Geisha
by Liza Dalby
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Book Reviews of Geisha
Book Review: Insightful
Summary: 5 Stars
Picked this one up years ago after seeing the moving starring Pam Dawbar which I enjoyed.
I found it most interesting reading as far as cultural aspects go as well as most informative.
Very well written.
Book Review: geisha
Summary: 5 Stars
In "Geisha" Ms Dalby invites the reader to wander, with her, through ancient and modern day Japan. Through her eyes you meet and greet people from all walks of life. With dignity and honour she introduces you to her Geisha friends. Before you are aware you a transported into the world of Geisha, a world so different and yet so like your own. When you finish the last page, there is a sadness and a wish to know that the people you've come to care about "live happily ever after". Thank you Liz, your book opened my eyes and touched my heart.Book Review: Mizuage and History
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is nowhere never being the first place I looked for information on geisha, so although it does cover a lot of the same subjected that I was already well informed of I was quite pleased that it went into the historical back round of the beginnings of geisha. And I finally got a clear expiation on the practice of mizuage, sex, and prostitution in the flower and willow world, which I was unable to find elsewhere, which although thoroughly frustrating is understandably a sensitive subject.Book Review: Before Memoirs of a Geisha
Summary: 4 Stars
Arthur Golden used Liz Dalby's book as a key into the secret world of geisha so I wanted to read it primarily to learn what it was like to be the only American geisha. It isn't a book that you will want to read in one sitting but the chapters are clearly divided into smaller sections and reading one or two sections a night is very satisfying. Although I had hoped for more personal details of Liz Dalby's experiences, once I got used to her style of presentation I became interested in all the other information which she felt it was important to include. By the last chapter, I truly wished the book was longer and decided to order her book on Kimono to extend the pleasure of her writing style for a while. At the very beginning I was afraid her interest in anthropology would make this rather a dry book but as she warmed to her subject matter, I grew to enjoy her slightly clinical distance from what she described.
For those who are looking for the passion of Memoirs of a Geisha, you should probably read Arthur Golden's book -- which is much more detailed than the movie. For those who will enjoy an objective but sympathetic view of life as a geisha from the 1930's to the mid 1970's, I recommend this book.
Book Review: A Great Book!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
If one is seriously interested in geisha, this is the book to read! I disagree with other reviewers about the book being dull or that Dalby acts conceited in her writing. Also in disagreement with another reviewer, Liza Dalby was a real Geisha. As she points out, women who become real geisha who are too old to be a maiko become geisha without training as a maiko first. The book was fasinating to me. This book shouldn't be compared to Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha because:
Memoirs of a Geisha is completley fiction and very inaccurate of depicting true Japanese geisha culture. It is beatifully written, a great read, and I loved the story, but it really isn't mostly facts which is important to realize if you want to know the truth about geisha. Liza Dalby's book Geisha is packed with tons of great information. I found it very interesting although it might bore one who is looking for a dramatic fantasied novel like Memoirs. It contains information about a wide variety of topics from different points of view. It includes lots of interesting history of Geisha over different periods, how society viewed them, hannamachi, kyoto, maiko, conversation, training, as well as her own personal expirences and much more.
I also recommend Lesly Downers: Women of the Pleasure quarters.