Is anyone else completely dumbfounded by how quickly these last few weeks have flown by?! My dissertation is due in just under two weeks and, it honestly feels as though I were starting University only five minutes ago, let alone my final year! I truly hope you all enjoyed last week’s ‘Book of the Week’ which was, of course, Sophie’s Choice by William Styron. For me, this novel is a heartfelt classic and something you should absolutely read at least once in your lifetime. I have a list as long as both of my arms of novels that are deserved of the promotion of ‘Book of the Week’ and, I cannot wait to share them all with you!

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LIBrary’s ‘Book of the Week’ – Sunday 18th March – Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 

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Next up, we have Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden’s debut novel and, a truly remarkable first effort. Turning the first page, you will meet Sayuri; a young Japanese woman who was sold to an ‘okiya’ [geisha boarding house] in the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan when she was just 9 years-old. Throughout this novel, Golden expounds an astonishingly authentic account of the life of a Japanese geisha and, in doing so, strips away Western myths about geisha’s and fashions a tale as compelling as it is convincing.

Introducing us to a world like no other; where a girls virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are taught to enchant powerful men; and where love is scorned as nothing more than a fantasy, Sayuri glides readers through arduous training and ceremonies of geisha apprenticeship as well as the rigidly controlled structure of households and relations.

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Erotic, suspenseful and truly unforgettable, Memoirs of a Geisha is a unique and sublime work of fiction. I highly recommend reading the novel before watching the film adaptation.