The Night Circus: A Novel

Ms. Morgenstern has created that sublimely rare gem of great narrative, compelling characters, and a superb setting using finely crafted writing; all of this accomplished in her debut novel. As I have noted elsewhere, there are a number of authors who are successful; they provide a good read and keep us connected to their novels that do one or two of these things well. They might provide good narrative and a compelling world of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. Her characters are fine but the writing is just adequate. She doesn't carefully craft her sentences. Many people look down their nose at Ms. Meyers, but there are many, possibly most writers who are good at some of these aspects of storytelling that are still worthwhile to read. I've read the entire Twilight series as well as The Host. I'm glad I did. She is successful for a reason, but she doesn't execute on every one of these elements of writing.Morgenstern is one of those very rare authors who do it all. Each sentence, description and phrase is a marvel. She almost takes the care of a poet, but over many pages. We become fully immersed in her characters, her world and her story. We do so in the "air" of her exquisite writing. She is a delight to read. I will pre-order anything she cares to write. As she's noted in her blog, she won't be cranking out a book ever year; I'm absolutely good with that. Her writing is worth the wait (said now in the early cycle of waiting for her next piece).The Night Circus contains a number of threaded stories that weave together into a beautiful, whole cloth. The book would have been great just getting to the circus or just with the character studies of the principles and the unfolding of their relationships. It would be a great novel simply living within the magical elements or immersed in the parties at la maison Lèfevre. Not only does it have all of these elements but weaves them together in a beautiful dance that provides a coherent overall show. Of course, don't take my stilted words for it but let's see a marvelous example:"The Cloud Maze An Excursion in Dimension A Climb Though the Firmament There Is No Beginning There Is No End Enter Where You Please Leave When You Wish Have No Fear of FallingInside, the tent is dark-walled with an immense, iridescent white structure in the center. Bailey can think of nothing else to call it. It takes up the entirety of the tent save for a raised path along the perimeter, a winding loop that begins at the tent entrance and circles around. The floor beyond the path is covered with white spheres, thousands of them piled like soap bubbles. The tower itself is a series of platforms swooping in odd, diaphanous shapes, quite similar to clouds. They are layered, like a cake. From what Bailey can see, the space between layers varies from room enough to walk straight through to barely enough to crawl. Here and there parts of it almost float away from the central tower, drifting off into space."[i]I will not go into the storyline (see Amazon's synopsis here) in fear of given away the plot. I simply will conclude with unfettered praise for Ms. Morgenstern's writing; she is absolutely fabulous.A couple of side notes: I jumped between the Kindle edition of this and the audible (despite the fact that Whispersync for Voice isn't enable on the Windows Phone 8 app - I'm looking @ you Audible development team). Jim Dale (of Harry Potter fame) does a wonderful job reading The Night Circus. If you like listening to audiobooks, I highly recommend his work.The second note I wanted to make is that reading this work gives me hope for a more civil, connected public discourse in an increasingly divisive America. I suspect that Ms. Morgenstern and I have starkly different views of social, political and theological issues. I don't know this, but a New Englander that graduated from Smith would not share the same worldview with a conservative Christian living in the South. Despite this, Ms. Morgenstern draws me completely into her world; I absolutely connect with her in the portion of her thought life she makes available in her work. This encourage me. If we can connect, surely we Americans can connect with one another better, have a more civil discourse in those areas where we diverge and listen to one another more often. I don't anticipate that we would change each other's views; I do believe we can respect each other without doing so. There seems to be this thought the tolerance for one another depends or either not believing there is an objective truth ("what you believe is true for you but not me") or we should not be strong in our convictions (if you are, you're a fundamentalist). I would rather have us acknowledge our stark differences and firmly, but humbly, hold our beliefs and yet be civil to one another. The connection engendered by Ms. Morgenstern and her work gives me hope that this is possible.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[i] The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern, Kindle Edition, Location 3151

