Memoirs of a Geisha was on my high school's summer reading list; I'm not sure what message they wanted to send to us with this novel, but overall, as a fourteen-year-old, I found the narrative fascinating - the references to nature fascinated me, the historical details differentiating geishas from prostitutes enlightened me, and I couldn't put the book down - I read it in one (long) sitting. 
 Now that I'm a bit older, I still enjoy the book; however, now I can identify some of the problems the novel dredges up. Those constant natural-world references smother the story a little and perpetrate that nature/Japanese stereotype so common in us Westerners. The whole novel tries to force itself to sound more Japanese which, I think, actually makes it sound less Japanese: nothing is more distracting than details that jump and scream, "I'M AUTHENTICALLY JAPANESE, I SWEAR." Sayuri identifies herself solely through men, particularly the Chairman, and I'm not sure if this is supposed to be perceived as her personal personality flaw or a stereotypical, submissive woman thing ... and I'm not loving this potential sexism. (view spoiler)[Sayuri falls in love with the US at the end, an odd bit that felt rushed - perhaps, as someone victimized by the "geisha system" she could come to love the US for not forcing her to continue in that roll. I get that. The novel, however, doesn't show that: she just loves the US and the very nice WWII troops that bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki (but it's okay, they gave the kids candy). (hide spoiler)] These issues spoil the illusion Golden spins. 
 Memoirs is a slow-paced, detailed read. The story is compelling and interesting; I just had to know what happened to Chiyo/Sayuri. I recommend reading it, but do so with a grain of salt - Golden's portrayal of Japanese culture rings with Americanization.