The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates …
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. - Publisher.
I really enjoyed the book overall, but in retrospect it never really ascends to greatness. The circus of course is the main character of the book, and while it's very stylish and enchanting, it never really has any depth. The book is just long enough to sustain the illusion of profundity that it's only in looking back one realizes that nothing is ever much made of any of the individual characters.
So wonderful. It feels like trailing your fingertips along as you walk. Soft and rough and smooth and cold and sometimes almost a bit too intense, so it makes your fingertips tingle, but sometimes like a fleeting touch of a loved one. Absolutely love it.
There aren't many surprises in this book. You can see the major plot points coming from quite a distance, so they lack punch when they land. In my opinion it's still four star worthy because of how effectively the author fuses the sense of wonder throughout the narrative.
Posted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Actual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I have found that one of the most satisfying feelings in the world is coming upon a book which helps you rediscover what it is that you love about reading and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus was able to do that for me. What I love most about this novel is that while it is a love story, it isn't strictly a love story. There are so many other elements and factors in play - other people who are ultimately affected by this unseen battle being waged between Celia and Marco. Morgenstern’s style of writing in this novel is just as magical as the characters and the world she created. I admit that I had difficulty with the style at first, I kept wanting to experience everything from either Celia or …
Originally Posted: August 29, 2014
Posted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Actual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I have found that one of the most satisfying feelings in the world is coming upon a book which helps you rediscover what it is that you love about reading and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus was able to do that for me. What I love most about this novel is that while it is a love story, it isn't strictly a love story. There are so many other elements and factors in play - other people who are ultimately affected by this unseen battle being waged between Celia and Marco. Morgenstern’s style of writing in this novel is just as magical as the characters and the world she created. I admit that I had difficulty with the style at first, I kept wanting to experience everything from either Celia or Marco’s point of view because they were the focal point of this battle, this story. Yet, when I reached the end and finally understood how and why this story had developed in the way it had…it blew my mind and it just made sense. The ending gave this story a perfect sense of completion.
I want to take a moment to discuss the love between Celia and Marco. The first thing I noticed about their love was, I think, one of the most important factors of a realistic relationship which can be looked over and that is time. It took time for the love between Celia and Marco to grow. Now, I know that one could argue that their love was a complete whirlwind, but I truly don’t believe that was the case. The two of them had been bound in this battle since their childhood and openly competed against each other within the circus venue for many years, continually responding to the moves of the other. Each item created a silent message to the other, almost as if each was a letter awaiting a response. Eventually, the exchange became filled with more depth, more meaning, more emotion and a love was able to grow from that. The idea of love growing over time between two people through simple exchanges, or in this case complex magical ones, isn't a difficult or unrealistic concept. In fact, I would wager that a love developed in this way over time would be far more realistic and stronger, than some of the seemingly more whirlwind love stories found in other novels. That isn't to discount the love stories of other novels, on the contrary sometimes a good whirlwind romance is just what a person craves, but there are times when the steady and more realistic type of love story is going to win out.
The other portion of Celia and Marco’s relationship that I adored was their desire to take control of their own destinies. Rather than continuing to be pieces in a larger battle between their teachers which had been going on for many years, they took control of their own fate and ultimately found a way to be together. I was genuinely hoping for them to find a way that they could both survive this competition and be together. This is the type of reaction I hope to gain from reading, I hope to genuinely feel for the characters involved and Erin Morgenstern did an excellent job of eliciting emotions in her readers towards her characters.
As I stated previously in this review, this book is a book which was able to reaffirm what it is that I love about reading. I love the experience of reading about characters I truly grow to care about and reading a story which does justice to reality by not glossing over the complexity of real life even with the presence of magic. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in need of a good book to curl up with and read.
I started out liking the book. The descriptions of the agic and the circus seemed promising, and the jumping around in time wasn't that hard to follow. But as the story wore on, it seemed the more words I read, the less got described. There was no in depth descriptions of the magic beyond what we learn in the beginning. And at more than halfway through the story, neither the reader nor the main characters are at all aware of how this game they are playing is supposed to work, all because their abusive parent-figures won't tell them. And even the READER doesn't get to know why. No one is privy to any vital information except two very deeply unlikable characters who quickly become boring in their mysteriousness.
This book is billed as a romance, which is my least favorite genre, I only picked it up because …
DNF at 59%
I started out liking the book. The descriptions of the agic and the circus seemed promising, and the jumping around in time wasn't that hard to follow. But as the story wore on, it seemed the more words I read, the less got described. There was no in depth descriptions of the magic beyond what we learn in the beginning. And at more than halfway through the story, neither the reader nor the main characters are at all aware of how this game they are playing is supposed to work, all because their abusive parent-figures won't tell them. And even the READER doesn't get to know why. No one is privy to any vital information except two very deeply unlikable characters who quickly become boring in their mysteriousness.
This book is billed as a romance, which is my least favorite genre, I only picked it up because no other source I read about it said it was a romance. I was willing to give it a chance though since I'd heard so much good about it. However, the characters that are supposed to be end-game spend about 55% of the book making absolutely no contact at all, ever. One of them does't even know who the other IS.
