Memoirs of a Geisha
by GOLDEN, Arthur
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Seller
-
London, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 434p. 24 cm. Brown spine with cream paper boards. Mylar-covered dustjacket. Inscribed by author on title page.
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.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Attic Books (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 148065
- Title
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Author
- GOLDEN, Arthur
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Publisher
- Alfred A. Knopf
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1998
- Keywords
- Literature
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
Attic Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Attic Books
Biblio member since 2011
London, Ontario
About Attic Books
Attic Books is one of the premier retail locations for antiquarian and collectable books in Canada. We recently celebrated our thirtieth year in business. Please browse our select online stock on a wide range of subjects in books and paper collectables for the reader, scholar and the seasoned collector. Or come visit us in London, Ontario to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of our three floor bookstore, enhanced by original tin ceilings, hardwood maple floors, and the arts & crafts faade of our century building.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...