62. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden (100 book challenge)

One of my favourite books from the 100 Book Challenge! I enjoyed every page of this one and purposely slowed down my reading to delay it being over.

The best part about my experience with this book is that I was able to read it while travelling around Japan.

Sometimes books need to wait until the timing is right. I had tried to read this one a few years ago when my kids were younger and life was a bit more hectic than it is now. It was too dense and deep for me back then, and I only read a couple of pages before giving up. However, with 100 Years of Solitude finished, and a trip to Japan coming up, I needed a new book to read… and none more fitting than this one!

The book is set up like a memoir, and I’m a bit ashamed to admit that the ‘Translator’s note’ at the beginning successfully tricked me into believing this was a true story (it wasn’t until the acknowledgements at the end that made me realise it was entirely fictional). On reflection though, this made me more engaged in Sayuri’s story. It made it feel oh-so real! Especially since we were in Japan at the time I was reading it.

We were on a family holiday in Kyoto and Tokyo for just 10 days, which gave me time to read on planes and trains and in the early morning before anyone else woke up. The book is set in Gion in Kyoto and we walked those streets twice, even passing the Ichiriki Chaya teahouse where Sayuri entertains her rich clients in the book. The teahouse is still in operation and it gave me chills walking past its entrance knowing that in 2025 there is still so much secrecy, money and male power happening behind those curtains. The book is set in 1930s Japan, but like so many of the classic books I’ve read from this list, pretty much all of the themes still exist in today’s world. It’s infuriating.

This was my fifth trip to Japan, but Memoirs of a Geisha taught me so much about a part of Japanese life I knew very little about. Definitely deserving to be on the 100 book list.

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In July 2014 I set myself the challenge to finish 100 must-read books before I die. For my ongoing tally click here.