⋙ Libro Gratis Geisha A Life Mineko Iwasaki Rande Brown 8601400334614 Books

Geisha A Life Mineko Iwasaki Rande Brown 8601400334614 Books

Download As PDF : Geisha A Life Mineko Iwasaki Rande Brown 8601400334614 Books

Geisha A Life Mineko Iwasaki Rande Brown 8601400334614 Books

I found this a fascinating book, filled with glimses into the culture and customs of Japan. I knew little of Japan before I read it, but Mineko filled in many gaps and clarified many misconceptions.
She was the most successful geisha (actually "geiko") of her time--beautiful, graceful and determined. And yet, she grew tired of the life, and retired at the very early age of twenty-nine, ending the ancient Iwasaki line.
She begins her book with her early childhood and her reasons for becoming a geiko. She takes the reader through training and all it's rigours through to her enormous success. She alludes to her disillusionment with the geiko life, and to her attempts to reform the educational traditions, but does not specify any of these. I was disappointed in that, for, having watched her mature in this book, I would like to have known more about her reform attempts, to have seen her in that role.
Geisha, A Life is not the most well-written of books, which could be due to either author or translator. But then, that doesn't really matter. Let's face it. . . no one reads an autobiography for literary merit. Autobiographies are read in an attempt to KNOW the writer, and in that aspect, Mineko succeeded--I felt like I was ending a conversation with a good friend when I closed this book.


Tags : Geisha, A Life [Mineko Iwasaki, Rande Brown] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. No woman in the three-hundred-year history of the karyukai has ever come forward in public to tell her story—until now.<BR><BR> Many say I was the best geisha of my generation,Mineko Iwasaki, Rande Brown,Geisha, A Life,Washington Square Press,0743444299,General,Geishas - Japan,Iwasaki, Mineko,Japan - Social life and customs,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Entertainment & Performing Arts,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY General,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Women,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & AutobiographyPersonal Memoirs,Biography & AutobiographyWomen,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Entertainment & Performing Arts - General,General Adult,Non-Fiction,Personal Memoirs,Women,BIO005000

Geisha A Life Mineko Iwasaki Rande Brown 8601400334614 Books Reviews

I loved this book! I could not put it down. I learned so much about the geisha culture/lifestyle. It's an amazing story and easily one of my favorite books.
This is a memoir of Japan's foremost geisha. I loved this book and will read it again. It tells of how geisha girls are picked and groomed for their profession. They are not prostitutes; simply entertainers, and very skilled ones at that. Anybody who loves Oriental culture will love this book.
This book is written by a true Gion Kyoto Geisha, not a oiran courtesan or a hot springs geisha. She speaks about her training and sacrifices, her joys and sorrows as a Geisha. She is well versed in drawing the reader into her world much as she does in her banquets in the tea houses Very enjoyable.
This book was a beautiful memoir. I am appreciative of Japanese culture and customs, and this book teaches you so much.I have so much respect for this woman and what she accomplished. I read it in 4hours I only wish more biography's could be as immersive as this one was for me.
A must read. I got my first copy of this book maybe 7 years and bought this as a replacement since I've read it so many times is fallen apart. Just disappointed that the photos included in the middle aren't in color like in my first copy
Mineko's style of writing was a bit odd at first, yet soon found myself seeing, feeling, and sharing every experience she conveyed! I am in my mid 60 s and have had a love for all things Japanese since I was 3. I have read much about Japanese history, culture and beliefs over the years so perhaps it was easier for me to become so immersed in her story. I am truly grateful for her sharing this most extraordinary part of her life with world and wish her all the love and happiness her heart can hold. Domo arigato gozaimashita!
This is a fascinating look at a unique culture, as well as an engaging autobiography. The world of the geisha is completely foreign to people in the West, yet Iwasaki presents it with such clarity that we come to think of it as simply an artist's way of life, rather than some bizarre social aberration. She is forthright about the rigidity of the system and the need to rid it of anachronistic practices and restrictions on the women who work within it. She also does a great service in demolishing the all-too-common assumption among non-Japanese that geisha are expensive prostitutes. They are "women of art," trained from youth in traditional Japanese music and dance with which they entertain guests. Think of a ballet dancer, but one whose performances are done mostly at private parties.
I read this as a follow up to Memoirs of A Geisha, as she was interviewed by its author as part of the research. I found this to be much more enjoyable and a striking contrast to that book. Highly recommend it (although take her words with a grain of salt, as for anyone to contradict her claims, they'd have to break their tradition of silence like she did, and face the same negative feedback and responses.)
I found this a fascinating book, filled with glimses into the culture and customs of Japan. I knew little of Japan before I read it, but Mineko filled in many gaps and clarified many misconceptions.
She was the most successful geisha (actually "geiko") of her time--beautiful, graceful and determined. And yet, she grew tired of the life, and retired at the very early age of twenty-nine, ending the ancient Iwasaki line.
She begins her book with her early childhood and her reasons for becoming a geiko. She takes the reader through training and all it's rigours through to her enormous success. She alludes to her disillusionment with the geiko life, and to her attempts to reform the educational traditions, but does not specify any of these. I was disappointed in that, for, having watched her mature in this book, I would like to have known more about her reform attempts, to have seen her in that role.
Geisha, A Life is not the most well-written of books, which could be due to either author or translator. But then, that doesn't really matter. Let's face it. . . no one reads an autobiography for literary merit. Autobiographies are read in an attempt to KNOW the writer, and in that aspect, Mineko succeeded--I felt like I was ending a conversation with a good friend when I closed this book.