Geisha of Gion

I throughly enjoyed reading this book depicting Iwasaki's detailed journey of her life as a geisha, the little moments outside of being a geisha, and the education she provided about the occupation itself. The reason why I did not rate it higher is because I felt like there were times (especially towards the end) where her story skipped around quite a bit and disrupted the overall flow of her story. Regardless, I would highly... Read Full Review

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I learned so much about the life of a geisha, the trials and tribulations they go through and the determination they must have as women. Mineko lived a crazy busy and demanding lifestyle and writes of it beautifully. So happy I read this book, really showed me a different culture and way of life. Recommended!!

This is easily one of my favorite books. I picked up this book wanting to learn more about geishas. I had a feeling that this book would be immensely interesting to me. It did not disappoint. In fact, it turned out to be much more interesting than I had anticipated. From the very beginning where Mineko describes her childhood, I could tell that she probably has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. As someone with Asperger's... Read Full Review

It's unfair to compare this book to "Memoirs of a Geisha." Yes, Mineko Iwasaki was interviewed by Arthur Golden when he was working on his best-selling book, but "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a work of fiction. It's a fantastic book in its own right, but many of its depictions of life as a geisha are said to be very inaccurate. That's one of the reasons Iwasaki decided to write "Geisha: A Life." She wanted to set the record straight... Read Full Review

I'm half Japanese and grew up in Japan. In order to appreciate this book, you must have an understanding of the Japanese culture. It's not fair to compare this book to "Memoirs of a Geisha" which is completely fiction and written by an American. In the Japanese culture, a Geisha's life has always remained under a cloud of mystery and secrecy. For a Geisha to reveal any part of her life is strictly forbidden and considered... Read Full Review