It's been a while, probably not since the last Harry Potter book that I read a couple years ago, that I have been so engrossed in a book. The web group that I coordinate for Yokosuka Navy families has started a book club, and Memoirs of a Geisha is our first book. I began reading the book just a couple days ago and am already half way through. Yesterday the ladies in the book club all got together in Maborikaigan for a book gathering and it was so great! We discussed the book and ate tasty food prepared by Nicki Corry (who, by the way, has her own cooking site called Nicki's Kitchen).
Although this book would undoubtedly be great if I were reading it back home in California, reading it here in Japan, while I'm still processing the culture, has really been a wonderful literary experience. I've actually been so inspired by the book that I'm planning a short trip to Kyoto in a couple months. Kyoto is the city that is the setting for tale of the book's fictional geisha. Although the tale in the book is fictional, one of the real Geisha of Gion has published an autobiography and contributed heavily to book, Memoirs of a Geisha. I do plan to read her book sometime soon.
I am also looking forward to seeing the film once I finish the book, however, am preparing myself for that inevitable let down that happens once you read a great book and then see someone else's interpretation on screen. I've heard that the movie does not closely following the story in the book, but is a great film in it's own rite!
If you are looking for a great book to read that will hold your attention and even shock you at times, Memoirs of a Geisha should be at the top of your reading list!
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