The Night Circus

Review:

Title: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Publication: September 13th 2011 by Doubleday

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Blurb:

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 Reves,” 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 per-formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Thoughts:

I have always had friends who have raved about this book, and while I feigned faint interest I hadn’t gotten around to reading this until recently.  I was on a regular book binge at my library and thought that I might as well pick it up.

This is one of the most complex and detail oriented books that I have ever read.  All of the characters had this whimsical elegance about them, and these amazing lives that were so thoughtfully intertwined.  Morgenstern artfully uses language to pull the characters in different directions, spinning a plot that was not only enticing but exciting.  I fell in love with not only the story, but the circus itself.

Morgenstern’s descriptions were tasteful but extraordinary.  I never felt bogged down but utterly convinced that small details were important to the story, and with Morgenstern’s style, they were.  The plot was surprising and heartbreaking but pulsing with emotion.  I felt true sadness as the characters did, but also shared in their highs.  Morgenstern carefully switched from third to second person at graceful moments, grabbing the reader into the story and building it up around you.  I was utterly impressed with her ability to do that.

Morgenstern’s ending was a beautiful conclusion to a fantastic book,

Final Thoughts

Morgenstern’s The Night Circus is a treat, something you pick up and at first don’t recognize its significance.  Fans of fantasy and romance alike will being enthralled by this book, and its a perfect transition into Fiction for a YA reader.

Cover Ramblings:

What can I say, I think that this cover perfectly captures the book.