The Night Circus

What is most striking about The Night Circus is not the beautifully written prose, the creative plot, or the well-rounded characters, but the careful interweaving of all these parts and finding the perfect setting to put it all in. After all, the title of the book is The Night Circus, not something more directly about the main characters or the plot or themes or other more traditional routes. And “the night circus” isn’t even the name of the circus itself. It is a moniker, describing the circus more than anything else. Because we are entering the night circus as soon as we peel back the front cover, pushing aside the black, white, grey, and red to reveal the stark black and white of the text - just like the circus itself. show more
Although, ostensibly, this is a book about Celia and Marcus and their duel (and eventual romance), really this is a book about dreaming and reading. Although there is love in it, it is not about love. Although there is mystery, it is not about a mystery. Although there is magic, it is not about fantasy. It is all of these things and none of these things. If you are looking for a book with a straightforward plot, a simple to follow theme and idea, this is not the book for you.
The second person snippets, almost like invocations, show the true depth and mystery of this novel. The parts of the novel are being revealed to us just like a circus. We are only allowed to see exactly what Morgenstern is allowing us to see. The circus has a backstage and this novel has one too, one we will never see. Throughout the book, the reader feels like s/he is part of the backstage of the circus (something repeatedly mentioned by the characters), there is a feeling of inclusion. But these second person narratives, although ostensibly meant to make the reader feel more like a part of the circus performers, to pull the reader in even more, really just ends up setting the reader apart even further. The “you” is just another audience member being wowed just as much as the fictional audience members in the book. There is nothing differentiating “you” from “them” from “us.” “You” is never part of “them” (the circus performers).
Reading other reviews, many people want to force a plot out of this book, to force it to make sense in the traditional narrative sense, but this book is not designed for such mundane and prosaic constrictions. This is a non-traditional narrative model, experimental in many ways, trying to show what a books looks like when it focuses not on characters, not on themes, not on experiences, but on a place and what that place means to the people who come in contact with it.
Some people might find the slow pace of the novel off-putting or disconcerting, but places move slowly. Places don’t change much. Places, even places that move around as much as a circus, are still fairly slow moving things. Considering that this particular place is frozen in time, it is even more apt to consider that it won’t change much, that nothing will ever move quickly. So this context between Marcus and Celia will never come to some epic duel like Harry Potter and Voldemort, but does the world really need more of that sort of flashy sort of battle? Don’t we have enough of focusing on what happens when pure evil and good enough to look pure good come in contact with each other? Can’t we experience something a little different in this world and not throw a fit? We all have a place that is especially dear to us and we never want that place to change. Maybe it is the bedroom you grew up in. Or your car. Or some natural landmark. Whatever it is, if that place altered drastically you would be devastated. You would feel like some part of your identity was taken away, something that kept this place pure and sacred is destroyed and you can never regain that sense of innocence and peace you found there. This is what this story is trying to capture. To show “you” how this place, this magical wondrous place, is always there, you can always find this magical spot. Any time you open this book, this spot will be here, this place. Any time you open any book, that place will be there, it will be the same, unchanging, comfortable, the same. It will always be pure. show less

Celia Bowen and Marco Alistair have both been trained since childhood to compete against one another in a mysterious game: stakes are sky-high, rules close to none. So they enter a fantastic circus, Celia as the on-site illusionist and Marco as the remote bureaucratic manager, and attempt to out-enchant each other within the bounds of said circus.

Yet as the years pass, the game's ending doesn't seem to move any closer, though the two contestants develop increasingly stronger romantic feelings for one another. Unfortunately the nature of the game is not built to allow a happy ending...

The mysterious dream-like atmosphere of the circus is brilliantly done. It has that whole Victorian charm, the secret nooks and crannies that have curious show more cats like myself itching to explore, not to mention the food cravings you'd get from reading about all the sweets... Or maybe that's just me, who loves caramel in all its forms, anytime and anywhere. So if this circus ever shows itself in the real world I could definitely see myself rushing to buy a ticket.

Even the cast of secondary characters was quite intriguing: the genius clock-maker who was only meant to build a decor, yet ends up becoming the head of the circus' fan-club, the lion tamer's twin children born on the opening night with hind- and foresight, the stakeholders who find they've stopped aging despite not actually living inside the circus. It's all so exciting and makes you want to follow each and every one of them.

Unfortunately, the story gets so busy trying to charm the reader into enjoying the circus and its dream-like atmosphere, that it neglects the rest of it. So we know there is a game happening, and occasionally we get glimpses into people's lives that throw vaguely creepy vibes around... but things feel largely disconnected. There's no time to root for any particular character, romantic pairing, or even the continued existence of the circus itself, because you're too busy trying to figure just what the eff is going on?

Score: 3.6/5 stars

It's hard to get the world-building right, and there are few novels who get mystical and intriguing atmosphere this right, but the story needed to be more fleshed out. Either that, or make it a picture book, and just focus on depicting the magical black and white circus design.

P.S. I still see a (faceless) doll dressed in striped Victorian clothes on the paperback cover. Yes, I know that's not what it is, but my brain refuses to see it as anything else. show less

The entire time I was reading this book, I viscerally wanted to see the circus in real life, and was actually sad when I remembered this was fiction and the Night Circus does not exist. The imagery in this book was some of the most amazing I can remember reading. Baz Luhrmann was directing the scenes in my brain.

I had competing wants while reading this - I wanted to speed through it and take gigantic bites, while at the same slowing down so I can savor it. I will definitely be re-reading this one.

