Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Geisha: A Life
Book Review: Lived up to Standard!
Summary: 5 Stars
Needed the book for my world lit class...speedy service, cheap price, and book was in Excellent condition! would NEVER think twice about doing business with them again!!!Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha used to be my favorite book...
Summary: 5 Stars
That might be the only way to describe it. I felt as if Iwasaki-san was speaking right to me, telling her life's story. It was touching and a really good book overall. If you've read Memoirs of a Geisha, read this. It explains about "mizuage"... Mr. Golden was kind of off on that one. Mineko-san is a better main character than Sayuri in my opinion.Book Review: Much information of an old Japanese tradition
Summary: 4 Stars
When I bought the book I wanted to learn more of the Geisha tradition and by that of Japanese culture in general.
I never had believed that such a restricted life is still possible today. Mineko Iwasaki was taken away from her family when she was a small child. With much discipline she learnt traditional dancing, singing, playing instruments and roles in theatre, always being observed by elderly ladies, who wanted to educate her, eg by humiliation via wrong accusations. The meaning of such is explained clearly, as all the other details of the life of a geisha.
A very interesting recommendatory book.
Book Review: No. no No no NO
Summary: 2 Stars
Boring is the word to describe this book. After reading Arthur Golden's Memoir of a Geisha, this book does not even begin to compare with it. Its told in a droll dry monotonous tone that's perfect if you suffer from insomnia and wish for a book to put you to sleep. Unless you relish reading your history textbook again leave this book on the shelf.Book Review: Not The Best Book On Geisha
Summary: 2 Stars
When I bought this book, I had already read Memoirs of a Geisha, which of course a fictional account of geisha. I'm sorry to say, this book, to a certain extent mirrors Memoirs, with one major difference. Mineko Iwasaki is an extremely unlikable person, and it shows in her book.
The highest earning (and most popular, she claims) geisha of her time, Mineko comes across as rude, arrogant, and narcissistic. Her one and only wish was to be a dancer, she says. She didn't care about being a geisha, and in fact quit at what would have been the height of her career. For instance, she claims to have been so furious that Prince Charles signed one of her fans, that she returned it to him explaining she didn't want it anymore, essentially because his signature had spoiled it. She then claims to have thrown it away.
She was the most beautiful, the most popular, the highest earning geisha of all time. The other geisha were mean to her, humiliated her, picked on her, etc. She had no female friends because they were all jealous of her. Typical self absorbed person, who perhaps was treated this way, but had probably deserved it for her nastiness.
Then there are the times that she physically attacked some of her customers for insulting her. I'm sorry, but if these incidents, of which there were many, were the true way she behaved, I suspect she wouldn't have had many customers. I find her writing more than just a little stretched. I truly can't imagine a woman who acted this way to have been in any way popular. Which leads me to one of two conclusions...One, that she wasn't rude or violent like she claims, which pretty much makes her a liar, or Two, she wasn't terribly popular.
If you want a good read about geisha, Memoirs still wins out. Arthur Golden obviously did his homework, since his information as to the lifestyle, behavior, etc. is mostly confirmed here, and at least the story is fast moving, fun, and the main character is not so repugnant.