| Book Review | Memoirs of a Geisha.
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"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 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." - Arthur Golden.
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It has been a week since I finished reading this book and I'm still struggling to put it down into words. Before I began reading, I was under the impression that this was a non-fiction. A true story that found a way to be told to the readers. But to my disappointment, it didn't turn out that way. It's a fictional work but beautifully told nevertheless. At more than one instance, I was startled by how well an American author has managed to describe the Japanese culture. I was always fascinated to know more about Geisha and what makes them so subtly lovely. In more than one way, this book made me feel sad but there were also instances of little joys that came when I least expected it.
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This story is about Chiyo, who later becomes Sayuri. Little Chiyo having been born into poverty to a grief stricken father and a sick mother soon learns that life isn't what she thought it to be. Her fascination with the village's known businessman, Mr Tanaka soon leads her to believe that she and her sister will be adopted and will be sent to Kyoto. But as it turns out, Mr Tanaka will later drop the girls in Kyoto to get them trained as Geisha. Chiyo, being only nine years old at that time misses her sister and family while she is entrusted upon chores by the Okiya. Things only turn sour when the current and only Geisha in her Okiya is hell-bent on destroying Chiyo. Hatsumomu feels intimidated by Chiyo's beauty and her strange eyes and wants her gone immediately. But Chiyo finds a guardian angel in Mameha's form.
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Mameha who was considered as the best Geisha in all of the Geisha districts at the time steps in to help Chiyo and to throw Hatsumomu from her seat of power. Chiyo follows Mameha's instructions and soon starts turning heads of both men and women as she passes along thr streets. Her unique love story, the one for the old chairman whom she meets on a terrible day keeps her going to become a renowned Geisha. One may find it strange for a teenager to fall in love with a middle aged man but it is that love which turns Chiyo into Sayuri. This novel is detailed with it's description of Geisha training and how girls from a very young age are trained to be the best of the best. About how they are even beaten up and cheated by the Okiya members and how Westerners often consider Geisha as prostitutes.
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When I pictured a Geisha all I knew was the painting on their face and their iconic dance. Through this book, I had the chance to know the sweat and blood that goes into becoming a Giesha. Although this book mainly focuses on Chiyo, Arthur has done a significant job in explaining Japanese culture in detail. Their food, clothes, style and number of superstitions that they folllow are nicely wrapped up in this beautiful novel. One may find this book lengthy and even a bit intense but it is this that I loved most about it. It took me almost a week to wrap it up but it was worth all the time. I highly recommend it.
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Rating - 4.7/5.