the voices in my head say...

I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golder based upon the advice of a wise woman. She said I would enjoy it given my interest in Japanese culture and the complexities of emotions, desires, and actions. The story is a fictional account of one geisha’s life from her childhood through the recording of her memoirs late in life. The book gives a detailed, but narrow, look into one aspect of the Japanese culture prior to, during, and immediately following World War II. The story is presented exactly as the title would suggest, as a geisha telling the story of her life near its end. Following with this style, the story’s events are seen through one person’s perspective; at times with mature hindsight examining the ignorance and/or blindness of youth while giving only small amounts of foreshadowing. I found the book to be entertaining and well worth my time.

Also based on the wise woman’s advice, I read the book prior to watching the movie. This turned out to be an excellent strategy. The typical end product of a movie based on a book is a condensed and disjointed collection of scenes highlighting the major plot of the story while making minor changes to help maintain something of an overall continuity. Memoirs of a Geisha is no exception. Visually it is beautiful. Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh give excellent performances, with Ziyi Zhang filling the lead role perfectly. The biggest drawback is as expected, the story had to be shortened and slightly changed to fit into two and a half hours. Overall, I did enjoy the movie, in part because I had read the source material first.