Aurora lives alone with her father and nanny in a dilapidated mansion in Cornwall. Her life is isolated and old fashioned, but she doesn't realize how lonely she is until her father falls in love with a woman from London with a large family of her own.
This novel spans several decades and dips into several points of view. It tackles taboos that took me completely by surprise, but the characters and the writing were both compelling enough that I found myself enjoying nearly every scene, save the very last which seemed rushed and cliched.
This novel spans several decades and dips into several points of view. It tackles taboos that took me completely by surprise, but the characters and the writing were both compelling enough that I found myself enjoying nearly every scene, save the very last which seemed rushed and cliched.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
This is a great read filled with imagination, intrigue, desire, and insight.
You can take this book as a diverting read about an enchanting world, or as something deeper. There is meaning tucked away behind the scenes and if you choose to be thoughtful about them you'll find yourself questioning all sorts of things you thought you took for granted, but the story works just as well if you don't analyze it and simply let yourself get lost in the world Morgenstern creates.
And it's an incredible world:
“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus. You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.”
Imagine a carnival where the illusions are real, but reality is an illusion. It opens at dark and closes at dawn, everything you see is black and white and silver and grey, hand lettered signs entice to you to enter a series of small tents, but there is no way you can visit them all.
This is the traveling circus of every gothic dream. It inverts the image of silly clowns and carnival rides, bright colors and garish music. This circus is Cirque Du Soleil meets the world of silent film. Everyone involved from the top performers down to the ticket sellers and the circus cats are avant grade artists, lost in their craft.
Morgenstern says:
“Secrets have power. And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real show more 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.”
The Night Circus is full of well kept secrets. Its master illusionist is involved in an epic battle whose outcome will determine her fate and that of the entire circus. She and her opponent have both been raised since childhood with the sole purpose of playing this high stakes game, but the details of the game have been kept from them for years.
I gave this book five stars - it was easily my favorite read of 2015, and I know I'll come back to it again and again. show less
You can take this book as a diverting read about an enchanting world, or as something deeper. There is meaning tucked away behind the scenes and if you choose to be thoughtful about them you'll find yourself questioning all sorts of things you thought you took for granted, but the story works just as well if you don't analyze it and simply let yourself get lost in the world Morgenstern creates.
And it's an incredible world:
“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus. You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.”
Imagine a carnival where the illusions are real, but reality is an illusion. It opens at dark and closes at dawn, everything you see is black and white and silver and grey, hand lettered signs entice to you to enter a series of small tents, but there is no way you can visit them all.
This is the traveling circus of every gothic dream. It inverts the image of silly clowns and carnival rides, bright colors and garish music. This circus is Cirque Du Soleil meets the world of silent film. Everyone involved from the top performers down to the ticket sellers and the circus cats are avant grade artists, lost in their craft.
Morgenstern says:
“Secrets have power. And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real show more 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.”
The Night Circus is full of well kept secrets. Its master illusionist is involved in an epic battle whose outcome will determine her fate and that of the entire circus. She and her opponent have both been raised since childhood with the sole purpose of playing this high stakes game, but the details of the game have been kept from them for years.
I gave this book five stars - it was easily my favorite read of 2015, and I know I'll come back to it again and again. show less
I happened unto this volume on the New York Times Holiday Gift Guide for Book Lovers while trying to find the perfect christmas gift for an offbeat geeky friend who is always up on the newest games and graphic novels and is a great appreciator of aesthetics. I immediately fell in love with the description and the imagery and ordered it.
Both Adrian Tomine’s voice and his pen lived up to my expectations. Each of the 6 stories offers up a startlingly realistic look at a contemporary life portrayed with compassion, humor, and honesty. Like the writing, the panels themselves have a soft spoken, intelligent wit. You won’t find the saturated colors and overly stylized characters you may have come to expect from comics, but when you look at these characters you will recognize them as your friends, neighbors, and relatives.
Ultimately I didn’t give this to my friend as a holiday gift. The tone of the book seemed to dark to match either her bubbly personality or the holiday spirit, but I’m still glad I bought it and I expect I’ll reread the volume myself many times.
This one gets 5 stars from me for its literary voice and the fact that it really made me feel something when I read it.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com
Both Adrian Tomine’s voice and his pen lived up to my expectations. Each of the 6 stories offers up a startlingly realistic look at a contemporary life portrayed with compassion, humor, and honesty. Like the writing, the panels themselves have a soft spoken, intelligent wit. You won’t find the saturated colors and overly stylized characters you may have come to expect from comics, but when you look at these characters you will recognize them as your friends, neighbors, and relatives.
Ultimately I didn’t give this to my friend as a holiday gift. The tone of the book seemed to dark to match either her bubbly personality or the holiday spirit, but I’m still glad I bought it and I expect I’ll reread the volume myself many times.
This one gets 5 stars from me for its literary voice and the fact that it really made me feel something when I read it.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com
I picked this up initially because I was drawn to the title, and as soon as I flipped through it I knew my niece would adore it! I did feel a bit like the stereotypical bad aunt bringing home that toy which lights up and sings that you just know her parents are going to hate as I imagined them reading these words, voices and all, again and again to the delight of their kids. But it's totally worth it - it's ingenious and hysterical!
