japan as found in memoirs of a geisha

who was your favorite character from the novel?

sayuri / chiyo	42.4%	[ 61 ]
hatsumiyo / pumpkin	6.9%	[ 10 ]
hatsumomo	9.0%	[ 13 ]
mameha	25.0%	[ 36 ]
the chairman	8.3%	[ 12 ]
other (say who and why in your post!)	8.3%	[ 12 ]
Total Votes:			[ 144 ]

[hatsu-miiyo]

first of all, a poll: who was your favorite character? i'm caught between sayuri and mameha, but i think each of the main characters has its own merits.

sayuri is a priceless heroine. her demure nature with determination hidden under the surface, all the trials she endures throughout their life - i would not be surprised if many chose her.

hatsumiyo, better known as pumpkin (her geisha name is never mentioned in the film) is endearing to me. she seems eager yet faltering, an adequate geisha but never measuring up to her big sister hatsumomo or her peer and former friend, sayuri. the nasty turn she takes at the end angered me, but you can't help but feel sorry for her.

hatsumomo... such a snake. well-developed character in the writing, that's all i can say. i hated her with a passion throughout both the movie and the book. in the movie (i don't recall it in the novel) an attempt is made to garner pity for hatsumomo, the whole "she loved once" bit. didn't work on me.

mameha... such elegance. in the book, she was not much older than hatsumomo, but in the movies she appeared to be much more adult. it fit the maturity and grace of her character.

the chairman, such a man. he orchestrated little chiyo's entry into the world of geisha, it is for him and because of him that she became lovely sayuri. as geisha are the wives of twilight, it was not 100% happy ending that they came to be together, but i was glad of it nonetheless.




as for the book itself, it was a pure joy. i was caught up in it until the very end. the vision that arthur golden creates is gold. the beauty and mystery of this delicate and forbidden mini-society within japan kept me captivated. and you?

discuss:

differences between the book and movie, which you liked more.
the world portrayed in memoirs of a geisha.
what you liked and did not like, about the story or specific characters.
to expand on that: what did you think of the portrayal of japan?



do not discuss:

(actress who played sayuri in the movie) ziyi zhang's ethnicity.

[Baptista]

I don't particularly like books written about Japan by a foreigner.

It always seems a bit weak to me, so I avoid them.

[Lady Sarine]

I thought both the book and the movie did a very good job of portraying how Japan changed during the war.

[genome-a-peeking]

I simply love that book. It's so amazing.
But my favorite character would be Mameha. She just seemed so.. perfect in comparison to Hatsumomo. I seriously wanted to beat her with a stick.
And I don't know, Sayuri seemed kind of bland to me. neutral

[Fujiko Kurokawa]

Baptista

I don't particularly like books written about Japan by a foreigner.

It always seems a bit weak to me, so I avoid them.

I feel this way too. I liked the book, but damnit I hated the costuming in the movie.

[vaidah]

This book was so amazing. I was a little disappointed when I saw the movie, though, cause I feel that they changed some plot points that really needed to be unchanged. Like making the beginning seem like a horrid kidnapping of children.

The story felt so real to me that it was hard to keep telling myself it was all fiction.

Mameha is my favorite character because she was so independent and kicked so much a**!

[pamiekins]

I actually loved Hatsumomo as a character.
She was probably the best villian I've ever read.

[JustAnotherFallenAngel]

That movie captured my heart. I absolutely loved it.

The chairman is my favorite character. Not only is he handsome, but he is kind and calm. I love his soft and caring personality and the way he speaks to people like they're the most important person he's ever spoken to. heart

[Anne Boleyn-Tudor]

I think I am really like Sauri (she is also my fav. character but I like them all). The book seemed so real that I thought Sauri was wrighting it untill I saw on the cover who wrote it and that it was fiction.

[Billie Reina-Aya Poynter]

I could only finish half of that book. I tried to re-read it again, but I eventually gave up.

[Chiuka]

I really liked the book a lot. I've been obsessed with Japan's culture and language for a long time so it was wonderful to get to read a book about Geisha. I loved Chiyo/Sayuri-san she was a wonderful character. I had pity for Hastumomo-san and Pumpkin-san. I couldn't hate them but I wasn't happy with them either. The owners of the Okii I disliked with a passion and the Chairman....He was ok, I liked him more than Nobu-san. I thought the way the author showed Japan was wonderful. I thought the movie was really nice to but, as it usualy is the book was better. The movie is the only movie based on a book I've seen to keep so close to the plotline. I wonder how Arther Golden was able to get into the head of a women so easily?

[Stardust Phoenix]

Interesting point, Chiuka. But I suppose it isn't too hard to get into the opposite sex's mind. I'm female and have a better time writing my males believeably then my females. My females are bland and stereotypical. My males are...quirky.


I love the book, and found it beautifully written. And the colors and acting in the movie were magnificent as well.

[aa_beatrix]

I liked Hatsumomo the best because I thought she was a great evil character. In the movie I was dissapointed a little because of course they didn't include stuff that was in the book. D: I did like the movie though. : D

[Syonanto]

Hmm, I must say I liked - after Sayuri, of course - Mameha. She remained strong and never faltered throughout the entire book; even when it was the Baron, her own danna, who gave the highest bid at one point for her younger sister's mizuage. By the end of the book, Sayuri and Mameha really DID begin to see each other as sisters even if they weren't linked by blood. And I think Mameha was much more of a sister as well as influence to Sayuri than Chiyo's actual blood related sister.

[Stardust Phoenix]

Forgive me, its been awhile since I've read the book, but didn't Chiyo's sister abandon her after they were initally separated?