The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

In 1886, a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, Le Cirque des Rêves 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 rêveurs - 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-siècle 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.

Reviewed by Briana @ Pages Unbound on

5 of 5 stars

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The Night Circus is an enchanting, dreamlike book filled with magic and lyrical descriptions. The official summary gives the impression there is a high stakes, life-or-death duel occurring (which is technically true), but it is obvious that one of Morgernstern’s primary goals is to give the reader the experience of entering the most magical circus imaginable. She even includes short chapters written from the point of view of “you” as you wander through tunnels and tents and see impossible performances. What you see is astounding—a wishing tree, a garden of ice, paper animals that fly—and all of it is rendered in black and white. It is understandable why some of the characters become obsessed.

On the actual plot end it is worth noting, as reviewers have, that this is no race. But that is the point. It would be difficult to appreciate the circus if readers were zipped through it just to see how the magicians’ competition ends. Be prepared for a reading experience closer to what many classics offer, rather than the latest pulp fiction. The Night Circus is just as much about the journey as it is about the conclusion. Neither is disappointing.

Amid the world of the circus is the story of two lovers who are kept apart by powerful circumstances they strive to control. Their tale is quiet and beautiful, and just shy of tragic. Traveling with them are unusual twins, and a contortionist who knows more than she says. All the characters, whether within the circus or without, are captivating, and each are offered chapters from their own points of view. The way their single stories converge into the story of the circus is truly a work of art.

The Night Circus is a unique novel, offering scents and sound and sights—an immersion into its world of enchantment and the lives of its characters. There is much at stake in this small venue built and run on untested magic, but there is also much to gain. Enter Le Cirque des Rêves, and you might fall in love.

This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

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  • Started reading
  • 11 January, 2012: Finished reading
  • 11 January, 2012: Reviewed