#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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I know people love this book but i just found it kinda eh. I was listening to it on my drive to work and I was finding that it would not keep my interest and then I would get lost. Maybe it was the slow pace who knows.
amazing author in love with this book. could not stop reading it
Agents and editors hate prologue. However, in their profiles, they mention ‘unless it’s like the one in The Night Circus’. I can see why. Read its prologue; it’s just 2-3 pages, depending on which format you’re reading, and you will see it, too.
Just. Mesmerizing.
This book, you will be reading, not for the plot, not for the story, not even because everyone is reading it, but you will be reading it for its writing. If you have read at least 50 books published in the last five years, if you’ve read another 50 books published in the last 20yrs, if you’ve read at the first 100 pages of those books (at least), you, by now, already know what happens when the writing goes bad pretty soon.
This book will show how simple lines can flow enough to make you keep reading.
So, I kept reading. Later in the book, even when I felt a need to have a B-story apart from the challenge, I kept reading. I wanted to know what happens to the challenge. This book has merit. It’s different, has unique settings, and lots of pov which touches your emotion just enough to keep it running.
If you watch anime like me, you’ll understand–this book gave me a similar emotion as Pride and Prejudice x Kuroshitsuji (Circus season) Not around the plot, but just on the emotional parts. A sort of nostalgia. I remembered the time when I used to binge-watch anime.
This is absolutely my favorite book.
Erin Morgenstern has a wonderful way with words. Each time I read I feel like I’m a part of the story. I can see the fantastical, whimsical tents, I can smell the caramel popcorn, I can taste the cider.
It a wonderful book that I read every year and still find new things to love.
The Night Circus just appears- its black and white tents are there one morning when you wake. It opens at nightfall and runs until dawn. Each tent is a magical world, enchanting and far beyond what your mind could imagine. It is a place and experience like no other. And stuck in the middle are two people- Celia and Marco- locked in a competition they didn’t agree to and with rules that were never fully explained. Without them, the Circus will cease to exist but with the pressure of the competition bearing down on them, how long can they both last?
At first, it is a little hard to follow. The timelines are jumbled (though, thankfully, the date is listed with each chapter title to help guide your way) and it switches constantly between characters and even switches from telling the story to talking to the reader. The plot moves slowly and deliberately but is well crafted. Each character plays their part and each moment has significance. The romance is simple and slightly forced but expected and wonderful all the same. The words are beautifully written so you can really experience the Night Circus itself. While some aspects of the story are predictable, it is a unique book not quite like any other with fun twists along the way.
If you enjoy fantasy and magic, then you will enjoy this book. It’s not my favorite genre.
Absolutely breathtaking and I think I’ll read it again
Loved this book! I read it 6 years ago and it still resonates in my mind. I highly recommend people to read it.
As a debut novel this work is particularly stunning. I read it during a vacation two years ago. It did take a few chapters to really get going, but once the book had all its players in place it was a magical and twisty read to the very end. From the performers trapped in the circus, to the push pull of the power game being played around them to the fans of the circus itself. It was an intriguing, visual, and entirely creative book whose plot twists and characters have stayed with me for years. I constantly recommend this book to readers of all genres for the writing, the imagery, and the plots.
The best thing I can say is I want to live in this world with these characters all the time.
This book is so whimsical and lovely! The descriptions are lovely, characters fascinating. It’s one of my favorite books ever! I didn’t want it to end.
So different from any book I’ve ever read. I was hooked from the first few pages and read the entire book in only 2 days.
Read half way through and had to stop. It seemed to me there was no point and just wasn’t enjoying it.
They say power corrupts, but what does ambition do? In this book, two magicians’ ambition to be the best drives the lives of their apprentices to create more and bigger feats of magic culminating in the Night Circus. Hi
It is an odd book that I read several years ago upon the recommendation of a dear friend who is an eclectic reader. She loved it; I am unsure about it, because the direction of the book is obscure.
This book brings you close to believing in magic. Erin Morgenstern created a story that pulsates and prickles and totally envelopes you in the twists and turns of events, it lit up my imagination from the frist sentence.
This story is something else. It is perfect and takes you a place you will never forget, I guarantee.
“The circus arrives without warning.” Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in the dazzling sensation of an enchanting world where your senses betray you and you feel the extraordinary under your skin?
Well, Bookworms, whatever is your answer to the previous questions I am sure The Night Circus will take your breath away!
The story puts a spell on you when you read the first few chapters. I, myself, fell into this marvellous world like Alice fell through the rabbit hole. From the first page my imagination was on fire, I saw every detail in front of my eyes, I even thought I smelled the delicious scent of caramel, heard the crowd as they exclaimed seeing the wonders the circus had to offer from fortune tellers to artists and illusionists.
This book was written to make you feel present. You are actually there in Le Circe des Rêves, with the charming characters feeling their excitement, their despair, their love. You are there to see the magic unfold, to feel the atmoshpere of something undeniably unforgettable. You can see the attractions as they are described in such detail that they appear around you.
It is a STORY! Yes, with capital letters. I could dive into a review of the perfection of the construction or the lovely characters but this book is not about that. You have to FEEL it! The whole of it. Because it is a beautiful, enchanting package of magic. Goosebumps run over me every time I think about it.
I wish I could experience this kind of magic just once. I am a dreamer, a ‘rêveure’ and I think you should become one too.
My favorite stand-alone book with great imagery.
The book was interesting and one I enjoyed. There were so many elements in the book and to see all of the elements fall into place at the end left me satisfied. The imagery of the circus was also beautiful and if you closed your eyes you could see it in your mind.
I’m not going to lie, I struggled a little in the beginning. It was very complex with lots of time jumps and character jumps that took me a while to get my head around.
The premise is absolutely breathtaking. The visual descriptions are written in such a way that you feel like are actually there. The senses are captured you really feel like you can see, smell, hear, touch and taste the setting of the book.
At heart this book is a love story – two people who despite all the obstacles thrown at them just want to be together. The emotion between Celia and Marco is so pure and innocent. Victims of all the manipulation going on around them and I really wanted them to get their happily ever after.
This book is a thoughtful read. Complex and well written – you really must be in the right “reading mood” for it – it is a hard read and there were a few times where I was tempted to put it down but I persevered and am glad I did.
I had heard about this book for ages so I finally listened to it in audiobook. I have mixed feelings about it, to be honest, more positive than anything. First, I thought the writing was lovely. The details were rich and added a lot of depth to the story. The narration by Jim Dale was well done too, though I’m so used to him reading Harry Potter that it was tough to divorce his voice from THAT magical world. What I found lacking from the story was deep character development. I wanted more from the main characters! I wanted to find out more about the challenge and why they were locked in it. So, while I did listen all the way to the end and enjoyed it, I think there could have been more here. I would definitely read something by this author again! She has a great imagination, that’s for sure.