REVIEW: Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
"You cannot say to the Sun, “more sun,” or to the Rain, “less rain.” To a man, Geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn of kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all, these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind."
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Memoirs of a Geisha is listed as one of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I have sufficient reasons to agree with this. I hadn't watched the movie before reading Memoirs of a Geisha until recently, or precisely, when I was reading halfway down the book, I couldn't resist not watching the movie first, I was eager to see how this Japanese culture was shown in the movie. The movie was good, but I find the second-half of the story (after WWII) was quite rush. A huge part of the story was amended too, perhaps, to accommodate the story within a considerable duration.
Anyway, back to book-reviewing.
What is geisha?
Before reading Memoirs of a Geisha, all I knew about geisha is japanese women who are prostitutes and they painted their faces white. In fact, "geisha" are not "prostitutes". These two terms are not interchangeable. "Gei" means art. Hence, the word "geisha" means "artist". Being an artist, a geisha must possess a particular skill of art, for example: dancing, singing or playing Japanese classical instrument(s). They are invited to company dinners or gatherings to entertain the guests by conversing, ensuring the party is going well, serving drinks or merely acting as a company. Of course, they are paid for these service, depending on the amount of time they spend in that particular engagement. It is important to know that, sex is not part of their service.
What is this book about? Basically, this book is about the whole life of Chiyo a.k.a Sayuri, evolving from a little girl to a top geisha in Gion. The story mainly consists of the hardships she encountered throughout her life in an unfair society. Do note that, Sayuri is a fictitious character. The author created this story based on the life experience of a retired geisha, Mineko Iwasaki, who in fact, had blue eyes. Sayuri became a geisha, not because she wanted to, but because she had no choice. Yet, she managed to enjoy her life as a geisha who got to meet and entertain the elites such as, politicians, artists, authors, company's directors. Sometimes, she even received precious gifts from these people.
***Some interesting information: Geisha Mineko Iwasaki actually sued the author of Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden, for using too much of her stories by including some details that were not agreed by the former to be published and also, for defamation of character.
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What kind of message has been expressed by this book?
I humbly think that, this book conveys a powerful message: In the midst of trials and adversity, though Sayuri failed to control her life, she was patient. She waited until the right moment and she stroke back, to fight for what she
had always wanted. It may appear to other readers that, she is kind of submissive and she admitted to her fate. However, I thought, this can be explained by saying that, Sayuri was just doing all of those things to survive in that era.
How do I find the writing style?
Despite some of the "hate reviews" on the author's writing style I read on Goodreads, I find it okay and I like it as well. However, I cringed when the author used "eel" to resemble a male's "manhood". Nonetheless, I think the book is very easy to read. I'm not really familiar with Japanese culture, but I think, this is a great book introducing it, specifically on geisha. I'm very much dazzled by the way Geisha practices in her career. Plus, managed to ensure every page is filled with beautiful and picturesque images. Truth to be told, I was tricked into thinking Sayuri did exist and this is her biography as the story was so vividly told.
What do I think of the plot?
Everything in the story was fine, I enjoyed the most when Sayuri was emerging from her "cocoon" to become an apprentice, and eventually, a geisha. However, I was a bit disappointed when the invasion of US army started. The compliment for US army was quite amusing too, as the author described the invaded US army 'throwing candies' to the local children. Also, despite the two major cities in Japan was atomically bombarded, there was no mention about
it in the book. Then again, it is a fictional book. I should not treat this book as a tool to understand a period of history. Besides that, after the war has ended, Sayuri's life was not as fun to read as previously, I felt that, the "level of awesomeness" of this story was substantially decreasing. To tell the truth, the second half of the book is just like the movie, it felt rushed. The story did drag at some point, but it wasn't unbearably bored. Although nothing really important happens throughout the story, but the plot was fascinating enough and I was keen to learn more about the geisha's life.
Any other important characters in the book?
As usual, there is a villain in this story, Hatsumomo, who was played by Gong-Li in the movie. She has hideous personality, though she is quite a beauty. She hated Sayuri the moment she realised Sayuri could potentially be her greatest opponent in Gion. Thus, her role in the story revolves around how she attempted to destroy Sayuri's career. Verily, I admire her wickedness and tactics in making Sayuri's life harder. She had adopted Sayuri's only friend, Pumpkin as her sister, but with her own motive.
Furthermore, there are two main male characters: Nobu and Chairman. I can't say I like them very much. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't choose one over another as I dislike the way men treated women, geisha or not, back in those days. Nonetheless, they are the reasons why Sayuri was willing to do all the things she was asked to do.
Verdict?
All in all, I enjoy reading this book very much. It is a realistically melancholy tale and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Rating: ★★★★★
Spoilers (stop reading if you don't wish to be spoilt)
One thing I don't comprehend is, how did Chairman fall in love with Sayuri all of a sudden when they rarely had "heart-to-heart" conversation except the part where he confessed his love??? Why did Chairman want Mameha to have Sayuri to become a geisha? Out of curiosity, I can't help but wondering what had happened to Hatsumomo and Satsu (Sayuri's sister) after the war.
