Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. A unique novel, narrated in first person, is a fictional confession of Chiyo/Sayuri, one of the most famous geishas in Japan, just before and right after World War II, a story about a beautiful girl with grey-blue eyes that was sold by her parents to a okiya, a geisha boarding house, as a servant.
This book is revealing the beauty and cruelty of being a geisha. The story is about the hard training, beautiful and insanely expensive silk kimonos, the high biddings for a mizuage ceremony, love, sex, cherry blossoms, jealousy, backstabbing and aggressive behavior from fellow older geishas that felt threatened by the younger ones and lots of "staying pretty" procedures. A great book of 728 pages, which I read in a weekend! I bought it on a Friday afternoon, went home after work, had dinner as quickly as possible and went to my room to read it. By Sunday evening I had finished it, with only 6 hours of sleep (4 on Friday and 2 on Saturday), the most colorful images inside my head and a sweet melancholy in my heart.
I strongly recommend it, especially if you are spending the weekend alone (hubby was doing his military service at that time) and you want to escape from this world without spending a fortune!
I read the book in January 2005 and by December of that same year the movie was released in theaters! So I rushed to see it right from the first weekend. With a great casting (Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh), a talented director (Rob Marshall) and breathtaking locations, the movie payed me off. And I should not forget the dancing scene! The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won 3: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. Here are some stills and posters of the movie and the theatrical trailer. Enjoy!
Images via:
http://themovieproject-moviefan.blogspot.gr
http://www.nicoletnelson.com
http://musicloversblogspotcom.blogspot.gr
http://onlyhdwallpapers.com
http://misstoptenimage.blogspot.gr
http://wallpoper.com
http://www.dbcovers.com
http://www.helloziyi.us
http://www.impawards.com
http://www.listal.com
Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day =)
