This beautiful, epic and thoroughly engaging novel chronicles the life of a woman who was sold into slavery by her father after her mother dies, and rises to become a beautiful and famous geisha. The writing is well-paced and richly descriptive, and the subject matter is a fascinating mix of history, cultural exploration, and fiction. I found this novel to have some helpful stress management features:
Distraction:
This book is a real page-turner that effectively transports you from your everyday stressors and frustrations to another time, another place, and another life. Whether you just want a few minutes of ‘mental vacation’ or an hour or two of escape, it can be reassuring to know that this book is waiting for you.
Perspective:
As you watch the characters go through their difficulties and challenges, you may realize that most of our everyday stressors are comparatively minor. Even major stressors like feeling trapped in a dead-end job or undervalued in a relationship, for example, can seem a little less hopeless when compared to being forced into slavery, beaten for something that you didn’t do, or some of the other dire situations these characters navigate. Comparatively, we have many freedoms and options in our lives.
Inspiration:
Watching the characters, especially the main character, persevere through all this adversity with varying degrees of success, maintain hope when things seem hopeless, and become stronger when all seems lost, can inspire us to be strong, hopeful, and true to ourselves in our own lives.
I also quite enjoyed the movie that’s been based on this book, but I would still encourage you to read the novel. It goes deeper and adds more of an escape, and it’s nice to have a portable stress management tool that you can carry with you. I found myself both happy and sad when I read the final page.
