I've written this review over three years ago for my now non-existent book blog. Instead of scrapping all of the reviews, I think it is a good idea to incorporate it into my drama blog especially the ones I've made movie references to.
Summary: Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. NOVEL VS. MOVIE
After I finished reading this lengthy novel, I've become so captivated that I insisted to watch the movie right away (I actually got the chance to watch it after I've finished the novel). I didn't like it right away since I dropped the novel for awhile before actually finishing it in one go. The beginning was a bit slow-paced for me. However, the pace quickens when Chiyo finally understands her role; all of her family members are gone. So her only option now is to become the most renowned geisha. She almost lost her opportunity but she luckily met her savior. He encourages her and becomes her motivation to rise as one of the most successful geisha in Japan.
Summary: Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. NOVEL VS. MOVIE
