Advertisement
Advertisement

The Geisha and the Monk

The Geisha and the Monk
by Julian D. Bound
Sol Publishing (e-book)

John Locke recently became the first self-published author to sell a million books on Kindle. Debate raged. Is Locke a pioneer, beating nasty publishers at their own game? Or a warning that the market is about to be flooded with bilge? The Geisha and the Monk is also self-published, and in some respects I am glad to have it. Rather flowery and emotionally soupy, this tale of romance and spirituality shuttles airily between two characters from different parts of 19th-century Asia. Born near Kyoto, Momoko trains as a geisha in Tokyo. Tenzin is raised in a Tibetan village and struggles to become a Buddhist monk. Their paths cross - in San Francisco. While the narrative progresses pleasantly, Bound's prose has been fatally influenced by the excesses of Paulo Coelho. Fond of a poetic flourish, he indulges in cod-profound analysis: 'Their souls entwined within the lessons each gained from one another, considering the significance behind their meeting and of what more they might learn from the other.' Eek. I have no doubt of Bound's sincerity, but that alone does not great art make.

Extras: none

Post