Autobiography of a Geisha

Autobiography of a Geisha
I was truly surprised at how well this was written. It holds readers' attention from the first page as the book is written with charm, humor and truth. One comes away with a much different slant on the life of a geisha.

Personal and Moving
I had no idea when I picked this book up for researching a paper that I would become entranced by it. Thankfully I read the forward by the translator first, she gives very nice backdrop about the author, her story, and why it was written in a plain-spoken style. Needless to say, I was hooked. The whole story is one of struggle. From her time as a child to her years as a grown woman in a geisha house, the trials and tribulations that this woman endured are hard to imagine. As another reviewer said...you really can feel the author. She's right, Masuda's emotion comes clearly through these pages. I found her words to be as true and real as any I've read. An amazing book, and I thank G.G. Rowley for translating it.

Heartwrencing
This book almost brought me to tears. It really, really did. Sayo's life, as depicted in her memoir, was filled with such unhappiness and pain that I just can't figure out how she was able to live through it. And she did. The book starts out with Sayo's earliest memories, working as a nursemaid, knowing no kindness, only sorrow and pain. Finally she is sold to a geisha house, where she is tormented by her Elder Sisters and the Mother of the house. She eventually has enough of the geisha life and heads out into the world, only to be stricken with poverty and more pain. The rest of the story weaves the tale of her becoming a prostitute, involved with a Korean gang, finding forbidden love, and her beloved brother's suicide. Even until the very end of the book, she has nothing and no one. It is only in the new epilogue do we find out that Sayo was able to make a fine living by becoming a chef and opening a bar/restaurant. This book was so moving and touching. It shows that the life of geisha weren't all glamor, kimono, white faces, and popularity. This book actually shows the pain and suffering certain geisha went through. I think because of this, this book changed my life. It showed me how good my life is and how I should never take anything for granted. I should do everything in my power to help other people who are less fortunate than I am, which was a point stressed very much so by Sayo. The writing was strong and fluid, never once wavering and I'm sure it stayed true to the power of the Japanese version. I felt for the characters in this book and how tragic their lives were. All in all, this was a great book. Heartwrenching, but great. It really, truly was.

Another Look
Although her writing style seems sparse, Sayo clearly illustrates the wretched life she lived from childhood into adulthood. Despite the many misconceptions of what geisha really are, this book showed another side of what it was like to be a geisha. Not all geishas lives were full of money, fame, and glamour. And I think that her story ought to be recognized among the readers of "Memoirs of a Geisha". I think that it'll give them a another, more realistic view of what it was like for most Japanese girls who were sold into being geisha.

What a suprise
I was expecting a difference from Memoirs, but WOW! What an intresting and sad life for these women. Makes me more than ever to be proud to be born an AMERICAN woman!