Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

It is 1929 in Japan. Before her mother dies, the protagonist, Sakamoto Chiyo, and her older sister, Satsu, are taken to Gion by Mr. Tanaka. Satsu is sold to a "house of pleasure" as a prostitute, while Chiyo, having unusual blue grey eyes, is sold to an okiya, a house for geishas.

Chiyo is trained to become a geisha, but is constantly antagonized by Hatsumomo, the resident, and only geisha of the Nitta okiya. The arrogant Hatsumomo recognises Chiyo's potential and is upset at any hint of competition. Due to Hatsumomo's machinations, Chiyo is reduced to becoming a maid in the okiya, ostensibly with no future of becoming a geisha.

An encounter with the wealthy and benevolent Chairman changes her view of life forever, and Chiyo developes a liking for the Chairman. Soon after, Chiyo wins the eye of Mameha, the most successful geisha in Gion, who is despised by Hatsumomo because she outshines her in every aspect and, having earned her independence as a geisha, unlike Hatsumomo, cannot be toppled. She takes Chiyo in as her younger sister and protégé and trains Chiyo to become a geisha. Chiyo suspects that Mameha is only using her as a weapon to rid herself of Hatsumomo. However, Chiyo knows that to meet Chairmain again, she would have to become a geisha and hope to meet him one day. Chiyo's entrance into apprenticeship is marked by being given a new name: Sayuri.

Mameha orchestrates a bidding war between rich patrons for Sayuri's mizuage (a deflowering ceremony), and Sayuri's final price is enough to pay off her entire debt to the Nitta okiya, establishing her as a highly successful geisha and earning her adoption by the mistress of the okiya. Sayuri and Mameha destroy Hatsumomo's reputation entirely thereafter and Hatsumomo is thrown out of the okiya.

The outbreak of World War II, a theme foreshadowed by growing reference to the Japanese military, becomes another major challenge for the heroine. Her successes are quickly made irrelevant, and her physical beauty is tarnished by manual labor and malnutrition. The life of luxury is replaced by a new reality: her personal dark valley.

During her time as a geisha before the war, she encounters the Chairman again, but finds it impossible to get close to him as she desires. Instead, she finds herself constantly being pushed to be with Nobu, the Chairman's trusted friend. It is Nobu who saves Sayuri from the harsh labor of the war until Gion is able to open again on the condition that she will allow him to become her danna. A danna was typically a wealthy man, sometimes married, who had the means to support the very large expenses related to a geisha's traditional training and other costs.

However, it is not until she puts herself in an undesirable position that Sayuri's desire to be with the Chairman truly frees her to pursue her own destiny. The Chairman reveals to her that it was him who requested that Mameha take Sayuri as her apprentice, and Mameha was not, as Sayuri thought, using her as a weapon against Hatsumomo. The Chairman then frees her from the okiya and becomes her 'danna'.

Memoirs of a geisha is an extremely well written historical fiction that provides interesting insight into a subject that has fascinated readers worldwide. Readers will enjoy the refreshing novel that opens up their eyes about the Japanese culture, especially the lifestyle of the geisha, in an interesting "autobiographic" manner.

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