Von Kruzpe Kruzpe itibaren Bandhane Pada, Maharashtra 421503, Hindistan itibaren Bandhane Pada, Maharashtra 421503, Hindistan

I got an awesome tattoo from this book.

Here I am...years and years later (FINALLY) with a review of one of my favorite books. I am so intrigued by the colorful, rich culture of other ethnicities, so when I saw a trailer for Memoirs of a Geisha, I just had to go see it. Yes, I saw the movie first (for all of you book snobs). Anyhow, I was totally awed by the beauty of this movie. The story line, the unforgettable characters, the costume design, the set--EVERYTHING! After the movie, I immediately went out to find the book. Although the book is pretty substantial in length, I read it from cover to cover in a matter of days; I just couldn't put it down. Immediately upon opening the book, I was drawn into the mysterious, hidden world of Gion Geisha of the 1900's. As amazing, colorful, and engrossing as the movie was, the book was in a league of its own. It was detailed to a science, the characters had even more personality and wit, and because everything isn't laid out before us as it is with the movie, my own imagination was able to run wild--creating my own scenes and giving faces to the characters that didn't appear in the movie. The movie did the book justice, but because of the book's great detail, it was almost a different story. There were scenes in book that weren't in the movie. And there were oh so many scenes in the movie that were so manipulated and altered for the sake of the movie. On another note, one of the reasons why I'm so in love with this literary work of art is because it has had such a HUGE, lasting impact on my life. I know, I know, you want an explanation. Here it goes: so much of who I am on this very day--and what I practice in the art of feminine grace--is because of Memoirs of a Geisha. By reading this book, I learned that a Geisha's goal was to become a moving work of art. Because of this, it has been my personal goal to consciously add grace to everything single thing that I do. This book has been instrumental in the cultivating of my feminine grace. I've learned so many lessons from reading this book, but this essay, err, I mean book review is long enough, so I'll wrap it up. All of these years later, I am still smitten and impressed that a middle aged Caucassian male could write so expertly, creatively, and vividly beautiful from the perspective of a prominenet, young, Japanese Geisha from Yoroido