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Excerpt from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

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Memoirs of a Geisha

by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden X
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
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  • First Published:
    Sep 1997, 434 pages

    Paperback:
    Jan 1999, 434 pages

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At last my father said my name in a whisper. I went and knelt beside him.

"Something very important," he said.

His face was so much heavier than usual, with his eyes rolling around almost as though he'd lost control of them. I thought he was struggling to tell me my mother would die soon, but all he said was:

"Go down to the village. Bring back some incense for the altar."

Our tiny Buddhist altar rested on an old crate beside the entrance to the kitchen; it was the only thing of value in our tipsy house. In front of a rough carving of Amida, the Buddha of the Western Paradise, stood tiny black mortuary tablets bearing the Buddhist names of our dead ancestors.

"But, Father...wasn't there anything else?"

I hoped he would reply, but he only made a gesture with his hand that meant for me to leave.

Use of this excerpt from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden may be made only for purposes of promoting the book, with no changes, editing, or additions whatsoever, and must be accompanied by the following copyright notice: Copyright© 1997 by Arthur Golden. All rights reserved

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