The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: September 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

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.

Review:

Celia and Marco both grew up training differently for the “game” that they are destined to compete against. Les Cirque des Reves was created for just this purpose and how the game will end, no one knows. As the years go by, there is no imminent end in sight and Celia and Marco have fallen in love with each other. Can they free themselves from the “game” and risk endangering everyone that is tied with the circus?

My biggest problem was that the dates do jump around a lot…it can be months and sometime years before we come back to Celia and Marco making it hard to get emotionally invested in the two. The love story part of the book doesn’t start until over halfway through the book and I didn’t exactly feel the connection and sparks between the two. The story isn’t just about Celia and Marco but we get to read about whole array of secondary characters that have been affected and are tied to the circus in one way or another.

The circus itself was like having a dream that I didn’t want to end. Morgenstern’s writing was intricate and detailed yet everything is still shrouded in mystery making me yearn for more. The circus is the battle ground and as the “game” has very few parameters, everything Celia and Marco create in the circus is just one amazing feat after another…if only Le Cirque des Reves was a real; I can see myself wandering through the various tents.

I do recommend The Night Circus if you love rich, detailed settings and descriptions but be warned that the story is slow going as it spans many years.

Rating 4 Stars

* Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review