When my husband’s cricket season rolls around the corner, my Saturdays exist only in the vicinity of a cricket pitch and clubhouse. By this, I mean I spend my entire Saturday playing Victoria Beckham on the sidelines (yes with my big sunglasses) watching the sport and reading a book.
I was recently captivated by the enchanting geisha world of Japan in Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. This fiction story, although based heavily on facts, is the journey of a young girl named Chiyo who starts off as the daughter of a fisherman and ends up becoming one of the world’s most renown Geisha. Sounds like a fairy tale story, however the trials and tribulations left me almost desperate for a happy ending.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the world, which I was also a victim to, is that geisha are Courtesans (prostitutes for the upper and aristocratic class) when in fact they are not. The word geisha actually means art person or artisan. They are trained from childhood in dance, music, and conversation with excellent discipline; discipline is something which the western world we live in, could really use a heavy dose of.
The misconceptions however I don’t think are too dumbfounded, as there are hints of a courtesan nature but I felt as if even they are presented with such respect and dignity.
After reading the book, I was so enchanted by the descriptions that I was dying to see the movie and it’s portrayal. Of course, movies never tend to follow the book, but I found it satisfying to my senses. The vibrancy and beauty in the movie matched really well with what I had envisioned.
A Cinderella-like story, which left me immersed page by page, I would definitely recommend.
