The movie Memoirs of a Geisha was actually adapted from the novel, Memoirs of a Geisha written by Arthur Golden. The novel was published in 1997 and is described as a tale that “tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.” The plot is set in the geisha district of Gion in Kyoto. The story ever contains references to actual places in the district that are frequently visited by geishas and such. The novel received much praise for its success, though there were some critics as well. After its release in 1997 it had two years on the New York Times bestseller list. More then four million copies have been sold in English and the novel has been translated into 32 different languages worldwide. It was even said that the story gave false information about a ceremony that was mentioned in the book called a mizuage. But all in all, as Kristyn Starr said in her review of the book, “The ultimate message of this book is; rely on yourself because everyone else will fail you.”