If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. How does the memoir format make the book different than it would be if it were told in third person. Memoirs of a geisha was recorded as an audiobook, random house new york, ny, 997. Questions for book clubs about memoirs of a geisha. Book clubs will be able to discuss how the geishas life was actually a step up from regular women, which contradicts westerners beliefs that a geisha is a prostitute. The first is memoirs of a geisha has very much like cinderella in japan. Memoirs of a geisha is an amazing novel that discusses the life of a geisha, a japanese artistentertainer. Memoirs of a geisha is a captivating look into the world of geisha that was so popular among japanese so many years ago. Young girls who aspire to be geishas are required to go to school for many years.
The translator has the most hardtopronounce name in the whole book. Many people in the west think of geisha simply as prostitutes. Memoirs of a geisha is a treasure of a book, an unparalleled look at a strange and mysterious world which has now almost vanished. The life of a famous kyoto geishafrom her painful apprenticeship in the early. After reading memoirs of a geisha, do you see the geisha of gion as prostitutes. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. In patriarchy, a social system positioning a man as a superior and a. Memoirs of a geisha vintage contemporaries kindle edition. Mar 12, 2020 the questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups experience of reading arthur goldens memoirs of a geisha.
Keeping your books varied and interesting is your number one aim in a book club as well as keeping it lighthearted and plenty of fun of course. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when as a nineyearold girl she is taken from her home and sold to a renowned geisha house. Memoirs of a geisha is an american novel, and as such the attempt at west does east, especially on the complex and delicate subject of the geisha, is compelling, interesting, but also heavyhanded and ultimately ineffective even more so in the case of the film. Memoirs of a geisha in this paper, i will be comparing the differences in both the novel and the movie of memoirs of a geisha.
Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to. Both its very exotic setting, with its extremely different value system, and its fascinating plot, which grabs your interest early on and keeps you waiting for more all along, contribute to making this novel a special book worthy of reading. A fictional jakob haarhuis, a professor of japanese history at the new york university tells how he met sayuri, a former geisha, and she wants him to write her story. Not everyone will be interested in the person, so getting a consensus is. If you like memoirs of a geisha and want more historical books about women in other cultures, here are some recommendations. We hope that they will give you a number of interesting ideas and angles from which to approach this enthralling debut novel, which is the fictional true confessions of one of.
If youre new to the club and have questions about the book list and other things, or if youre just looking to join, go to the welcome blog to read more. Memoirs of a geisha has been translated into thirtythree languages, and rights were sold for an american film adaptation in 997 to red wagon productions. There was a coming of age ceremony, called mizuage, but it had nothing to do with virginity. The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups experience of reading arthur goldens memoirs of a geisha.
Full text of memories of a gheisa internet archive. Book club autobiography questions what should you be discussing at your book club. November 2019 memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden. Suggested book and reading club discussion questions for memoirs of a geisha. For some reason i thought that id scheduled the meeting at my house for next tuesday but i just checked and noticed id said tomorrow. The food of memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden bryton. Hopefully everyone has found a copy of memoirs of a geisha, by arthur golden, because the twoweek reading period has been set.
It is also, and unforgettably, a dazzling portrait of a singular and most seductive woman who tells her story in a compelling first person voice. Chiyo then goes on to tell us this is a technique she used when she entertains men at parties. I asked my parents and they were under a similar impression, but of course they arent experts. Golden more specifically in his novel entitled memoirs of a geisha.
Chiyo says this quote to the reader in the beginning to the book when she is already an experienced and successful geisha. Arthur goldens novel is a work of art beautiful in prose and enchanting. Memoirs of a geisha mass market paperback book discussion. Jun 16, 2018 memoirs of a geisha book vs movie duration. Check out these 10 book club discussion questions for. It is a wonderful introduction to geisha, japanese culture, and the east for the uninitiated western reader, and i can see why the. Discussion questions questions from the publishers reading guide.
And years later, he became her friend in new york city. Memoirs of a geisha is a 2005 american epic drama film based on the novel of the same name by arthur golden, produced by steven spielbergs amblin entertainm. Because of national novel writing month nanowrimo, the discussion day for memoirs of a geisha will be postponed. The life of a famous kyoto geisha from her painful apprenticeship in the early. Memoirs of a geisha a talk with arthur golden march. Memoirs of a geisha is a book of nuances and vivid metaphor, of memorable characters rendered with humor and pathos.
