“The circus arrives without warning.” This line kicks off a novel that is a whirlwind of description, decadence, and mystery. This is The Night Circus review.
“The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones.”
― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
Book Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publication Date: 2011
Genres: Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, Gothic Literature
Goodreads Rating: 4.04 Stars
My Rating: 5 Stars
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 performers 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.
1. Ignore the blurb. Honestly, if I wasn’t such a rule follower (even if I’m the one making the rules), I wouldn’t have included the blurb at all. Yes, this book is about a “circus”, although the circus looks nothing like Barnum and Bailey’s. Yes, there is a competition, but it is definitely not fierce. Yes, there is a love story, but you won’t really get to it until the end, and you’ll still doubt if it’s real. The only thing that’s honest about that blurb is that it is a “feast for the senses”, because holy moly.
2. A feast for the senses. This novel is BEAUTIFUL. The descriptions of the circus made me want to be there, walking around, seeing all the sights and eating all the popcorn. You can practically feel the cold in the Ice Garden, and I felt distinctly uncomfortable reading about the contortionist. I am a plot reader, and I tend to skim long-winded descriptions, but this one just captured and held my attention.
3. What about the plot though? Listen, I normally don’t like novels without plots. This novel does have a plot, albeit a slow-moving plot. This novel spans decades, and it jumps back and forth through time. The “fierce competition” is more like a chess game — and a slow one at that. The “deep and magical love” doesn’t really feel deep or magical, just slightly problematic. The arc of the story, and of the circus, is very distinct… you know when you are in the highlight of the circus and when you are experiencing the dismantlement. It doesn’t take away from the story; it just serves to enhance the richness of environment.
4. So why read it? This story created a world that I never wanted to leave. Don’t read it for the great magical duels or the gripping love story — you won’t find it and you’ll be disappointed. Read it for the subtext, the hidden clues, the twists and turns, and the beauty of the circus. It is definitely worth the journey.
The night circus thrills and surprises, and it left me wishing I could experience it firsthand.
“Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case.”
“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”
“People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.”
“Secrets have power. And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person, will change them. Writing them down is worse, because who can tell how many eyes might see them inscribed on paper, no matter how careful you might be with it. So it’s really best to keep your secrets when you have them, for their own good, as well as yours.”
“We lead strange lives, chasing our dreams around from place to place.”
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