I nearly did not finish this book because the foreshadowing of a Terrible End was so strong and I wanted to trap all the characters in time before it happened. But I'm glad I continued on because the ending was perfect. The Circus persevered, show more and Marco and Celia were able to be together while still a part of the circus, without the game coming to a decisive and tragic end, and Bailey found what he wanted more than anything.

This was a book of dreams, and my brain was so invested in the dreams that I didn't know what to do with myself when the book and the dream ended. It's been a long while since I've fallen into a book coma as hard as I did after The Night Circus.

I loved this.

ETA: I realize now that Morgenstern wrote this book like a magician. All the elements were there to figure out how the plot was going to end (I figured out some of the bits and in hindsight realized the other giant hints she dropped), but like a magician, she used distraction and misdirection to keep the audience from looking behind the curtain. Her gorgeous depictions of the Circus were the flashes and sparkles that I was paying attention to, instead of trying to solve the puzzle. Brilliant! show less

I thought I didn’t like fantasy. I’m a serious reader. I love Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and Edith Wharton. Serious writers. Magical realism? Not for me. Actually, I thought I was getting a book along the lines of Water for Elephants, another circus love story. Uh, no. Not at all like that one. More like a fairy tale for grown-ups I guess. So why did I enjoy this book so much?

Make no mistake; this is a debut novel that is not without its flaws, but entertaining? Oh my, yes. It’s 1873 and Prospero the Enchanter wants to propose a challenge and he has the perfect venue and contestant: his daughter Celia. The man in the gray suit has his own highly thought of candidate: Marco. So let the challenge begin to produce the most show more provocative circus known to man. The wager is on and the challenge continues for the next thirty or so years. Marco and Celia do not realize that the other is their competitor.

But what kind of a circus is only open at night? Well one that is loaded with unusual circus acts such as the illusionist, the fortune teller, the contortionist, an intriguing set of twins with precocious kittens and a complicated clock crafted in Germany. Well you get the idea; no elephants or the kind of acts you expect to find at the circus.

Morgenstern is, above all else, a gifted storyteller, a tale spinner superb. She takes us back and forth in time, from New York, to London, to Paris, to Montreal and more. The circus travels all over the globe as Marco and Celia try to one up the other in making this truly Les Cirques des Reves: the Circus of Dreams. The fanatic followers of the circus are known as reveurs:

“It is these aficionados, these reveurs, who see the details in the bigger picture of the circus. They see the nuances of the costumes, the intricacy of the signs. They buy sugar flowers and do not eat them, wrapping them in paper instead and carefully brining them home. They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent.” (Page 143)

The combination of impressive story-telling, quirky characters, a compelling narrative and a fairy tale for grown-ups make this debut novel hard to resist. Highly recommended show less

I recently finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (who certainly has a great last name for an author, as every time I see it I hear Peter Falk’s voice beginning The Princess Bride). I heard about it before its release date from a review posted on the library comic Unshelved (amazing by the way, and frighteningly true to life). As soon as I saw it was about a circus, it went on my request list at the library.

I was not disappointed. The book is about two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who are locked into a competition by their respective teachers. The venue for their competition is Le Cirque des Reves, where Celia is the illusionist and Marco is assistant to the proprietor/creator. The novel follows their challenges show more and their relationship to each other, as well as other characters within and without the circus. Celia and Marco’s love story is definitely the main plot, but the main character here is the circus itself.

Morgenstern’s writing is extremely visual. But that is necessary considering the story. It’s a shame that there were not more illustrations included in the book, although what artwork there was, was lovely. I have always been in love with circuses and carnivals and Morgenstern captures the mystery and beauty of this one. Imagine the circus from Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked this Way Comes without the fear and danger, yet with its other-ness and seductive qualities in tact. It is definitely a novel screaming to be made into a movie. And I mean that in a good way, not in a crass commercial way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, despite how very romantic it was (not entirely my cup of tea). The magic in the story is realistic, similar to what was seen in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. And the circus. The circus is why I would read this book again. And again. And dream that some morning I will wake to find a field of black and white striped tents with the faintest hint of caramel in the air. show less

This is going to sound backhanded but really, it is a compliment: this novel is superficiality at its best.

Just as stage magic is superficial - i.e., it looks real until you examine it closer -, the novel is a beautifully lush, descriptive work with a flimsy premise. Yet, who cares about what the premise is when you can get cinematic scenes of impossible illusions such as a ship made of books with sails made of pages sailing on a sea of ink? Who cares about the characters' one-notedness and their inexplicable motivations when you can have an awe-inspiring, intricate clocks of the utmost workmanship? Who cares about the predictable romance and its predictable potential obstacles when you can have a circus with an elaborate garden made show more entirely of ice or a cross-section account of Blumenthal-esque gustatory delights or innumerable bottles of olfaction-induced memories?

Okay, I care a little. (one star off) show less

This is the story of two illusionists, pitted in a battle against one another, in the backdrop of a spectacular and very unique circus. For me, two things made it a five star read:

1. It is page turning gold. I really had trouble putting it down. The chapters are short, meaningful, and there is a constant foreshadowing that just peaks your curiosity endlessly.

2. It evoked many childhood favorites for me in terms of the imagination brought to this tale, yet it was 100% adult. It reminded me the most of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but at times of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and/or The Wizard of Oz. The author not only imagines a circus unlike any other, but renders it beautifully on the page WITHOUT SLOWING THE show more PACE OF THE STORY one iota. That's pretty darned hard to do.

So, that being said, to a great degree, the book is a story of impossible love - - like so many stories - - yet told in a way that was very original, unique, and captivating.

In a nutshell, cross "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with "Romeo and Juliet" . . .add a hefty dose of suspense and intrigue . . .and you've got the definite 5 star Night Circus. show less