#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding New York Times bestseller that captured the world’s imagination.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 … 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 both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
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As I stepped inside this book, it took me a bit to settle in. The writing style was different than what I was used to but as the characters and their world began to spin around me and capture my attention I just could not see to let them go.
Every page was filled with imagination and life of this circus and of those who performed within its fences. Such an amazing tale of love, magic, mixed with sadness for the characters as they swam trying to stay afloat in the sea of mess they were entangled in. So enchanting.
Such an unusual book. Not strictly a romance, nor really a fantasy, but strange and lovely and well worth a read!
The Night Circus is filled with fantastic characters, original scenes, and unpredictable twists. At its heart is an enduring love story.
This book slowly draws you in and captivates you… When you finish you find yourself content to sit and marvel at the journey you have been on and then wish you could attend the night circus… Then you turn the book over and start again.
There are few books in my life I have considered a favorite before finishing. They are so few that I cannot recall which book last made the list.
I will not forget this one.
To give it one word of perfect praise it would be this: Enchanting.
To add more, I would say: atmospheric, comforting, passionate, humble, lyrical, and beautiful.
For more words that would better help you determine your likelihood of reading it, I will explain what little my mind can conjure after leaving the circus.
This is a book for dreamers. It is a book that does not depend (almost at all) upon its characters. While the challenge begins with Celia and wraps around Marco, it encompasses a creation all its own. And that’s what the circus is: its own.
Normally, you can categorize a book based upon if it is plot-oriented or character-centered. This is the first book I have ever come across that discards both and has a deep-rooted setting base. You are here for the circus. Marco and Celia’s stories are certainly interesting, but between the moments when they are on screen, you are living for their own love letters. That love letter happens to be the circus. Every tent, every attraction, every design is a signature from one to the other and that is what captures you as a reader.
If you are a person who prefers fast reads, this book is not for you. If you are a person that does not savor the tiny details, this book is not for you. If you are a person that likes action with their romance, this book is not for you.
If you are a person that enjoys the enigmatic pull of marvelous prose woven into exceptional scenery while being caught up in a love letter of epic proportions…
Then welcome to The Night Circus. Opens at Nightfall. Closes at Dawn.
Like the circus it portrays, this book transports you to a world filled with magic and wonder! I didn’t want it to end!
‘The night circus’ was an incredible read. It had so many genres at once, as well as having a lot of different point of views. There were so many times that I was moved, either to tears, to laughter. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good read, if they are looking for sorrow, laughter, romance, or tragedy, it’s a great choice.
Really enjoyed the world created in this story. The romance was a little underwhelming but I still enjoyed it.
This is a RICH book…one that I think is best savored slowly. Truly words are art in this beautiful story. While the story and characters are good, it is really the night circus itself that is the star of this book. It is a magical place full of wonders beyond imagining that I wish was real so I could visit!
This books jumps back in forth, in time and between multiple characters. But it’s easy to follow and you never quite know what is going to happen next.
This has the be the best read of the year. It is so unexpected. It is magical and yet chilling. It is love story and untouchable all the same time. This is a must read book.
Beautifully written with delightful story
I don’t even know where one starts to review this book. It is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s fantasy…but in a way I’ve never encountered. And fantasy isn’t typically a genre to which I am drawn but this…this… leaves me scrambling for words to do it justice.
If you like the action quick-paced or a sweeping romance or a clearly defined battle between good and evil, this is not the book for you. This book moves at its own pace, one that is in no hurry and appears to be aimless, but the wandering path always serves a purpose, even if it is merely to fully flesh out the reader’s experience for a feeling of full immersion into this world. There is love *in* the story, but it’s not *a* love story. No one ever really knows the nature of this contest with its ambiguous rules and partially-concealed mysteries, and the characters are not as black and white as the circus is, the good guys and the bad guys not defined by traditional measures, both in character or in the ways they align within the contest. In fact, just forget everything you read in the book’s synopsis, because there are only snippets of it that actually describe what is contained within its pages.
There are many characters in this book, but I never had the slightest difficulty keeping any of them straight. They’re all so unique and with such a specific role that they never got muddled in my mind, and each time they surfaced, I remembered exactly who they were.
