Book 2 Wrap-Up

When I discussed Memoirs of Geisha with my mother, after finishing the book, she didn't seem to remember a ton of the details, since she read it quite a while ago, but their were still some things that stood out to her, even now. She remembered several of the characters that had been described so vividly in the novel, such as Mother, and could still recall how the character was described so hideously. She also told me that she had seen the movie based on the book several years ago, and that her expectations had not been met when it came to many of the characters, who were so well-described in the book. Additionally, she just felt that the entire book was so descriptive that it painted pictures in her head, and I would have to agree with that statement. I thought that the book was well-written and entertaining, and the author certainly created a world that you could easily become lost in. It seems that, overall, our readings of Memoirs of a Geisha were fairly similar, in that we both read this book at about the same pace, and especially that the main thing we appreciated about this book was the descriptions the author used to transport your to Japan. Upon starting this book, I didn't really expect much to come from my reading of it, but, after reading it, I think that it was a good suggestion on my mom's part, and am glad that I had the opportunity to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a good read.

Book 2 Impressions - Blog 2

I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha and, I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The book was fairly easy to read, and was an interesting read as well - the story flowed pretty smoothly from start to finish, and didn't drag much throughout. This book was so descriptive and realistic that, at times, I forgot that I was reading a fictional book. According to the author though, this book is purely fiction, although he was able to make it so realistic by interviewing a Geisha named Mineko Iwasaki. By interviewing this once-Geisha, he was able to see clearly what life as a Geisha was actually like, and, therefore, was able to accurately portray the life of one. Like the other book I read, The World According to Garp, this book is just a life's story, from the beginning onward. However, unlike John Irving's book, this one seemed to have more of a purpose - more of an actual story to tell. Whereas the other book seemed to include everything in the main character's life, from birth to death, this book seemed to have more of a point to it - a goal that the main character is aiming toward, and ultimately reaches. I had seen the movie version of Memoirs of a Geisha a long time ago, before I read the book, and so I had somewhat of an idea of how the story line would progress before I even started the book. However, there were parts throughout the book that I hadn't remembered or expected, such as how WW2 affected the characters and their lives. After finishing the book, though, I am glad that my mother suggested it to me, because I really enjoyed it.

Book 1 Wrap-Up

To wrap-up my reading of The World According to Garp, my dad and I watched the 1982 movie, in addition to a discussion. While the movie was just okay, we both felt that the novel was much more interesting and descriptive than the movie was. My dad said that I read the book much more quickly than he did as a sixteen-year-old, but, other than that, our readings seem to have been fairly similar. Neither of us had really specific favorite parts of this book, but rather just enjoyed the book as a whole. He agreed with me that the book kind of has no climax, and kind of just keeps going forward, for better or worse, until the end of the characters' lives. However, while we didn't really have favorite sections of the book, one thing that did stand out to us both were the Ellen Jamesians in the novel, due to their interesting and odd description, and their somewhat critical role in the book. In fact, this led my dad to buy a CD by a band named after the Ellen Jamesians. After watching me read the book, and having watched the movie again, my dad now wants to re-read The World According to Garp. Even though this book may not have been the best I have ever read, I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a good read, because I liked the book and thought it was interesting. In fact, after reading this book, I may continue on to read more of John Irving's novels, which is, in part, why my dad suggested I read this book.

Book 2 Impressions - Blog 1

So far, I have read just over half of the 448 pages in Memoirs of a Geisha. Before starting this novel, I, for some reason, didn't think that I would really like it, and the very beginning of the book led me to believe the same thing, due to its dullness. Thankfully, however, the farther I am getting into this book, the better it is. The story began to pick up pretty quickly, and began to interest me. One thing that I have liked about Memoirs of a Geisha, so far, is that it is straight-forward and easy to read. This book is different from the first book I read, The World According to Garp, because while that book felt that every word was specifically constructed by the author, this one feels more like a straight-forward story. I'm looking forward to finishing this novel and seeing how it concludes, as well as possibly watching the movie.

Book 2 Interview

For my second of two summer reading books, I interviewed my mother, who recommended to me Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden. She read the book as an adult, soon after it came out in 1997. She enjoyed the book, and also enjoyed the movie based upon it, which came out in 2005. My mom said, however, that the book was much better than the movie, due to the detail and content. She found this book very interesting and fun-to-read, and thinks that I will feel the same way about it.

My mom usually only reads easy, younger books, due to reading boring material all day at work, and so this novel stood out to her as being significant, simply because it was a full--length adult book that she easily finished and thoroughly enjoyed. Since reading this book, my family has visited Japan, and so my mom also thought that this book would be an interesting subject matter to me, and that I may be able to better understand its content.

Book 1 Impressions - Blog 2

I finished my first summer reading book, The World According to Garp, by John Irving, and I ended up enjoying it. Throughout, it wasn't a very exciting book, but it became more interesting and easier to read as the book continued on. In the end, it was still just a book about a man's life and death, from start to finish, but it was well enough written to hold my attention and interest me in possibly reading some of John Irving's other novels. One thing about this book that I wasn't necessarily a fan of were the stories within the story. Because the main character of the book is a writer, every once in a while they would give you a short story, or a chapter out of something that the main character had written. I didn't really feel that this was necessary to understand the character or the plot, and it sometimes seemed a distraction to what was really occurring. I did, however, like how the book ended - with an epilogue. The epilogue pretty much just told what happened to every character after the story 'ended', most of the time including their death. Although I don't usually care for epilogues, I felt that this one went into enough detail that it nicely wrapped up the story. 

Book 1 Impressions - Blog 1

I’m a little more than halfway through with The World According to Garp, and, so far, I am enjoying it. Despite being a long novel, the author’s writing style keeps it flowing and easy to read. The book isn’t necessarily very exciting, and is kind of just the story of the main character, Garp’s life – from beginning to end. There doesn’t really appear to be a climax or one specific important moment, but just the chain of events that make up his life. Every time something seemingly significant occurs, and it feels like the book could easily come to a close at that moment, the book just keeps going. I wonder if the end of the book will feel like a definite ending, or if it will just be like the rest of the book has been. Despite the somewhat anti-climactic nature of this book, I am liking reading, and am looking forward to finishing it, and am curious to see the movie that was made based on this book.