By Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publication Date: 2011
Publishing House: Doubleday
After having stumbled upon and loving Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea I had to read her first book. I listened to this book as an audiobook from the local library. The version they have is narrated by Jim Dale, the same narrator for the Harry Potter books. The wave of childhood nostalgia hit me like a wave and made the start of the book that much more magical.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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 Rêves, 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 performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.
This book begins and ends with a story. A tale of people, of love, of awe. Morgenstern’s book is just magic, the people, the acts and the love for the circus and between members of the circus.
Things I loved: this book is magic to read. The prose are just beautiful and the ideas wrap around you. I really enjoyed the shifting timeline. This maze of time brings more life to the circus and adds mystery to it while allowing us to grow up with the circus as it develops – like the Murry twins.
Things I didn’t love: the ending was well done but I think it was wrapped up too quickly. This whole story was so well planned that I think the ending wasn’t quite enough. I could have used a bit more. Maybe that’s the mystery of the circus, we don’t get to know every little detail about every character.
I suggest this book for fans of magic, for fans of beauty, for fans of the wonders of the night. This is a book for fantasy lovers and dreamers. Happy reading!
INSTAGRAM│FACEBOOK│TWITTER│YOUTUBE │KO FI
McGee Travel Tales 
This is not usually my kind of book, but read it for book club years ago and ended up enjoying it!
LikeLike