I put down Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern right away. Having both books in the forefront of my mind, the only comparison I can draw is they are both written in third person, and there's magic. Oh, and a train. So if you think you're getting a dose of dueling wizards battling it out to the death in the name of good against evil with bolts of electricity flaring from wands, you'll be sorely disappointed. The press is drawing the comparison for publicity and money. Let's all just admit that there will never be another Harry Potter, and move on to embrace the new.That's you, publishers and media!Erin Morgentstern's The Night Circus is not the traditional circus you know. It's a beautifully imagined, intricately detailed, magical place that enchants all who enter. The circus is as much a character in the story--if not more so--than all the other characters combined. I never use to understand people saying they wished they could live in a certain favorite fictional world. Until now. I would SO run away with this circus, easily donning black with a splash of scarlet to become a reveur, giving up my predictable life to follow the Night Circus to all its exotic and romantic locales: Constantinople, London, Munich, Sydney, Paris, to name a few. Morgenstern was sure to involve all the senses when describing the circus. It's such a disappointment that it isn't real.Two rival magicians--Prospero the Enchanter and a man known only as Mr A. H-- decide to throw down and have a contest to see who can produce the better student of magic. Chosen as children, Celia and Marco are kept separated, training their whole lives for the competition, but the rules are never explained.One sorta major detail left out in their education is only one can survive. (The Night Circus is as similar to The Hunger Games as fried chicken is to beignets. Just saying.) The circus venue is announced and the competition begins, although no one knows anything about it save student and mentor.There are cloud mazes in the air, a wishing tree, forests of sonnets. Practically everything is controlled by magic, but the beauty of it is it's real magic disguised to look believable. A person's grip on reality can be a fragile thing; it's best to leave others alone in their safe perceptions. Years pass as Celia and Marco keep adding more and more magical entertainment, learning to respect each other long before they meet. Once they do meet, their romance is slow to grow as both are aware it would complicate things if they collaborated on projects.I enjoyed how Morgenstern occasionally used the very rare second person POV, putting readers directly into the story, experiencing the circus for themselves:"You feel the warmth of breath on your neck, but when you turn no one is there."Harry Potter feels like a wild, epic adventure whereas, to me, The Night Circus and its cast of characters is a controlled execution, proper and refined, just like the Victorians are often portrayed, and this absolutely fits the story."The silence that falls between them is a comfortable one. He longs to reach over and touch her, but he resists, fearful of destroying the delicate camaraderie they are building."Erin Morgenstern has a wild imagination, and I love her attention to detail. An example of her creativity: "This woman's skin is shimmering and pale, her long black hair is tied with dozens of silver ribbons that fall over her shoulders. Her gown is white, covered in what to Bailey looks like looping black embroidery, but as he walks closer he sees that the black marks are actually words written across the fabric. When he is near enough to read parts of the gown, he realizes that they are love letters, inscribed in handwritten text. Words of desire and longing wrapping around her waist, flowing down the train of her gown as it spills over the platform. The statue herself is still, but her hand is held out, and only then does Bailey notice the young woman with a red scarf standing in front of her, offering the love letter-clad statue a single crimson rose. The movement is so subtle that it is almost undetectable, but slowly, very, very slowly, the statue reaches to accept the rose. Her fingers open, and the young woman with the rose waits patiently as the statue gradually closes her hand around the stem, releasing it only when it is secure. And then the young woman bows to the statue, and walks off into the crowd."Although I enjoyed Celia and Marco, my favorite character was Bailey (besides the circus itself). He was the only one that had any real palpable tension. I kept waiting for something to happen between Celia and Marco, but even they confess that the circus competition feels like an exhibition. Curious things happen, but rather than being hooked, I was merely nibbling at the bait. It is not until more than halfway through the book that Celia and Marco realize the consequences of losing, and this ratchets up the emotion, the tension, the suspense. The reader becomes invested.Having said that, Erin Morgenstern has still written an exquisite novel that will be treasured as creative genius. Imagining her actually making tiny models of the circus and other things--she's an artist after all--only contributes to the magic.This from USA Today:"With a first printing of 150,000 copies, and rights sold in 30 countries, expectations are high for this first-time novel. Morgenstern says she didn't plan the book as a series, but enough questions dangle at the end to set the stage for a sequel."Through a short tweet session with Erin Morgenstern, she said she's not sure what they mean by "dangling questions" and said perhaps publishers are interested in tangential tales.This book is lovely as a stand alone. I'm not doubting that Morgenstern can pull off lavish tangential tales, but this book resonates as it is, and sometimes it's best just to say, "That was a damn good story.""He sits back in his chair and steadily returns the stare aimed at him. Taking his time as though he has all of it in the world, in the universe, from the days when tales meant more than they do now, but perhaps less than they will someday, he draws a breath that releases the tangled knot of words in his heart, and they fall from his lips effortlessly. "The circus arrives without warning."

The media could not be loaded.  Amei o livro, ele é tão lindo!! A entrega foi muito rápida, estava previsto para chegar dia 23/07 e chegou dia 04/07 fiquei muito feliz e empolgada.

I love that there's no one main character, the circus on itself is a character, while you follow people involved with/in it, you get to know many characters and their perspective.It's written in a way that you can imagine everything and feel you're part of the world. The love story between the "main" characters is worthy of Aphrodite, 100%, is that love that's so strong it hurts, that's hard to keep because there are so many obstacles in the way but it's not just a love story, you still have this magic that all fantasy novels have and it's wonderful.You might get thrown off by the way you jump in the time line but it all makes sense at the end.I really enjoyed it, I picked it up after Ashley Johnson mentioned it in 4-Sided Dive and after knowing it was part of the inspiration for Candela Obscura... Let me tell you, I will never doubt Ashley's taste in books.

Muy contenta con el estado del libro, perfecto. I el libro en si me ha encantado... merece la pena leerlo!

Je recommande autant pour l'histoire que pour l'objet

The Magic Book Review ‘‘The Circus of the Night‘‘ by Erin Morgenstern is a captivating and captivating novel that takes the reader on an enchanting journey into the world of wonder, mystery, and love.Morgenstern weaves a captivating tale full of breathtaking imagery, intricate narratives and a touch of magic that completely enchants the reader.The competition is set in the Night Circus, a mysterious and extraordinary place that only opens at night.As the circus travels from city to city, Celia and Marco must prove their magical abilities through enchanting and breathtaking performances, but soon they find themselves in the fabric of the circus.From the aromas of caramel and popcorn in the air to the exquisite black and white striped tents that house wonders, every element of the circus comes alive across the pages, captivating the senses and inspiring the imagination.The characters in The Night Circus are intricately designed and highly engaging.The turbulent love between Celia and Marco is beautifully portrayed, their passion and longing jumping off the page.Morgenstern also features a variety of supporting characters, including an enigmatic Grandmaster, an eccentric clockmaker, and a captivating acrobat, each with their own intriguing story that fits seamlessly into the overall narrative.Morgenstern deftly leaps back and forth through time, slowly revealing the intricate layers of the story, building suspense and encouraging readers to eagerly turn the pages.Night Circus is more than just a tale of magic and love.In summary, Night Circus is a masterpiece of storytelling that transports the reader into a world of magic and wonder.Erin Morgenstern's poetic prose, intricate plot, and memorable characters combine to create an engaging read that lingers long after you turn the last page.If you're looking for a novel that will spark your imagination and fill your mind with magic, The Night Circus is a must-read.Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)