Books Distilled » Contemporary Literature » Book Review: The Night Circus
Book Review: The Night Circus
Book Distilled: Wondering what to read next? The Night Circus has become one of my favorite novels of all time. If you buy one book this year, let this be it–because reading it once won’t be enough. Come join the discussion of fellow reveurs at our new book club forum, the Book Circle!
Usually, when I love a book as much as I loved The Night Circus, I race to the ending. Granted, I read half of the book’s 350 pages from a Friday night to a Saturday afternoon (I know, my social life is hopping!), but then I slowed down considerably. The last 60 pages or so I read in several sittings … because I didn’t want it to be over.
I’m not usually one of those people who gets really excited about book covers, either. Some bloggers really have an eye for this, and they compare and discuss the covers for the hardback and paperback versions, or the art from different publications or different countries. I usually feel that the book is an object, a vehicle to tell the story I’m reading. But in the case of The Night Circus, the book becomes an artifact from the world which it represents. The cover is beautiful. The inside of the book is striped black and white like the circus tents. The five parts are set off by a beautiful black page with white stars and quotes. The actual construction of the book leads you into the story it tells.
And the story is magnificent. “The circus arrives without warning,” it begins, and the first few pages set you in a town where the circus has just arrived with a sign outside that reads, “Opens at Nightfall, Closes at Dawn.” Erin Morgenstern uses these pages, scattered throughout the book, in second person to set “you,” the reader, as a character experiencing the circus. Interspersed between these segments, we see the circus’s beginning. Two magicians agree on a contest between their young students. Without their knowledge, the students are bound to compete, with Les Cirque du Reves (The Circus of Dreams) as the venue. Marco is apprenticed to the man who creates the circus, Chandresh. Celia auditions to become its illusionist. And the two compete, creating grander and larger tents filled with curiosities that delight and astound visitors.
We learn about how the circus was conceived, by Chandresh’s mystical Midnight Dinners. We see a group of diners lend their expertise to the circus’s creation. I talked a little about setting a few weeks ago, and this novel truly takes the cake. Brunonia Barry (author of The Map of True Places) wrote th
at ” ‘Dark as soot and bright as sparks,’ The Night Circus still holds me willingly captive in a world of almost unbearable beauty.” I felt as if I had been to the circus–seen its black and white striped world, smelled the caramel melting into hot cocoa and over popcorn, seen the marvelous Wunschtraum clock that turned into a circus as the night went on and back into a clock as the sun rose.
Filed under: Contemporary Literature · Tags: book club, book you'll love, the night circus, what to read
12 Responses to "Book Review: The Night Circus"
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Ever stand in the bookstore or library, gazing around blankly, overwhelmed by choices, jealous of the other purposeful browsers? This blog is for you.
I read. A lot.
I’m afraid I do always judge a book by its cover, and this one looks great! The thing is, I think covers are in some ways shorthand for the publishers to tell you what kind of book it is. Chick-lit is so easy to spot because of all the loopy writing and hot pink colour schemes, you know? So I think to some extent you have to use it as a guide.
Still a great saying though, because it applies to so many other aspects of life. People, and vegetables, for starters.
Thanks, Brooke, now I’m even more anxious to read this. It is, quite literally, the next book on my “pile o’reading.” I’ll let you know what I think!
Looking forward to this feast for the senses.
Very true about book covers. This one is the best I’ve seen in a long time!
So glad Donna and Caroline will be reading!
I was actually quite disappointed with the book.
There were too many descriptive passages that didn’t add anything to the story, and actually distracted from the circus itself.
My review is here, if you are interested:
http://theoncominghope.blogspot.com/2011/10/erin-morgenstern-night-circus-or-point.html
Thanks for your opinion! I have to say I disagree–I thought the setting and descriptions added to the world of the circus in a beautiful, layered way. Maybe it’s just a matter of taste–I didn’t mind the passages you quoted in your review, and I didn’t see that many typos (which usually drive me crazy). Morgenstern’s writing style is definitely more old-fashioned–layered, descriptive, detailed–in a way that contemporary/modern/sparse prose is very much not. But I enjoyed it because of that!
[...] Morgenstern, of the much beloved The Night Circus (seriously, one of my all-time favorite novels EVER), did a great interview with Jan O’Hara [...]
Well, I just finished, “The Night Circus” and loved it! I found that I had to check back on the dates a couple of times, but once I got the rhythm of the book, it was smooth sailing. The imagery was wonderful. I’ll look forward to more from Erin Morgenstern.
So glad you enjoyed it, Donna! I know what you mean about the dates sometimes being confusing, but it all comes together in the end.
[...] 1. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. A magical tale of a circus that appears without warning, enchants viewers with impossible illusions, and harbors a contest between two very talented magicians, this is one of the best books I have ever read. See my full review. [...]
Thanks for the Review………..I’m definitely going to check this out….
[...] Estante de Livros, book i done read, Literature and a Lens, Reading Matters, Literary Musings, Books Distilled, Under My Apple Tree, Bookeater/Booklover, Bibliophile By the Sea, Books are my [...]