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A review by janaroos
Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda
5.0
*BC, 0-499, 500-999, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800-1849, 1850-1899, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, The Future
A simple, matter-of-fact story of a life filled with unfathomable neglect, suffering and poverty. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to read Memoirs of a Geisha after having read the realities of life as a 'country' geisha.
Despite the harsh deprivation (of food, money, respect, humanity) Masuda doesn't try to manipulate her reader, and doesn't depict herself as only a victim, or object of pity. She is not a saint who meekly suffered the kicks of others, but overcomes both her fate and her bitter coping mechanisms.
It's difficult to accept today that this is the life someone led, and that she was one of many. It depicts poverty that developed countries no longer know, thankfully. The kindness and peace that Masuda achieved in her latter years was extremely hard-won.
A simple, matter-of-fact story of a life filled with unfathomable neglect, suffering and poverty. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to read Memoirs of a Geisha after having read the realities of life as a 'country' geisha.
Despite the harsh deprivation (of food, money, respect, humanity) Masuda doesn't try to manipulate her reader, and doesn't depict herself as only a victim, or object of pity. She is not a saint who meekly suffered the kicks of others, but overcomes both her fate and her bitter coping mechanisms.
It's difficult to accept today that this is the life someone led, and that she was one of many. It depicts poverty that developed countries no longer know, thankfully. The kindness and peace that Masuda achieved in her latter years was extremely hard-won.