Liked it about as much as the first. Still gonna keep reading them because they are simple and I don't have to put much thought into them. Good for traveling.

This book did have some great characters and a few heartfelt emotions, but...it is what it is. I enjoyed reading it, but never felt such a strong connection to the characters that I was particularly sad when it ended. But it's a cute story and I'll read the rest of the series probably.

Potential spoilers ahead, but nothing too serious.

The writing style wasn't my favorite. It seemed like Golden was intent on getting a lot of history into the book, and would go off on a historical tangent, then justify it by putting in a quote like, "Mameha told me about all of those things that afternoon." The book improved as it neared the end, but also the descriptions of her life got much less detailed. I just never really connected with the character as I wanted to - I was simply following her along in her life. Also, I felt that the war should have been a more significant part of the story. For Golden to be sooo detailed with her childhood and adolescence, then to just brush off her years during the war as "I spent 5 years there..."
However, I loved getting to learn about the life of a geisha. I appreciated that the author didn't shoot to resolve all of the issues, because some of them just couldn't be resolved. I can't wait to watch the movie now!

Great, but not exactly what I was expecting. I loved the writing, and I loved how it jumped between the present and the distant past. However, sometimes I didn't get the connection between the two (or three) points of view. Great read, and I read it since the movie is coming next year. It just wasn't fantastic.

Fantastic. I never was in a cathedral while reading it, sorry Mrs. Swisher. But I'll open it up when I'm in Notre Dame. Just for symbolic purposes, haha. It's long, but don't let it intimidate you. It's wonderfully written and well planned, and it's great for plane/train rides.