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Description

In this literary tour de force, novelist Arthur Golden enters a remote and shimmeringly exotic world. For the protagonist of this peerlessly observant first novel is Sayuri, one of Japan's most celebrated geisha, a woman who is both performer and courtesan, slave and goddess. We follow Sayuri... read more

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Summary

The novel is told from the point of view of Sayuri Nitta, a retired geisha in her 70s, living in the Waldorf Towers in New York City. She is interviewed by Jakob Haarhuis, a professor at New York University, who is credited as the story's translator, although he is a fictional character... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Cast of Characters/Important People

Memorable Quotes

  • “Watch for the thing that will show itself to you. Because that thing, when you find it, will be your future.”
  • “Was life nothing more than a storm that constantly washed away what had been there only a moment before, and left behind something barren and unrecognizable?”
  • “I felt as a bird must feel when it has flown across the ocean and comes upon a creature that knows its nest.”
  • “We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.”
  • “Being sent out into the world isn't necessarily the same as leaving your home behind you.”

First Sentence

Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that had happened a long while ago, and I said to you, "That afternoon when I met so-and-so ... was the very best afternoon of my life, and also the very worst afternoon."

Authors & Contributors

  1. Arthur Golden (Author)
 

Books with Additional Background Information

List the books that contain additional information about this book.

Books That Influenced This Book

   
  • The Remains of the Day
  • The Tale of Genji
  • The Tale of Genji

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