Chiyo and Satsu , as destiny would have it , are separated thanks to Bekku et al , who ensure that the sisters no longer can meet one another without risking their life.
As luck wouldhave it , Chiyo turnsout to be more "fortunate" and lands at an okiya , the Nitta Okiya .. Apart from the usual helpers and girls training to become Geisha , there is the abominable granny , appears-to-be-better Mother and ofcourse , the fairly considerate aunt who offers to beat Chiyo rather than let her suffer at the hands of Granny and goes on to actually beat her!
What Chiyo endures is brought out beautifully in really simple English with no fancy-sounding words.. and ofcourse , just when Chiyo seems to have made it to the school for to-be-Geishas , there is the pain of having to put up with the beautiful and yet devilish Hatsumomo whose only purpose in life seems to be destruction of Chiyo..
Chiyo's only friend seems to be Pumpkin.. But how long will this friendship last?
And there is the Chairman , who arouses feeling Chiyo has never known..a ray of hope that carries Chiyo through everything..And things start changing, when a popular Geisha ,Mameha decides to let Chiyo do her apprenticeship under her guidance ..and thus is born Sayuri!!
But what prompted Mameha take a decision as this one? What will Hatsumomo's course of action be , now that Sayuri can be threat with Mameha all determined to make Sayuri famous,further fuelled by the fact that Mameha has her personal reputation at stake and her challenge with the Mother..
The rest of the story is all about Sayuri's struggles to make it big and realize her dreams which have been a part of her ever since she met the Chairman.. the fights for her misuage..Things become complicated with Nobu taking an interest in her and the war happening when the General , supposedly her dana, backs out from providing her any support of any kind..
Nobu before leaving Sayuri in the safe hands of Arashino,a kimono-maker , gives her a "block of stone" , which when he asks her back can mean only one thing..that he would become her dana ..
And then , it happens..Nobu asks her for it , after the war..
Does Nobu become Sayuri's dana? Does she suppress her desires and fantasies? Does she let go of the Chirman as just a part of her past? Or does she fight back? Will she disgrace herself just to make her dreams come true?
A beautiful story. More beautifully told.Very simple but it surely is worth a read.Liked everything from the tipsy-house as Chiyo puts it when she describes her house on the cliff to the description of the kimono.
It has a class of its own.
And a lot informative too.
Like a very dear friend of mine said " I read it during clinics.. it is worth it!"
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1 comment:
true priya, its worth reading it..difficult to stop until u finish reading.
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