'Memoirs...' - The Review

I got the book ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ by Arthur Golden as a gift on my birthday and it was indeed an ‘unputdownable’ book for me.
It deals with the life of a geisha in the World War years. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is a bit of an adventurous reader and also for the unadventurous one because it will open a whole new world to you. It has a rawness of life to it that might make the reader feel uncomfortable at times but it expresses the truth of grief and of life and of dreams very poignantly. The principal character, Sayuri, is like a piece of art who though very real in what she is always presents herself as an enigma.
Here, are two extracts that touched me the most:

Grief is a most peculiar thing; we’re helpless in the face of it. It’s like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it open a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it.

Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.

All in all, this book opened the whole world of Japanese literature to me and I have to say there couldn’t have been a better beginning. You might want to check out the film but don’t miss the book.

Extracts from 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden