| Sayuri begins as a daughter of a poor fisherman and his wife who live a hand to mouth existence with their two daughters. Sayuri's life is filled with the ordinary events of a small village, which are described with great emotion and melancholy. After her mother becomes critically ill, a businessman named Mr. Tanaka takes control of the two sisters' lives and eventually introduces Sayuri into the life of a geisha. Kyoto, the town that she migrates to, is not immediately receptive to her arrival but soon people start noticing her talents and especially to her rare eyecolor that she inherits from her mother. She eventually becomes a very famous geisha, but it was not without challenges. She is, at first, apprehensive about even becomming a geisha then a man, The Chairman, changes that and the only reason for her to become a geisha is to win his heart. There is also an adversary in the scene, Hatsumomo- a beautiful, arrogant, more experienced geisha, who dislikes anybody who shows more prospectus than she does. But for every enemy, Sayuri has a friend- with the help of Mameha- a popular, experienced and highly intelligent geisha who also happens to be Hatsumomo's enemy, Sayuri makes the right connections, meets the right people and makes her way to the top relatively easily.
Influential men come in and out of her life-all but the Chairman are impressed by Sayuri. Men, dinner parties and entertaining into the night until World War II comes around. This changes her life upside down-from riches,she goes to rags. Even after the war, men show significan interest in her and she is relatively popular. But, she wants something more, something that completed her but she didn't have- she gets it: a happy ending for all who survived the war. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - upbeat Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Life of a profession: Ethnic/Regional/Religion Other aspects: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Woman's story? Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Female Profession/status: Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes Eccentric: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 () Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Japan Small town? Yes Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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