ks (which is a LOT, mind you), I decided to read this. No, I haven't watched the movie yet (I know, I know, you don't have to say it...) so I thought of reading the story first. When I have the time (and the books on hand), I usually like to read the book first before watching the movie so I could compare and see how faithful the movie was to the story, check the authenticity of the characters, etc. I did this with the Harry Potter books, Jurassic Park and other novels. Sometimes, I'm happy with the outcome of the movie, but other times, I wished they followed the book more thoroughly. But anyway, that's just me.So far, I am enjoying this book a lot. The author, in the beginning of the book described the difference between an autobiography and a memoir. But I think the way Sayuri's story was told was wonderful. It was as if she really was telling the story herself (could already hear her voice whispering in my ear as I went from page to page) and the author just arranged the whole thing from start to finish. Sometimes, I could already imagine the little fishing village of Yoroido and the streets of Kyoto as she vividly described it. I could imagine the smell of the fish, the sights, the colors of the kimonos, life in the okiya and how things were back then. It truly is a wonderful book. My only disappointment was knowing that Sayuri is no longer alive to regale us more about her life back then...
I am really looking forward to finishing this book. I am currently halfway through it after starting to read it just 2 days ago. Already, I have learned so much. It was fascinating to read about superstitions like women and fishing do not mix and sparking a flint on the back for good luck. I find the second one fascinating because I saw this done in a Japanese tv drama Gokusen and I wondered why it was so. So now I know. But then again, I don't know HOW it is interpreted as good luck. I'll have to research on that later on... I also learned about how geishas learn about the different arts like singing, dancing and tea ceremonies. It really
is like opening the door to another world.After I read this book, I think I will take some time to absorb the stories in it. I have a small notebook that I keep with me so when I read about something interesting, I write it down and look it up on the internet and read more about it later on. After I'm done with the book, I will do this. Maybe I won't watch the movie immediately after I read the book. I think it will be like killing whatever fascination I had with the stories in the book. So maybe I'll watch the movie in a month or two (okay, I'm silly but that's the way I am =D). I was kind of thinking that I wanted Nakama Yukie to be Sayuri in the movie instead of Zhang Ziyi. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't like her but I just think that it's fitting to give a Japanese role to a Japanese woman, right? But maybe I'm a bit biased because I just like Nakama Yukie a lot and I think she would look really pretty in the movie. =D But anyway, when you do get a chance, read this book and be prepared to be blown away to another world. =D
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