The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2012) – “The circus arrives without warning.” A wonderful and mysterious circus shows up at the edge of towns all around the world. Unlike anything that goes before it, Le Cirque des Rêves is clad in black and white alone. It offers acts unlike anything you’ve ever seen before but only from sundown to sunup. And within its boundaries is a hidden duel between magical opponents, both seen and unseen.
I’m telling you now, this book will appear on my “Best of 2020” list. Ask me for a book recommendation, and I’ll have this on that list too. It’s that good. Offering magic, wonder, romance, the struggle for power, and the redemptive power of love, “The Night Circus” weaves a story of complex beauty. It is a fantasy, a mystery and a romance. Stretching from the childhood’s friendships to conflicts from ages past, Morgenstern has created a book that draws you in and makes you want to stay. And all in her debut novel! Morgenstern’s novel has elements that could appeal to both a YA audience and an older audience. Her writing draws comparisons to Neil Gaiman and Ray Bradbury. I wouldn’t argue with either comparison. There was a tingle of Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” from the beginning. The two circuses are mirror images of one another, but the feeling of mystery behind them both is similar.
Le Cirque des Rêves (the Circus of Dreams) is the creation of a wealthy man looking for something new and exciting. He calls together his talented friends to figure out what that idea could be. What results is an amazing traveling show where illusion and magic, actual magic, come together. This wondrous circus will draw together its own Deadhead style of fans, give birth to twins of unexpected powers, and be the battleground for a magical competition. Celia and Marco have trained for years to compete, without knowing the nature of the competition or who their competitors may be. In the venue of the Night Circus, they will find a challenge and unexpected loves.
I don’t want to give too much away. So let me say this, read the book. I’m looking forward to finding Erin Morgenstern’s newest book “The Starless Sea”, which hit the shelves in November 2019. I’ve read plenty of books that made me think “Yeah, I’d read this author again”. As I closed the back cover on “The Night Circus” my thought was “Gotta find her next book!”
Even better, the book began as a NaNoWriMo project (National Novel Writing Month). If you think you’d like to be a writer, or are struggling with your writing, I recommend you check this annual event out.
But as far as this book goes, I repeat:
If you haven’t read it yet, do it now.
Really.
Ok, I promise, I’ll stop.
(Read the book!)
Rating – ***** Read This Book
Stories Are My Life 