When Marco first meets Isobel, it's set up like she knows more about illusions and magic and such things, and that she's hiding something. I believe Marco notes that Isobel sounds like a fake name. In that moment, I thought for sure that Isobel was Celia in disguise and THAT would be the moment their ill-fated romance starts. That was not the case, however, and Isobel turns out to be nothing more than an amateur Tarot reader, who really serves very little purpose. Why have Marco enter into a relationship with a random girl when we know already she is not his opponent, and therefore not the one he's supposed to fall in love with? And then he just casts her aside with NO WORD TO HER after he hangs out with Celia for more than a minute one nigh, and decides he's in love with her. Even though they only see each other once every three or so years. Ok.
I wanted to like this book. The descriptions of the circus from the eyes of outsiders was fun, and I loved reading about the twins, but ultimately, this book offers very little. There's no substance to it, and it promises flair without delivering. I decided it was't worth my time to push through it.
A fantasy about magic. And love. I normally don't like fantasy, considering it merely a form of science fiction in which the author gets to make up the rules as she goes. But in this one, that was the whole point. And it was the protagonists who kept changing the rules of the game. The end result was, literally, magical.
At first you think this is a story about the circus. Then you think it is about a contest between two skilled competitors. But it's about magic. And relationships. And so much more. And it's beautifully written. Don't go into this book expecting action--it's a slow start. Allow the gorgeous descriptions to fill your imagination. Delight in the details. In fact, read this book, then read it again. The seemingly loose plot threads tie together at the end and give you the beautiful present that is this book.
Highly recommend if you love fantasy and good writing.
The descriptions are plush and evocative. The occasional use of second-person--"You walk into a tent filled with snow..." makes the description even more immersive. The magical circus is so fully imagined, not only sounds and sights but textures and scents. It is a five-star fantasy setting; I'd count the setting among the best I've read.
However, this is a good book to read in small parcels, maybe 4 or 5 chapters at a time. When I read it for long periods, the description really bogs down and left me wanting more plot and narrative. This was not a page-turner until 4/5 through the story.
If you can get into what I think the author is trying to do...to make the circus itself into the main character without resorting to making the tents talk...you will enjoy this book.
Oh man. This is right in bullseye of the kinds of books I look for.
Normally this would be the kind of story I'd expect from an old-school Clive Barker, or a more sedate China Mieville, but it's not horror, and it's not a sweeping urban fantasy epic. It's about two wannabe demigods who have nothing better to do than to place bets on who can field the better pupil, a millionaire who unknowingly concocts their arena, and the potentially ill-fated pawns who are forced to play their parts as combatants before they become lovers.
The writing is the best part, which I can only described as "measured breath". It rolls and surges and recedes like a symphony. Morgenstern chooses words well; they're not tangled up like Mieville's, but they still manage to paint as clear a picture as Mieville can. No part of this book dragged, which can be …
Oh man. This is right in bullseye of the kinds of books I look for.
Normally this would be the kind of story I'd expect from an old-school Clive Barker, or a more sedate China Mieville, but it's not horror, and it's not a sweeping urban fantasy epic. It's about two wannabe demigods who have nothing better to do than to place bets on who can field the better pupil, a millionaire who unknowingly concocts their arena, and the potentially ill-fated pawns who are forced to play their parts as combatants before they become lovers.
The writing is the best part, which I can only described as "measured breath". It rolls and surges and recedes like a symphony. Morgenstern chooses words well; they're not tangled up like Mieville's, but they still manage to paint as clear a picture as Mieville can. No part of this book dragged, which can be a problem when a less skilled author attempts to write in such a melodic style, which made me never question that I'd finish this book, and quickly (by my personal account).
Partway through and I like the story, but not the writing. Here's an example:
"Some in the crowd smile knowingly, while others frown and look questioningly at their neighbors. A child near you tugs on her mother’s sleeve, begging to know what it says."
The combination of present tense with putting the reader into the story is awkward to me.
...
Finished the book. The story gets good enough later in the book that the awkward writing is less noticeable, otherwise this would be a two star.
The characters aren't particularly complex or fleshed out, and because of the time dilation associated with the circus there's no urgency. But the sensory imagery is incredibly rich, and in that regard the impoverished characterization and lack of urgency contribute to The Night Circus's "photo album" quality -- readers get to wander through a particularly gorgeous photo album, but it belongs to a stranger so there's only a loose sense of how the photos fit together. (Thus the frequent comparison to Steven Millhauser?)
This book scratched my itch for fantasy, even if it was wrapped around a 'boy meets girl' storyline. This book is the cousin to what would happen if wizards from Hogwartz were able to perform magic in front of Muggles, but instead of a quick duel the competition could last for years. Once romance was put in to the mix my interest decreased a bit but the purpose of the circus and understanding the competition more was more than enough to keep me going. An interesting concept for a story and am glad I gave this book a chance.
The Night Circus was a delightful read. I was quickly drawn in by the characters and the magic and Erin Morgenstern did a wonderful job of introducing the circus before it even existed in the main plot. I enjoyed how this established continuity through the book and really heightened the feeling of the circus' presence. After reading The Night Circus, it feels almost as though I have been there and the feeling I still carry is like a faded memory. I would definitely recommend this book as a quick read, because it was not an easy story to put down once I was immersed in it.
