The Night Circus

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

4.28 out of 5 (179 ratings)

Format:
Hardback 
Pages:
400 
Publisher:
Vintage 
Publication Date:
15 September 2011 
Category:
Modern & Contemporary 
ISBN:
9781846555237 

Description

In 1886, a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, Le Cirque des Reves delights all who wander its circular paths and warm themselves at its bonfire. Although there are acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists, the Circus of Dreams is no conventional spectacle. Some tents contain clouds, some ice. The circus seems almost to cast a spell over its aficionados, who call themselves the reveurs - the dreamers. At the heart of the story is the tangled relationship between two young magicians, Celia, the enchanter's daughter, and Marco, the sorcerer's apprentice. At the behest of their shadowy masters, they find themselves locked in a deadly contest, forced to test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love...A fabulous, fin-de-siecle feast for the senses and a life-affirming love story, The Night Circus is a captivating novel that will make the real world seem fantastical and a fantasy world real.

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Showing 1-4 out of 182 reviews. Previous | Next

  • The Night Circus is such a beautiful tale that I don't feel that words in a review can do it justice. This is a story of both timing and fate. Of love letters made of magic, and of sugary confections that make you want to run to the kitchen in the middle of the night. It is the story of The Circus of Dreams.The circus itself became a character for me, and was perhaps my favorite character of all, but I didn't feel that the other characters in the story were neglected. I absolutely adored Poppet and Widget. They are born to the circus and travel with the circus as they grow up. It feels like their perception of the circus grounds is the most magical and also the most intimate. The two magicians chosen to compete and create the circus, Marco and Celia, left me feeling as though I was always watching them from a bit of a distance, and would never be able to get quite as close as I wanted. This may have been due to the third person narrative that the majority of the book was written in. For the most part, I felt that the choice to write the novel this way was perfect, and allowed the reader to experience the circus from all possible perspectives. We saw the circus from the eyes of those in the circus, of those on the outside but tied to the circus in some way (whether by choice or not) and through the eyes of the dreamers who deserve to be cited separately from the others. Their dedication to the circus - to dreams - causes them to follow the circus around the world. Wouldn't we all love to follow our dreams so far?There are also occasional chapters written in the second person that allow us to experience the circus as if we are there. The author speaks to the reader directly and invites us to this magical circus to experience the sights, smells, and tastes for ourselves. I found that the perfect setting for reading this book was curled up in the dark (the circus only comes out at night, after all) with a sweet smelling candle lit. It really added to the ambiance, which seems important, because it felt to me that this story was more of an experience than just merely pages bound together in a book.I think it's important to mention that despite all of the praise you see above, this book was definitely written with a specific sort of reader in mind. If you don't have a fondness for stories that revolve around the circus, are annoyed by very descriptive writing, tire easily of stories that jump around a lot and contain many threads, or can't abide a book that doesn't have a great deal of action, then you will not like this book. However, if you love to watch magical worlds being built in the charming sort of way that I've only previously seen accomplished by Rowling and Gaiman, then you may find something here that you will fall in love with and miss when it's over. You may just become a dreamer yourself.

    5.00 out of 5

    thenightbookmobile

  • Brilliant. The Night Circus is a magical wonderland that you won't want to leave. From the first page you will be captivated by the depths of imagination, the hazards of competition, the elusiveness of time, the joys and pains of love, and the pure delight of entertainment.

    5.00 out of 5

    ruthiekro

  • If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Wow. Just wow.

    5.00 out of 5

    LaurenAileen

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was one of the most brilliant books I have read in a very long time. The relationship between characters is always evolving, letting your feel their stories all the better. It spins a world of magic and mystery in this circus that only appears at night and it would be a world I would love to live in. Marco and Celia are two brilliant minds both fighting in a contest and fighting themselves against their own feelings of love. Absolutely brilliant!!!

    5.00 out of 5

    platsdevil

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