The first was an absolutely hilarious book by James Thayer, "The Man of the Century." The book is narrated by the "man of the century", a beefy fellow who grew up in the Irish suburbs of Boston, beat Teddy Roosevelt in a boxing match and was condemned to a rather interesting life. The narrator finds himself everywhere, from the American-Spanish war to the Boxer Rebellion to the First World War. Every page is hilarious, because everything that can go wrong to him does.
The second voice was that of a geisha trained in the old Gion tradition. Knowing nothing about geishas myself (I thought they were prostitutes, but they are more kept women than prostitutes), I can not tell you whether Arthur Golden really maintains the authenticity. The story, however, is impeccably told. You feel for the woman, even as she narrates a catfight with an older geisha of her okiya. That is a true test -- if you can stick with a woman as she tells you of the slights she has suffered, consider yourself completely enthralled.
The third voice doesn't quite rank with the first two. However, I've heard a lot more stories about the American, the Frenchman and the Scot than I have involving only two of the stereotypes. Three is a better number than two and that is the only reason the middling book, "Cardinal Galsworthy" makes the list. Narrated by a stammering English nobleman who rises in the Catholic Church, the book is a decent read. If you don't share my interest in Catholicism , you can safely skip this book.
The other two, however, you should try to find in your public library.
