Lovely Lies

Believe it or not, I've never seen the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha." I don't know why this surprised friends of mine when I told them this recently, but it did. If you're wondering why the topic even came up, it's because when I was asked what I'm reading I told them Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Their first response was, "Didn't you see the movie?"


No. I didn't see the movie. Believe it or not, there are some movies I haven't seen. I especially avoid movies that were books first, to be honest. If I hear a movie is great, and find it was a book first, I go get the book. Books are always better because no director or actor or computer animation can come close to what my perfectly good brain conjures up when I read.

So, back to my current reading selection...

Actually, I just finished the novel. To be exact, I got up at three this morning...just so I could finish the book before I started my regular day. And, yes, I enjoyed it that much. I love the figurative language in the book. I also love that it's written as a first-person narrative. It is one of those books I have tabbed with several sticky notes to mark my favorite passages. I also find it to be quite a fascinating cultural and historical lesson.

When I closed the book at the end, I sat in my favorite reading chair and let it soak in. I smiled to myself and felt quite satisfied that it was a good read. I had enjoyed the characters, absorbed the surroundings the narrator had described throughout the book, and I was very glad I'd read the novel.

That feeling lasted a few precious moments...

And, then, although I wanted to fight it, my logical brain kicked in. My research brain gave a shout, too. Normally, this is something I like about myself, but just this once I wanted to let something go at face value,...but I wasn't able to do so. My brain just wouldn't allow it.

You see, I began making a connection between SO many similar stories. The first one that came to mind was the movie "Pretty Woman." I couldn't resist, I looked up the date of the movie - 1990. The date of the novel? 1997. While one is an American 'fractured fairy tale,' the Japanese one is too similar to ignore. It's simply set in a different country and a different time. Other than that, there really is no other differences worth mentioning.

I was tempted to hang on to what I was feeling, frustrated by a society that still tries to sell us a package of lies about what love and loyalty and 'happily ever after' should look like. I mean, if a prostitute and a geisha can find real love in this world, it shouldn't be that hard for everyone else, right? Yeah, right.

But I didn't. I didn't hang on to that feeling. I let it go...

While I know it's all lies, even I admit they're lovely ones. And, as long as I see them for what they are, there's no harm done if I indulge in little 'suspension of disbelief' now and then. Who wants to feast on a dose of reality all the time anyway? ;)

Happy reading!