memoirs of a geisha

[Lynx]

anyone read memoirs of a geisha? i started it a bit ago, im about 50 pages in and i gotta say, i really love it! what do you all think?

[Locke]

It got a little too..."graphic" for me by the middle.
But different people have different oppions of the book, some hated some loved it. Hope you enjoy reading it!

[Anime Dad]

I read it, and I loved it. I am fascinated by the Japanese culture of the time.

[Lynx]

I read it, and I loved it. I am fascinated by the Japanese culture of the time.

me too, although i've heard somewhere the accuracy is debatable.

[Anime Dad]

I'm not sure about that. Actually, I should have said i'm fascinated by Japanese culture in general

[Doe Johnson]

I've read it, in fact it is like in arms reach of me right now. I enjoyed it. I don't think it was as great as some people claimed it was, but I still liked it. Didn't get to see the movie, it wasn't in any nearby theaters - I would have had to go to Wichita and I'm NOT driving in Wichita!!! Do you think/know they left out the very ending sequence out of the movie? I've heard the abridged audio version too and they left out everything after the drop of sake...if anybody can actually remember that detail... I just thought it sounded like something they might leave out of the movie.

[AnubisWerewolf]

Somehow I ended up with like 4 copies of the book. I think they multiplying in my house like bunnies. I really need to read it though. Might see the movie first though.

[Ashley]

I absolutely LOVED this movie/book. I say slash because I adored BOTH of them. The book I plowed through in about a week, and I loved the movie so much I watched all the special features. It's probably my favorite movie ever, for aesthetic reasons if not historical accuracy. Really, the whole thing was just beautiful to look at.

As far as accuracy goes, Liz Dalby--the only western woman (to date) that's ever become a full-fledged geisha--was a consultant for it, so I'm sure they were pretty close. Also, a lot of the actors (that weren't chinese...=__=;; ) had geisha in their family, so I'm sure they had some motivation to do the research.

[Angel37]

[quote="Ashley"]I absolutely LOVED this movie/book. I say slash because I adored BOTH of them. The book I plowed through in about a week, and I loved the movie so much I watched all the special features. It's probably my favorite movie ever, for aesthetic reasons if not historical accuracy. Really, the whole thing was just beautiful to look at.

As far as accuracy goes, Liz Dalby--the only western woman (to date) that's ever become a full-fledged geisha--was a consultant for it, so I'm sure they were pretty close. Also, a lot of the actors (that weren't chinese...=__=]
I'm so with Ashley. Both my sister and I ADORED both the book and the movie. It was SO stunning! It was like a dream that you know once existed!

[Sayuri]

I was not very fond of it... Locke said, it was alittle too graphic in the middle. I also found very boring, because of the slow paste it went. It took me a month to finish it.

[Mimiru14]

I just finished the book not too long ago and I loved it...It also filled me in on things that confused me in the movie...

[memmer66]

I'm in the middle of it (stopped reading for a bit because my parents think geisha are only Japanese prostitutes). So far I like it but it has too much sex in it, still a good read.

[Nate]

[quote="Ashley"]As far as accuracy goes, Liz Dalby--the only western woman (to date) that's ever become a full-fledged geisha--was a consultant for it, so I'm sure they were pretty close. Also, a lot of the actors (that weren't chinese...=__=]
This is old, but I feel compelled to respond. The movie was based on the novel by Arthur Golden, and was related to him by Mineko Iwasaki.

Author Arthur Golden interviewed Iwasaki while researching his novel Memoirs of a Geisha. According to Iwasaki, she agreed to speak with Golden on the condition that her involvement would be kept confidential, but Golden revealed her identity by mentioning her name in the book's acknowledgements, as well as several national interviews. After Memoirs was published, Iwasaki received criticism and even death threats for violating the traditional geisha code of silence.

Iwasaki felt betrayed by Golden's use of information she considered confidential, as well as the way he twisted reality, and denounced Memoirs of a Geisha as being an inaccurate depiction of the life of a geiko. Iwasaki was particularly offended by the novel's portrayal of geiko engaging in ritualized prostitution. For example, in the novel the main character Sayuri's virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder. Iwasaki stated that not only did this never happen to her, but that no such custom existed at all in Gion.

So according to the woman who related the story, the movie is grossly inaccurate. I figured as much. For that reason, I find the movie to be very distasteful for adding in that element, probably for nothing more than fanservice, and have no interest in reading the book for the same reason.