Sep 23, 1997 memoirs of a geisha is an american novel, and as such the attempt at west does east, especially on the complex and delicate subject of the geisha, is compelling, interesting, but also heavyhanded and ultimately ineffective even more so in the case of the film. Japan is already changing, becoming industrialized and imperialistic, when in 1929 young chiyos fisherman father sells her to a house in kyotos famous gion district. Memoirs of a geisha has been translated into thirtythree languages, and rights were sold for an american film adaptation in 997 to. Memoirs of a geisha is a historical fiction novel by american author arthur golden, published in 1997.
To ask other readers questions about memoirs of a geisha, please sign up. Memoirs of a geisha is a book of nuances and vivid metaphor, of. What is the difference between being a prostitute and being a kept woman, as sayuri puts it p. Mar 24, 2014 the food of memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden bryton taylor food in literature. Discussion questions for memoirs of a geisha are listed. The ragstoriches story of sayuri, the novels heroine, is a. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Reading guide for memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden reading guidebook. Based in the 1920s in kyoto, japan a young girl named chiyo lives with her sister satsu, in a poor town called yoriodo along with her sick mother and elderly father. In memoirs of a geisha, arthur golden has done a very daring thing. If you would like to volunteer as read runner for this book, please contact the moderators. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha. The story was a typical cinderella love story with a predictable ending.
A westerner named jakob haarhuis includes this note as preface to the main attraction. So, you voted, and the selection for september is arthur goldens memoirs of a geisha. Memoirs of a geisha arthur golden about the book the strikingly pretty child of an impoverished fishing family, chiyo is taken to faraway kyoto and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house where she is renamed sayuri. The teachers are very strict and embarrass the girls and sometimes even hit them. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden discussion guide. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden is a novel about the life of chiyo, also known as sayuri once she becomes a geisha. Memoirs of a geisha discussion jamie reads the classics. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden essay examples. He wrote the memoirs of his friends who once ever served herself as a geisha. Mar 11, 20 nitta sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha.
The film was directed by rob marshall and released in theaters december. It is an account of a young girl from a fishing village called yoroido, located on the sea of japan whose mother is very ill and whose father cannot fathom what he will do when. Memoirs of a geisha, published in 1977, is a historical novel written by arthur golden. Cherry blossomdelicate, with images as carefully sculpted as bonsai, this tale of the life of a renowned geisha, one of the last flowers of a kind all but eliminated by ww ii, marks an auspicious, unusual debut.
He tells us that in 1936, he saw a dance performance in kyoto. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading memoirs of a geisha vintage contemporaries. What are the similarities, and what are the differences. The story begins when the girl chiyo is sold to a representative of a geisha house, who is drawn by the childs unusual bluegrey eyes. The only novel ive ever wanted to read twice in my life, memoirs of a geisha is considered by many to be a historical fairy tale that paints a. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden book club discussion. But as world war ii erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close, sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms. I asked my parents and they were under a similar impression, but of course they arent experts, and are just going by what typical japanese believes. Memoirs of a geisha begins with a translators note.
Memoirs of a geisha is a book that is based on a true story and lets us catch a glimpse of the world where the women paint their faces and dont deserve to love. This is where we will discuss the book for those of you who would like to. All aspects of a geisha are very methodical, every part is planned out with a purpose. It transports the reader into a bygone era where young girls are sold to be raised as geisha, and where their virginity is sold to the highest bidder. I enjoyed learning about the culture, as well as the life of a geisha, but i didnt feel a connection to any of the characters. If you would like to volunteer as read runner for this book, please contact the. While reading the novel, did you feel that you were hearing the genuine voice of. Book clubs will be able to discuss how the geishas life was actually a step up from. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of a fictional geisha working in kyoto, japan, before, during and after world war ii and ends with her being relocated to new york city. Chapter one begins with a bit of an homage to dickens. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of a fictional geisha working in kyoto, japan, before, during and after world war ii and ends with her being relocated to new york city in 2005, a. Memoirs of a geisha will be adapted for a film directed by steven spielberg. Memoirs of a geisha, published in 1997, is arthur goldens debut novel.
It was then made into a movie that was released in 2005. Memoirs of a geisha is a book full of history, romance and life in another culture. Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden, paperback barnes. Memoirs of a geisha vintage contemporaries kindle edition by golden, arthur. A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel tells with. The book was written by arthur golden and published september 27, 1997. The themes of friendship and betrayal are both present in this novel, so i think that you have a good starting point for a possible thesis statement. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden reading guidebook club. Would you want to visit kyoto and see a geisha after reading this book. Discussion at our book club also centered on the lives of the japanese in the novels time period. I read this for a book club discussion in the late 90s. Memoirs of a geisha a talk with arthur golden march 23.
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