Memoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a Geisha
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1929 a nine-year-old girl named Chiyo is sold from her poor fishing village to a geisha house in Kyoto. Tormented by Hatsumomo, the house's jealous star geisha, she is taken up by a rival, the elegant Mameha, and trained in the arts of the geisha. As Sayuri she becomes one of the most celebrated geisha in Japan, while longing for the one man who was kind to her as a child.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read and became a worldwide bestseller. It's an immersive, romantic story set in a hidden world.
You'll love it if you liked
The Thorn Birds
The Help
OutlanderGood to know
It's written by an American man. The retired geisha he interviewed later sued him and wrote her own memoir, and some readers question how accurate it is. The 2005 film is gorgeous.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller66 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #56 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #318 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #638 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark
If you like this, read next
All the Light We Cannot See
The Underground Railroad
A Gentleman in Moscow
My Brilliant Friend
A Fine Balance
HHhHExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Memoirs of a Geisha worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read and became a worldwide bestseller. It ranks #638 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Memoirs of a Geisha about?
In 1929 a nine-year-old girl named Chiyo is sold from her poor fishing village to a geisha house in Kyoto. Tormented by Hatsumomo, the house's jealous star geisha, she is taken up by a rival, the elegant Mameha, and trained in the arts of the geisha. As Sayuri she becomes one of the most celebrated geisha in Japan, while longing for the one man who was kind to her as a child.
How long does it take to read Memoirs of a Geisha?
About 11 hours (435 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Memoirs of a Geisha?
If you liked it, try The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, The Help by Kathryn Stockett or Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.