Evangeline The Seer of Wall Street, reads the stars with grace and determination
I was drawn to the this book initially because of the story behind the story; the author, Clint Adams, thinks he is related to Evangeline Adams through their shared connection to John Adams and John Quincy Adams and decides to write her life story only to find out in the process he isn't related to any of the three.
This imagined retelling of the life of Evangeline Adams, an astrologer who gained fame and notoriety in late 19th, early 20th century New York. follows Evangeline as she sets up shop at Carnage Hall, meeting all types of intriguing and influential characters including J.P. Morgan, Charles M. Schwab, King Edward VII, Alastair Crowley, and Mary Pickford. And later as she successfully defends herself, her business, and even the legitimacy of astrology itself, "the oldest, most ancient of all sciences", in court, having been arrested for fortune telling (illegal in New York, at that time).
She also meets and falls in love with Emma Sheridan Fry (a bold actress, playwright, and suffragette). Their romance spans 30 years, much of it fraught with longing and misunderstanding, but the moments they find happiness together are worth all the fraught hours in between.
In the novel Evangeline's skill as an astrologer is unerring and she chillingly foresees such events as the Windsor Hotel fire, the sinking of the Titanic, the stock market crash of '29 and her own death.
I gave it 5 stars because I show more enjoyed the plot, the characters, the historical tidbits I learned, and most of all, the feeling of being transported back in time, getting to experience turn of the century New York City as it changed through the 1910s and 20s.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com show less
I was drawn to the this book initially because of the story behind the story; the author, Clint Adams, thinks he is related to Evangeline Adams through their shared connection to John Adams and John Quincy Adams and decides to write her life story only to find out in the process he isn't related to any of the three.
This imagined retelling of the life of Evangeline Adams, an astrologer who gained fame and notoriety in late 19th, early 20th century New York. follows Evangeline as she sets up shop at Carnage Hall, meeting all types of intriguing and influential characters including J.P. Morgan, Charles M. Schwab, King Edward VII, Alastair Crowley, and Mary Pickford. And later as she successfully defends herself, her business, and even the legitimacy of astrology itself, "the oldest, most ancient of all sciences", in court, having been arrested for fortune telling (illegal in New York, at that time).
She also meets and falls in love with Emma Sheridan Fry (a bold actress, playwright, and suffragette). Their romance spans 30 years, much of it fraught with longing and misunderstanding, but the moments they find happiness together are worth all the fraught hours in between.
In the novel Evangeline's skill as an astrologer is unerring and she chillingly foresees such events as the Windsor Hotel fire, the sinking of the Titanic, the stock market crash of '29 and her own death.
I gave it 5 stars because I show more enjoyed the plot, the characters, the historical tidbits I learned, and most of all, the feeling of being transported back in time, getting to experience turn of the century New York City as it changed through the 1910s and 20s.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com show less
Emotional realism at its best
I was really with Erika every step of the way through this journey. When she laughed I laughed, when she was angry I was angry, and when she was lonely I wad lonely. It wasn't the easy read I thought it would be and a little more than half way through I contemplated putting it down and finding something lighter but I'm glad I stayed with Erika through the conclusion of her journey, and I would absolutely recommend this to readers who want to step inside the real worlds of aviation, abusive relationships, and strong women overcoming the odds.
Visit my book review blog Dots Words and Whispers at adina.novelblogs.com to read the full text of this review, and my interview with Erika Armstrong.
I was really with Erika every step of the way through this journey. When she laughed I laughed, when she was angry I was angry, and when she was lonely I wad lonely. It wasn't the easy read I thought it would be and a little more than half way through I contemplated putting it down and finding something lighter but I'm glad I stayed with Erika through the conclusion of her journey, and I would absolutely recommend this to readers who want to step inside the real worlds of aviation, abusive relationships, and strong women overcoming the odds.
Visit my book review blog Dots Words and Whispers at adina.novelblogs.com to read the full text of this review, and my interview with Erika Armstrong.
Wonderful, fun filled middle grade adventure story, complete with cats from outer space, secret missions, and covert alliances! As Kimba learns who to trust and how to trust her own instincts she either has to save the world or risk destroying it. Everyone will love watching this little kitten get in over her head, and try to climb back out of a sticky situation without letting anyone down or burning the wrong bridges.
Illustrations to die for.
This edition of Alice and Wonderland was a deligtful way to revisit the original story. The illustrator, Anna Bond, fills the pages with contemporary color drawings that feel as though they were pulled from the origional illustration plates. They are quirky images inked in bold rich colors infusing each character with the life and personality written into the text. Her style reminds me of the origional oddity and whimsy of the book, ofering a welcome alternative to the Disney images which have been so deeply etched in all our minds. I highly reccomend this as a gift for any child, or an addition to your personal collection for the child in us all who secretly still loves fairy tales and picture books.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com
This edition of Alice and Wonderland was a deligtful way to revisit the original story. The illustrator, Anna Bond, fills the pages with contemporary color drawings that feel as though they were pulled from the origional illustration plates. They are quirky images inked in bold rich colors infusing each character with the life and personality written into the text. Her style reminds me of the origional oddity and whimsy of the book, ofering a welcome alternative to the Disney images which have been so deeply etched in all our minds. I highly reccomend this as a gift for any child, or an addition to your personal collection for the child in us all who secretly still loves fairy tales and picture books.
See more of my book reviews at http://adina.novelblogs.com