I consider myself a lover of all books, but every once in a while a book comes along that I just can't get over it. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is definitely one of books. I acquired this book long ago and just recently decided to give it a chance. The first few paragraphs were bland and I wasn't sure about it, but once I got past them I literally could not put the book down! 499 flew by over the course of only one day!

Brief Synopsis: Based in the 1920's, the novel focuses on a girl named Chiyo who lives with her sister, ill mother and aging father in a poor town called Yoriodo. Chiyo is described as beautiful with her strange blue eyes, while her sister (6 years her senior) is considered 'pudgy' or 'average'. Chiyo's father soon sells the girls to a man named Mr. Tanako, a man they think they can trust. Mr. Tanako then sells Chiyo to an okiya ( a Geisha House) and her sister is sent to a brothel because she isn't nearly as good looking as her sister. Chiyo's life in the okiya becomes almost unbearable with the senior Geisha Hatsumomo causing her great misery. Chiyo finds her sister Satsu and they hatch a plan to run away together, but Chiyo gets caught and she never see's her sister again. The story then goes on to tell of Chiyo's hardships in the okiya and how she eventually puts her past behind her and becomes the breathtaking Geisha known as Nitta Sayuri.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars out of 5. This is a book I will always consider one of the best books I've ever read.