Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Doubleday
Publish Date: September 13, 2011

Publisher’s Description
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.

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, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per¬formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Book Review
Maybe it was all the hype surrounding this book, but I expected more. I love a story rich with characters that develop over the course of the book, but that didn’t happen here. What the book did have was beautiful writing. The entire story is written with such intricate descriptions that you easily be able to envision each setting. Morgenstern’s imagination runs free and takes the reader along for the ride. If this circus was making the rounds – we would all flock to it to wonder at the awe of something so magical. Who knew that simply describing the workings of a clock could be so moving and make it feel so tangible?

The portions of the book that I had a problem with were the characters and the timing. The chapters float around back and forth in time – which I often couldn’t keep straight, and after having read the book I’m not certain that there was even a need for such movement in time. The book already covers thirty-ish years and includes an enormous amount of characters, that was enough to keep track of on its own. Due to the fact that there were so many characters and much time was spent on the lovely descriptions, there wasn’t much room for character development or growth. I never felt anything for any of the characters – even Celia and Marco, the main characters. I didn’t care about their love or their pains; it just didn’t feel real or substantial. The second half was much better than the first portion of the book – once you get through figuring out what’s going on and who all the people are it moves toward a bit more of a storyline. Though if you like a story that is all about the setting – you will simply adore this one.

Book Rating: 3/5
Book Received From: Doubleday for Review
Reviewer: Jessica