MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by ARTHUR GOLDEN

i just finished reading "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA" by Arthur Golden. it took me more than three days to finish because it really is quite long and even the chapters are lengthy too which makes me feel as though i've been stuck in every page (that is something psychological i guess). hahaha!

big thanks to dervs for lending the book! haha! 

i love the story! haha! seriously. it is not similar to the genre of novels that i'm fond of but i still was able to enjoy reading. the story revolved around culture, history, life, and love. 

it's about culture and history. what's cool is i learned a lot of things about japan and geishas as well. i barely know a thing about geishas, but afterwards, i was able to  understand what they are, what they do, and what it takes to be one of them. by reading the novel, i learned that being a geisha is actually no simple thing. it is more complicated than it seems. part of the story happened during the second world war, so the novel showed how japan was like before and after it.

another thing, by reading memoirs of a geisha, i felt like i got  oriented with japanese customs and culture. i learned that just like us Filipinos, they also are superstitious even with little things. i even encountered japanese words too, nihonggo. haha! it feels nice to not just be thrilled by the story but also by acquiring something you've not known about a certain culture, race or place. every time i learn something from what i watch, hear, or read, there's this certain enrichment i get. it's something that only my psyche can understand. i don't know if you get me, but that's how it really is. haha.

it's about life. and since the story was told through the perspective of Sayuri, a woman, it was easier for me to understand and sympathize with her struggles. it felt as though someone you  hardly know suddenly became close to your heart while she was revealing for the first time the story of her love and her life. every bit of event in Sayuri's course had something to do with her present and her future. her feelings were so contagious that whenever she is experiencing pain, i am also saddened by it; whenever she succeeds, i feel happy for her too. and since it started from her childhood days, i witnessed all the ups and downs she encountered, as in all! haha!

and of course, it's about LOVE. haha. what else would be more interesting than love. haha. Sayuri proved how much love can change and influence your actions and behavior. that's how i see her character. sometimes, she lets other people interfere with her love, but sooner she realizes that she won't get the contentment she's looking for until she does something to make things possible.

her eyes really are amazing. they are very distinct that anyone who sees her quickly takes  notice of her eyes. they are blue-gray. very uncommon. i have come to appreciate the beauty of her eyes while reading. haha.

i don't know. i just like it. i love how memoirs of a geisha was told. i was a voyeur for a moment as i sneaked to see everything that happened in her life. 

as i was going through the novel, these words made an impact to me.

I don't think anyone of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it. 

                                 --- Sayuri-san

what i learned from memoirs of a geisha? hmm, lemme think. haha. making things possible through your will, letting hardships shape you to be stronger, listening to what you really feel and going for what you really desire.

it is not really about what i learned. i am just glad as hell to witness her story. haha. that is it. :)


now, i am looking forward to see the movie. haha. soon.