Memoirs of a Geisha

By: Arthur Golden

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Nitta Sayuri tells us in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate of her life as a geisha. Her story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion.

It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable.

©1997 Arthur Golden; Copyright ©1998 by Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Astonishing...Breathtaking...You are seduced completely." (Washington Post Book World)
"...a bravura performance, a first novel that provides a vivid view into a largely lost and secret world." (The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review)

A most civilizing book

There is a reason this book sold 4,000,000 copies, at least. It is a very moving story even for a "man". Really, the most interesting character to me beyond the heroine was her love interest, the "Chairman." In this book the Chairman is a the head of an electrical appliance manufacturing company. He is the most decent man I have run across in fiction or non-fiction anywhere. The closest example I could think of today that reminds me of the Chairman is our Secretary of State, General Colin Powell. I can imagine Mr. Powell's only problem is that there are not more civilized, thoughtful, effective people around like himself. He and the "Chairman" are what the world needs today.

Our geisha heroine in the book explains how presence of mind can help us get through to difficult people. She is also one of the finest examples I have seen in literature of the civilizing influence of women upon men.

Kudos to the author Arthur Golden for presenting such fine characterizations. It takes some brilliance just to put them into plain words, like he does.

I should hope that one day we will have women, as well as men, who can combine the great qualities of the main characters of this book.

I can only imagine what it would be like to have our great corporations run by people such as the Chairman, and I believe it should and could happen.

Ben

P.S. I really stepped into something when the next book I listened to was "Hiroshima" by John Hersey. My life cannot be the same after these two books.

Paula from Mississippi

May be too slow for some but very hypnotic and poetic. I was thinking about the characters weeks later. I love it when a book does that to me!

A note for those who listen in their cars

Wanted to write a quick note to those who listen while they drive to and from work: this is a best practice in audiobooks. The volume is consistent, the voice clear and easy to understand. The reading is unhurried so that you can savor every word. The story of course is totally absorbing. The end result: noisy highway or quiet streets don't mean you have to constantly adjust the volume controls. You can cruise along completely immersed and happy. Wish more audiobooks were read like this one! (Obviously I am not a big fan of stage-worthy "voice acting.")

splendid and refined

as one of my first audible buys, it was a great pleasure listening almost addictive. every day i listened a part just before bedtime,enjoyable.

My Favorite Book Ever

What was one of the most memorable moments of Memoirs of a Geisha?

I love the description in this book. You can really imagine everything and you know the characters so well!

Great cultural story

What did you love best about Memoirs of a Geisha?

Even though it wasn't a thriller, I learned much cultural and historical information about Japan.

What about Bernadette Dunne???s performance did you like?

Different voices were used. It was easy to tell when she switched characters.

Best story ever

After being enticed by the movie for many years there have been multiple time I've been drawn to read the book. finally allowing myself the pleasure of hearing the audio book. The story of Syuri Nita was brought to life in a whole other fashion in such a way that the movie isn't comparable. I admire her devotion to the chairman. I'd also wished to hear more of her life after he'd passed away.

Elegant

One of the best books I've "read" in a long time. A beautiful glimpse into a lovely culture. Both author and narrator are elegant and heartfelt.

Highly Recommend

An incredible glimpse into a different culture and a different time.
Beautifully narrated.
While the movie was good, this book was excellent, describing so much more about the culture, the reasons behind some of the ceremony.
I would highly recommend this audiobook

I couldn’t stop listening!

I know I’m quite a bit behind reading this book but it was first published when I was in high school and I couldn’t have been bothered to read anything that wasn’t assigned to me. Funny thing is that now I read quite a lot but this book was actually sort of assigned to me by way of one of my book clubs. I first started reading the paperback version and then decided that I would like to multitask and listen to the audio version instead while do my other things at home. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! So much so that I was actually quite sad when it ended! The narrator sort of sounded robotic at first (my husband overheard and really nought it was a robot) but I grew to think that there was no other way to experience this story than to listen so someone that might have sounded like the lead character, as well as many supporting characters. This story is somewhat sad - I really had no idea what a geisha went thru but why should I have been surprised when women all over the world have endured this and much worse over time - but it is also quite clever and sometimes funny! I have taken to only checking out books and audiobooks from the library and if I really love the story, I buy the hardcover. Memoirs of a Geisha in hardcover will soon take its place in my home. I look forward to reading it again in the future.