books for sale at fair and reasonable prices. Fast shipping with professional packaging. Emails are checked/answered multiple times daily. Your satisfaction is important to me. Now selling on numerous other venues with thousands of HAPPY customers. You can shop here with total confidence.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes: