MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

A friend of mine loaned MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA to me, and I have to admit it sat on my shelf for months. The small font, singled spaced text was far from appealing to my eye. My preference to soft cover books over hard also hindered me from reading it. Once I finally dove into it, I was swept away by a fascinating story.

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is brilliantly written with amazingly unique lines, and packed full of information, giving great attention to detail. The story is captivating, and intriguing, heartbreaking and heartwarming. It reads like a biography, though in actuality it's a wonderful fictional story packed full of non-fiction material. This book will draw you into the world of a Geisha, equally sad and fascinating.

Nine-year-old Chiyo and her sister were sold into slavery by their father while their mother was on her death bed. Thrown into the harsh world of the unknown, Chiyo soon realizes her only hope is to become a Geisha.

MEMORIES OF A GEISHA takes the reader on Chiyo's journey from a young sister and daughter, to the aches, pains, and relentless training required to become a Geisha. Each and every character is so well thought-out you'll believe them to be real.

Because the author was so detailed, I longed to see it visibly, and was tempted more than once to view the movie before I finished book. Within hours of completing the book, I watched the movie. It was extremely fast paced compared to the book, and like most great books, the movie couldn't compare, although I enjoyed it.

It was great to see the book come alive, but I would highly recommend reading the book before the movie. Though you get the visual details in the movie, many of them have little meaning without the knowledge of the details behind them. If you haven't read the book, but have seen the movie and enjoyed it, I recommend you read the book. You'll be fascinated by what you'd missed.