tots 100 book club - memoirs of a geisha

I absolutely adore reading a good book,

not just an okay book,

but the sort of book where you get completely immersed and absorbed

and you find excuses to avoid the real world until you've finished.

The sort of book where you go to bed early

and stay in bed late in the mornings

just to read a little bit more.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden was just that sort of book for me.

I couldn't put it down

but then as I realised I was nearing the end

I would limit myself to only a few pages at a time

because I didn't want it to be over.

It is a great story which I found completely fascinating.

If you're after escapism then it's the perfect book

because the setting of 1929 to post-war Japan

and it's traditions and cultures are like another world.

It tells the tale of a young girl from a poor fishing family

who is sold to a geisha house.

She is treated cruelly and worked as a slave

but as she grows her beauty makes it clear that she could be better utilised by the house as a geisha.

The book shines a light on the lives of these mysterious women

and the traditions they adhered to

and the way they lived.

I found the book completely extraordinary and utterly enchanting

and if you haven't read it then I'd highly recommend it.

I'm recommending it specifically to Katie at Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three

who will receive a copy to read and hopefully enjoy like I did.

The Tots100 Book Club is where bloggers share their favourite stories. Every month, the Tots100 invites 10 bloggers to tell us about stories that have moved and inspired them – and to share their favourite books with another blogger. Each month, we’ll be publishing a round-up of the Book Club’s recommendations over on the Tots100 site, meaning you need never be short of great reading inspiration again!

(Geisha picture found via Pinterest. For original source click on photograph.)