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    Memoirs of a geisha by Arthur Golden Summary

    Memoirs of a geisha
    Arthur Golden
    4.16 (2088194 Reviews)
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    Overview of Memoirs of a geisha

    Step into a secretive geisha's world in Golden's controversial bestseller that sold 4 million copies and spent 58 weeks on the NYT list. Based on real geisha Mineko Iwasaki's confidential revelations, it sparked lawsuits, cultural debates, and a Hollywood adaptation. What truths lie beneath the white makeup?

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    Best quote from Memoirs of a geisha

    “

    We don't become geisha so our lives will be easy. We become geisha because we have no other choice.

    ”
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    Key Takeaways

    1

    A Child of Water in a World of Silk

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    In a small fishing village clinging to Japan's rocky coast, nine-year-old Chiyo Sakamoto tends to her dying mother while helping her fisherman father mend nets. Her extraordinary "water-gray" eyes catch the attention of Mr. Tanaka, a wealthy fish merchant whose silk kimono and refined manner represent everything her life isn't. When he invites Chiyo and her plain, wooden-natured sister Satsu to visit his home in nearby Senzuru, the young girl weaves elaborate fantasies of adoption into his world of polished floors and porcelain teacups. The betrayal, when it comes, is absolute-Mr. Tanaka sells both sisters into servitude. While Satsu is condemned to a brothel, Chiyo finds herself transported to Kyoto's famous Gion district, a world of wooden teahouses and mysterious women in elaborate kimono. At the Nitta okiya (geisha house), Chiyo encounters her nemesis-the beautiful but venomous Hatsumomo, who marks her immediately as a rival. Under the calculating gaze of Mother, the okiya's business-minded proprietress, Chiyo begins life as a maid, her dreams of escape crushed by a failed attempt that leaves her with injured legs and the devastating news of her parents' deaths. The final threads connecting her to her former life arrive in a plain wooden box containing her family's mortuary tablets-all that remains of the coastal village where waves once lulled her to sleep.

    2

    The Butterfly Emerges

    3

    A Game of Silk and Shadows

    4

    When War Silences the Shamisen

    5

    The Heart's Hidden Current

    6

    Between Two Worlds

    7

    The Water Finds Its Way