Memoirs of a Geisha (film)

Last night I watched Memoirs of a Geisha. It's been so long since I read the book (about ten years ago) that I don't remember enough details to know how faithful to the book the film was. Although I thought the movie was really well made, visually appealing and a good story, I kept feeling like I'd be more interested in the story of a more realistic, ordinary geisha.

Chiyo was the best geisha in the city, whose virginity had the highest bidding price ever. She loved a prominent man, lived in extraordinary times (World War II) and ended up with her true love in the end. But what about all the everyday, nothing-special geishas? What were their lives like? What about the geishas without dannas or eyes the color of rain or the best mentors possible? Why just hint that rape is a possibility and let the heroine escape it? At times I felt more interested in Pumpkin, because she seemed like a more realistic character. Although this is a good tale, I guess I'm just more interested in the historical aspects of how this system, which was a form of slavery, affected regular women.