Memoirs' tells a captivating second story between the exquisitely crafted lines of the central tale. Themes of survival and ambition, of exploitation and renewal filter through this parallel narrative into the reader's consciousness.....

The 'memoirs' of one of Japan's most celebrated geishas describes how, in 1929, as a little girl, she is sold into slavery, her efforts to learn the arts of the geisha, the impact of World War II, and her struggle to reinvent herself ...