The writing itself is as magical as the circus it describes. Morgenstern weaves words so masterfully that I would have sworn if I had glanced up from the book, I’d find myself sitting in the middle of a materialized magic circus.
The storytelling was done in four…we’ll call them formats. There are two formats that jump back and forth between timelines — the first (the one with Bailey) is what I imagine to be the present-day timeline of the book, with the second one traveling backward to cover the story’s history, until the two timelines converge. Each chapter is given a location and a date; the switching between timelines becomes less confusing once you recognize that one contains Bailey and the other does not, but paying attention to the dates helps as well. The other two are decidedly obvious changes in format, with one talking directly to the reader by placing them visually into the circus environment and the other coming in the form of writings by Herr Thiessen. As complex as this sounds, I found it worked very well, with each format twisting into and playing off of the others. Layer upon rich layer, with details and secrets just waiting to be revealed.
The final chapters of the book came with some breathtaking twists and some unexpected revelations, and I found its ending as satisfying as its beginning was intriguing.
I found myself mesmerized by The Night Circus. Enchanted. Spellbound. I felt the conflicting urges to both read slowly, savoring each delicious morsel, and to just keep turning page after page, sinking into the story of this magical circus world belonging to Celia and Marco. In turns beautiful and heartbreaking, I’m truly sorry to have reached its conclusion. I certainly didn’t anticipate it, but The Night Circus may have been one of the best worlds into which I have ever unwittingly wandered.
Best novel I’ve read in decades. Unforgettable characters , dreamlike settings and we all need a little magic in our lives. I’ve recommended it to everyone on my FB page.
This is a most unusual story with twists and turns that take the reader on a chase to figure out where it’s going. It’s mystical, fantastical and I couldn’t put it down. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read.
I absolutely LOVED it.
Believe it or not, my most dreaded trope – insta-love – showed up here, but I actually loved the relationship between the two characters. Each character was unique and felt so lifelike. I adored the ambience set by the writing. The story felt very atmospheric, and the writing transported you into a different world where it is impossible to tell what is a dream or what is reality. Every thread between characters was so well thought out and really helped add depth.
It was beautiful; I can’t recommend it enough!
One of my favorite books ever. When you finish it, go back and read the first paragraph
After laboring over Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, I needed a break so I picked up The Night Circus. What a liberating read. Morgenstern has a gifted imagination which she is able to visualize and clearly organize into an articulate and spell-binding read. I was amazed by her creativity and her words carried right into the midst of the circus. It has been a long time that I have read a fantasy book so richly rewarding.
I particularly liked the way her chapters jumped around a bit with respect to time. I had to work a bit to keep track of the months and years so I could piece together the story and come up with some of my own hypotheses as to where the story was leading. The only drawback to this book is the ending. I felt that Morganstern either ran out of steam or had to meet an publisher’s timeline – either way the ending was not as satisfying as I would have liked. After 400 or so pages of pure imagery and suspense, there was not punch to the ending. (hence the four stars)
However, sans the ending, the book is a great read. Not too deep, but thought provoking and definitely a stimulation to the reader’s imagination. This is truly adult fantasy at its best.
Original. Creative.
Subtle, yet mind blowing.
Monochromatic, yet colorful.
Light, yet so, so heavy.
I just finished THE NIGHT CIRCUS, and I’m struggling to put my thoughts into words. It kept me thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. I was quite annoyed when life/work interfered and forced me to put it down.
Was it all a dream like the “Le Cirque des Rêves” suggests? Sometimes it felt like it was, but perhaps a dream made real in some world between worlds where everything is shadow–light and dark–but color seeps in when someone new arrives. Like the Dreaming? I don’t know. I’m making stuff up and using it as temporary cement to fill in the holes I haven’t had enough time to ponder.
One thing I do know: I loved this book. I already want to reread it. And Hollywood definitely needs to address this story by giving it the screen time it deserves.
If you enjoy literary fiction and are looking for something subtle and completely different from anything out there, give THE NIGHT CIRCUS a whirl.