"memoirs of a geisha" is definitely a great read. i found myself going through the pages quickly, and was sad when it was over. the movie wasn't as great as i thought it would be, but i enjoy seeing movies based on books i've read.

so, what do you all think of the book?

Doesn't look all that great, but I just bought the book today. I'll start on it after I finish Dan Brown's Deception Point.

It's the best book I've ever read.

It was hard for me to believe that the author is an American guy when the "narrating voice" is clearly a Japanese woman.

I've never read feelings described in such detail and so real before.

if you read the author's biography, then you can understand why he wrote the book the way he did. apparently he studied japanese in college, and even visited there as a child or something like that. i can't believe it's his first book though...

I really liked it; it was well written and so detailed. However, I didn't really like the ending that much; it seemed kinda anticlimatic.
However, the book is better than the movie, IMO.

Love this book. But I thought it got boring around the last 100 pages.
I was only interested in Chiyo/Sayuri becoming a geisha.

loved the book. the movie sucked -_- the girl that played saiyuri (the grown up one not the little kid), no offense was bad for the part. i liked all the other characters fine.

^ that's Ziyi Zhang... her English isn't really that good.

Well, let's stick to the book.


My favourite character in the book is the Chairman. He appears so little, yet plays an important part.

YES YES YES
I've read the book three times. It's one of the best books ever. It's so descriptive and such, and as Winnie said, it's hard to believe that the author is an American man. He obviously knows alot about the japanese culture.

Anyhow, the movie was pretty good. They weren't very descriptive on some subjects. Like Granny, for instance. They showed her once in the movie, and didn't mention who she was. And how they added the okiya burning down, and Hatsumomo running off. In the book, she sort of threw a tantrum and hit someone, and then got "kicked out".

Overall, book = better.

^ because it's original.

Haha, Cassie, I knew you would post here. :P

i only watched the movie its good! tom cruise is hot in there

I love this book. Read it a long time ago and I think its absolutely wonderful. Very well written and quite interesting.
Mind you, I absolutely love Japanese culture, so that helped my opinion as well.

... Tom Cruise?
Hello?...

... Tom Cruise wasn't in Memoirs of a Geisha...

^ maybe they're thinking of Last Samurai...

I read it. I'm glad I did read it since I saw the movie beforehand. it's gotta be one of my favorite books now.

I started reading it like around January, but then I had to stop because when I went back to school we have books to read as a class. Although I started reading it again this week and I really like it, it's definitely one of my favorites. I'm only half way through it though. & I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm planning on it after I finish the book.

Oh, I love Memoirs of a Geisha! I read it last summer. My friend, Ai told me that I absolutley had to read it. Its great. And Oh, do I hate Hatsumomo!

And people, are you thinking of the Last Samurai? lol...Tom Cruise was NEVER in Memoirs...

lmao. Tom Cruise. Hah. I just pictured him in a kimono. Not a good mental image.

But anyways, I read the book. It was very nice. I just didn't like the ending. It made me kinda sad for some reason. But I'm glad Saiyuri got the man she wanted in the end.

oh i love it!

It was one of the best books I've ever read.

I really liked the movie, but I haven't read the book yet...

I have the book.. planning to read it sometime. And I want to watch the movie as well.



However, I promised myself that I had to read it before I watched it.

eh..i thought it was okies..kinda boring for me...

I'm only on page 27 but I like it so far.
When I finish reading the book I'm going to go get the movie and compare.

I'M ON PAGE 1. I just picked it up.

I started reading it a little and got through like 10 pages.
It's an okay book so far, but I find it often too descriptive.
So detailed that I get bored really easily and start zoning out.
Also, I watched the movie before I started reading the book, so it's hard for me to read it since I keep comparing the two plotlines.

Yeah, everything is so detailed and has some simile relating to it. Nontheless, it's a good book. I finihsed it in two days.

The book was so much better than the movie.

I know this is an old post, but I just finished reading "Memoirs..." about a week ago, and Im completely in love with it. Its one of those books you just fall for imediatly, its so tragic, and romantic, and heartbreaking all at the same time.

My only problem with it is that it seemed almost too "fairy tale" for me, I strangly enough wanted her to end up with Nobu. It just seemed like what was supposed to happen, her entire life had been so bittersweet, and in the end it just ends up perfect.
Dont get me wrong, the ending was AMAZING, as was the entire book...but it just seemed like the ending was a little awkward for the book.


I havent seen the movie as of yet though....any good?

<3 rememberTHEforgotten

This book instantly became one of my favorite books of all time. It is so expertly detailed and metaphoric. I loved every single moment of it. The writing is so delicate and complete and the writing style was one different from other voices I have read. The setting was vivid and the characters were memorable. I was completely blown away when I read it. It's pure sophistication in words.

i liked it, it's alright. that guy that slept with the virgin geishas and kept their dried blood was kinda gross and creepy though.

I wished it showed a little more... emotion. But it had a really interesting writing style, and it really propelled me into the story. I could imagine everything amazingly. Although, I did see the movie first so it probably influenced that.

I thought that the movie didn't do enough justice to the book. I didn't like how towards the end, they inserted the American soldiers instead of sticking with what happened in the book. Oh well. I guess it's expected if it's going to be shown and made in the West.

I did notice that the book lacked emotion, but if you think about it, it totally fits Sayuri's/Chiyo's "liquid" personality. Her life just flows, like water, and there isn't really in her character (since she's the narrator) to be warmly passionate or to let fly a fiery temper. She is cool and composed, like water (well, water as in a stream. Water as in an ocean storm is waaaaay different. XD).

i'm going to have to read it for school. around aprilish.

i read it over the summer
its really good
and sadd
i loved the book wayyy better than the movie. The movie skipped some important parts

It did lack emotion, but it also lacked cohesiveness. The book felt so detached, and I don't think her transition from high-class geisha to a poor woman in warring Japan was quite fulfilled. (If I'm getting this part wrong, correct me, it's been a looong time since I've read it.) It may be because I wasn't paying very close attention to the book by that part, but it felt awkward that she went quite that low.

And I disagree about her being "cool and composed", or like a stream. I actually imagined her personality a lot more like a very fast river going downhill; she really can't help where she's going. That annoyed me, that she never really took control of her life.

But I did like the book, the descriptions were positively lovely and the subject matter was something I've never heard of before. My friend disputes the authenticity of the book; saying that the author (geez, I can't even recall his name) made geishas seem like whores, but I think he did a really good job showing the differences between the two.

ermm i saw movie..kinda..only the beginning and miscellaneous parts...ihts okayish..

I got the book Christmas of 05, and I absolutely loved it. I'm thinking of re-reading it, if I have the time. The movie did a bad job of portraying the book, imo, but then again that almost always happens.

nope! i've just seen the movie!!
really awesome !

I going for movies better than books..

i've seen the movie and i really enjoyed it..
i don't know about the book though.

i should read the book then since you guys are all saying it's good?

saw the movie and did not understand it.

it was probably because i was doing something else on the computer while watching it.

I'm in the middle of reading this book actually =)
lol, well more like, in the first few chapters,
she's still about 9 years old.

So far it's pretty great.

I have read a few pages of the book but I saw te movie of it. It was absolutely fantastic!

I should finish the book, if I have time.

I loved this book ! And I agree, the book was a lot better than the movie.

book was awesome, but the movie kinda skipped over things too fast.
too many details were missing. but all in all, its a great story!!

One of my favorite books, hands down.

wtf am i the only person who was bored to death by this book.

I DOOOOOO!
It's such a great book, I was literally hooked from day 1.