'Memoirs of a Geisha' stirs emotions

Engrossing, romantic and exotic are just a few words that can be used to describe the debut novel of Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha." From the first page to the last the reader is engrossed in the memoirs of the heroine Sayuri, a classically trained geisha who endured the process of becoming a geisha, suffered through World War II and moved to America, starting a new life for herself in her twilight years. The story is earthy and ethereal at the same time; from the first word reality stops existing; the reader is transported to Japan in the days when geishas were commonplace.\nThe tale begins with a poor fisherman's daughter being brought into the closed world of the geisha. From her home in a tiny fishing village, Sayuri is transported to Kyoto, where she embarks on her lifelong journey to transmute herself from a base peasant girl to the sparkling gem of a geisha. In Kyoto, Sayuri begins her training in the art of being a geisha; not only is her appearance paramount, but she must also become skilled in the arts of dance, music and conversation. Her life becomes a quest to be the ideal woman, beguiling to powerful men. \nAfter years of training, Sayuri becomes a full-fledged geisha, but her learning is far from over. The auction of her mizuage, or virginity, sets a record price in Kyoto, spreading her name over Japan, making her a well-known and sought-after geisha. However, being a geisha was much more than the sexual side; Sayuri was skilled in dance, conversation and poetry. She gained many supporters, mainly the businessmen she entertained. However, she also drew the ire of other geishas, who often fell short when compared to Sayuri. Sayuri's most poisonous enemy was Hatsumomo, the geisha she lived with while training and former top geisha in Kyoto. Sayuri learns the world of intrigue that is behind the kimonos of the geisha world; discretion and rumors are as important as pleasing the men who seek their company.\nSayuri becomes the mistress of her true love, a wealthy businessman she met as a child. Her love for him is what supported her through the agonizing training to become a geisha. After World War II geishas became less common in Japan and few men requested their services. Sayuri adapted to the change and moved to New York City to establish a tea house, making herself a new life in a new world. In her twilight years she captured her life as a memoir, telling the world what her life was like as a woman of the pleasure quarters.\nI was absolutely enraptured by "Memoirs of a Geisha." The book is full of innuendo and intrigue, impossible to put down until it is completed. It is both lush and spare, full of nuance and beautifully written. "Memoirs" is a marvelous debut novel, displaying the years of research Golden put into the novel; it reads as an actual memoir of a geisha, not the work of fiction that it is. I highly recommend "Memoirs of a Geisha" to anyone who is looking to escape from the world in a few minutes. It is a beautifully executed work of fiction and a haunting tale of a life lived to different expectations.