Memoirs of a Geisha

5 stars for SURE. This was a fantastic book about something that I have no knowledge of. My extent of Japanese history does not extend past an art history class that I took when I was a senior in college. A refreshing change to my usual historical novels, this book was incredibly tragic but summed up in a tone of ‘this is just how life is'. The cultural differences and the absolute resiliency of women in Japan in both the past and present cease to amaze me. The telling of this story was truly a look inside some of the deepest roots. The impacts of actions and how all things are intertwined in this culture, as well as the setting taking place during World War II just magnified the tragedy. It was really heavy to hear the author basically say that her life is not her own. Duty over love, and hiding of emotions. Very raw and intimate. I would highly recommend this book and will continue to seek out the subject matter to learn more in additional research and novels.