#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 was enchanted from the very first page. If only The Night Circus were real, I’d be the first in line when it appeared in my town.
Loved this book.
BOOK REVIEW: I’m a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil and The Night Circus by Erin has captured everything I love and admire about the circus. Magical, fantastical and enchanting are just some of the words to describe this dreamlike fairytale by Erin Morgenstern. This book was a pleasure to read, and helped make self isolation (Coronavirus) bearable.
It’s a hard book to summarize, but basically two ancient magicians set their two best pupils against one another in a magical contest. Its venue? A mysterious circus that only appears at night. The only problem: the contestants don’t really know the rules, or how victory is determined. And when the contestants start falling in love which each other, things get complicated.
Some parts of The Night Circus are more pleasurable than others, and some chapters I found my mind wandering away from the words on the page. All in all, the writing is lovely, the imagery incredible and the story worth reading.
Impressive and provocative novel involving themes of nature vs nurture, hubris, love, and following your own dreams.
The most absorbing book I have ever read – Like I am literally being swept into another world. Time passes and I am not even aware while I read, which is ironic considering the theme. The language is mesmerizing. The author is a true magician.
The Night Circus is a 2011 fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. It was originally written for the annual writing competition National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) over the span of three competitions. The novel has a nonlinear narrative written from multiple viewpoints. (From Wikipedia)
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. (From Goodreads)
Welcome to the Cirque des Rêves! The author paints with words in ways I haven’t seen anywhere else: bright, lush, voluptuous, luscious images dance across the pages. But it’s not just visual: you can taste the words, smell them, feel them. I’ve never read anything else quite like this. I don’t generally enjoy fantasy, books about wizardry, etc., but Morgenstern isn’t a typical fantasy author and this isn’t a typical fantasy book.
I loved it so much. It was a great book.
A beautiful tale of good and evil, love and hate, passions and imagination. While the story (for me) is a slow burn, the movement of the tale is like a fine piece of music or a complex bouquet in a gorgeous red wine – take the time to savor it.
There are things I didn’t like, but they seem small when looking at the book as a whole work of artistry instead of just its parts. The whole of it works to come full-circle drawing to a satisfying conclusion that left me satisfied.
a unique approach to putting the story together, with ‘flashback’ style, but fortunately a date preceding each small section. i enjoyed the small sections as i read in that fashion before falling asleep.
One of the best books I’ve ever read (6 times already!). Do yourself a favor and read this one. In print first and then follow it up with Jim Dale’s audio version. You won’t be disappointed either time.
And the clock – oh my how I want to see that clock IRL.
This book is unlike anything I have ever read – it is absolutely unique and utterly captivating. The author’s ultra descriptive writing style is rich and lush, the words velvety. The story is so magical, enhanced by the author’s fantastic imagination. A book to read slowly and savor.
I fell in love with the characters and the world that Erin Morganstern created. This was my choice for our book club and every single person enjoyed it! That’s no small feat for our group.
It’s, at times haunting and at other times endearing. All around, this is a fantastic book and one that I will recommend over and over again. It’s also a really great introduction to the fantasy genre for anyone that’s unfamiliar with these types of books. It’s easy to read, but compelling in nature. I positively loved it and I’m not much of a fantasy reader.
When I spend hours reading a book, I expect a few things for my time:
1. Something new and worthwhile to think about
2. Something that’s pretty to get through
3. Something with an ending that doesn’t make me feel like I wasted my time
This book exceeded my expectations for all three. It’s a love story, a mystery, poetry, and commentary on what it feels like being a dreamer… and so much more. It’s dark enough to hit the depths of your heart, light enough to pull you back up again. It’s a book I feel I can safely recommend to anyone.
It was worth my time, and will continue to be worth my time as I think on it more and consider retreading in the future.
i liked it for its pure escapist value – there are times when escape to a whole different dimension is just the ticket.
It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, so original
I can remember this book well, even though it’s been a while since I’ve read it. I was fascinated by the characters. The book is about the setting of the circus, the characters that influenced it’s beginnings and others who were influenced by it. It’s magical realism at it’s very best. If you like the genre you must read this book. The story is one of the most creative I’ve read in my life. The imagery comes into focus making the book memorable much like a movie.
well written, quirky plot, the ending was not as good as I hoped.
Absolutely loved reading this book!
One of my all time favorite books