Autobiography of a Geisha question

Several reviewers wrote that the book was very "sincere," or "truthful," or "difficult," and I started to feel like these were euphemisms for "depressing." Truthfully, I think depressing is a good word for it, because her life is such a litany of sadness and misfortune. Masuda had many times in her life when she was starving and cold, even sleeping on the street regularly, and as much as she hated being a geisha, at these times she thinks back on when she was well-fed and lived a soft life, then curses her past as a geisha, because it was not her choice, and she was not free.

So Monica Akinyi Odhiambo (one of the 5-star reviews) said she found Masuda's "strength and passion" inspirational, and I agree with that. Maybe what I found most inspirational was how she stood up for her own dignity, and some of the unlikely allies who she found, like the Korean gangsters.

However, I'm wondering if maybe her story is also sad because she passed up opportunities to be loved, or at least be in a supportive, maybe slightly more egalitarian relationship, because she was so dogged by shame? I sense also that sometimes she feels herself that she is an incredibly spiteful and bitter person, like when Cockeye first becomes her danna, she writes, "I'm not so certain that I did have guts, but I was spiteful to the core."

I'm still reading the book, but I wonder if some people actually felt disgusted, or just horrified by some of the things she did, and did not find it inspirational for that reason?