Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden
I read Memoirs of a Geisha for the first time eight years ago when it was first published. I remember falling in love with it then, with the painful artistry of the lives of not only Sayuri, but all of the geisha. They are beauty in motion, living works of art, whose wrists are considered erotic and whose moments are captivating. Just the pouring of tea is a dance - can you imagine?
I saw the movie recently and loved how the actors brought these quiet and powerful characters to life. I had forgotten much of what I had read years ago, so I came home from the theatre, found my hard back copy and began to re-read it immediately.
It is the rare book and author who is so good I want to read a book again. I've always figured there are millions of books I'll never get to - why would I spend time reading a book for a second or third time? I remember now - because some paths are so rich and wondrous they're worth travelling again.
One of the things that amazed me about this book is - it was written by a white American guy. I could have sworn a Japanese woman was telling this feminine tale. Here's a taste of the language from the early pages of the book, "During those first few days in that strange place, I don't think I could have felt worse if I'd lost my arms and legs, rather than my family and my home. . . I remember one moment drying rice bowls in the kitchen, when all at once I felt so disoirented I had to stop what I was doing to stare for a long while at my hands; for I could scarely understand that this person drying the bowls was actually me."
Yes - see the movie - and yes - read the book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. On the Book Beat for KSL Newsradio, I'm Amanda Dickson.
