Reading History Part VI: Memoirs of a Cinderella err Geisha

 Part VI: Memoirs of a Cinderella err Geisha

Last week I watched a movie titled Memoirs of a Geisha which is, yes, based on Arthur Golden's book. I have read the book perhaps in 2005 or 2004, possibly around the time the movie came out, being curious about the Japanese culture. I sort of liked the book, at least the beginning of it, but then it quickly became robotic and droned on and on.  (Warning: Spoilers alert.)

It is a typical Cinderella-esque story of a poor young girl from the fishing village. She gets sold and through one man, the Chairman, she becomes THE ULTIMATE AND POWERFUL GEISHA! (Banzai!) In the end she ends up in America and that's all I understood.

First of all, as far as I know, no such thing as a Japanese with blue eyes exists. (As far as I know, even if an Asian gets married to a blond haired blue eyed Caucasian, the child will most likely end up with black or dark brown hair and dark eyes...)

Second of all, I disliked that I never got to find out about the sister.  This is a book, not real life. If you're going to introduce the plots, please update the readers. (One of my pet peeves...) When I read books, I want to know everything.

I think with everything else, such as Geisha training or the petty fights between Sayuri and another Geisha before her and then Sayuri's Geisha life after her losing virginity to Dr. Crab, including the WWII, is, well, boring to be honest. The author didn't capture the girl's voice accurately, and there is also a sick factor at the idea of the Chairman sleeping with a girl who is possibly twenty or thirty years his junior. (At least for me.) And the fact that she likes him and continues to want to be with him?! Not realistic for female of any age or race or religion. Unfortunately because I read awhile back, I remember very little of the novel so I'm sorry that I can't be more specific.

The movie was horrible. First of all no English subs, second of all the whole talking in English and Japanese. (Either remove Japanese Language completely or completely remove English language, but don't have both!) The actors, although talented, felt forced into their roles and were more worried about speaking English rather than emoting correctly. A lot of stuff got cut from the novel, (such as surviving through WWII, or Nobu's bigger role in the novel,) and they should have ended at a restaurant or something where Sayuri told the story completely to the male character.

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