The Night Circus
Ratings1,037
Average rating3.9
I'd give this a 4.5 if I could. Captivating; the perfect amount of intrigue without stressing me out. The end felt slightly rushed/forced, but I didn't feel like there were many loose ends. More than anything I appreciated coming home to a magical/fantastical read after a long time away in other genres... it reminded me what I used to really, really love about reading. I plan on hanging out here a while.
Can someone please ask Mr. Guillermo del Toro to adapt this book to a movie, I would had I known him :3
I read this after reading The Starless Sea, and was worried that it might not measure up..... but I was wrong! Morgenstern is such an incredible world-builder, and I loved the format of this book so much. Not as complex as The Starless Sea, but still twisty and beautiful. I loved the Circus, and the descriptions, and the characters. Absolutely flawless.
Update: I finished the audiobook. It was a much more tolerable read when listened to while I carried on doing other things vs sitting down to read it myself. The Night Circus is filled with such beautiful descriptions that I am surprised that the publishers have not printed an edition with illustrations. Adults love art work too and they would make money I am sure(edit: just saw there IS an illustrated edition coming). If this is ever adapted into a movie or mini tv series I would love to see how visuals are brought to life. As a novel though it just the wasn't for me. I didn't become interested in what was happening until around 40% through and even after that the only chapters that I enjoyed were the ones that focused on Bailey, Poppet and Widget (and neither of them are the two main characters). The way the characters and the story was written felt like I was observing from far away or above I never felt immersed in the story.
This book is all atmosphere, mood and tone. If that's your catnip then you might enjoy it, however if you are like me and prefer character driven and a good plot then just skip this one or borrow it from the library in audio.
Jim Dale did a great job with the audiobook if you choose to read this book I recommend listening to the audio version.
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Previous review:I tried. I was almost halfway through but reading this isn't fun or delightful or intense or enjoyable it just is. I really wanted to love it because so many people love it but it's not the book for me.
4.25/5 stars
It only took me 7 years to get this book off my TBR but I did it guys. I read it. And like, why didn't I read this 7 years ago???? I hate myself.
I found the first 90% of this book fascinating and mysterious, if a little confusing for a while. The ending then seemed fitting, but it felt like there was something missing that I can't put my finger on. The magical atmosphere, poetic prose, and fantastic characters still made the whole thing well worth it though.
My opinion on this book may well change if and when I reread it.
An intriguing read. This is a love story told through the guise of a competition between two hidden magicians. Definite vibes of ‘this is how to lose the time war' with various his and hers chapters as the competition is played out through the environment of a magical circus.
Firstly: the prose here is beautifully done. This is a gorgeously written book and deserves a lot of the attention it has garnered. The story and setting have been done before, but the presentation here is superb. The world built and the characters created are fantastically crafted. The story builds to a very satisfying crescendo as well - the manipulators on the fringes taking things to a very climatic finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Definitely a more literary take on fantasy but it was done in a way that allowed the story to breathe.
This book was so so good but very difficult. It took me so many days to finish this books it was that tough!
“The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones.”The book was amazing. The writing was beautiful and it felt like reading one of those [a:Enid Blyton 10657 Enid Blyton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298204474p2/10657.jpg] circus books([b:The Circus of Adventure 17498 The Circus of Adventure (Adventure, #7) Enid Blyton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138877l/17498.SY75.jpg 1572443],[b:Mr Galliano's Circus 1272176 Mr Galliano's Circus Enid Blyton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387738049l/1272176.SX50.jpg 1461042],[b:Come To The Circus! 461824 Come To The Circus! Enid Blyton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486390519l/461824.SX50.jpg 450277],etc are a few of them) except for a bigger audience and I was living for it
Pretty but aimless
I am not certain how to feel about this book. Beautiful writing without a purpose is all I can think.
This is my second attempt to read THE NIGHT CIRCUS. This time I finished it. And I have to say, I don't get what all the fuss is about. There's rave reviews everywhere. But for me, I was just lost for most of the story. I couldn't figure out the POV in any chapter, none of the characters really cared about others until near the end, and when push came to shove in the plot, a new illusion/magic trick appeared which made it impossible to make sense about what would happen next.
I think I'll go read some other reviews and hope I'm not completely alone in feeling this way about the book. Other readers convinced me to give it a second chance. They said the ending was worth it. Well, I don't think so. I can usually finish a long book like this in 2 or 3 days. This took me twice that long.
WHAT. A. READ. Fantastically told with beautiful words that convey what the circus feels like. The characters were lovely and the story was a journey.
La scrittura della Morgenstern non delude affatto, e insieme alle ambientazioni magiche, quasi assurde e tavolta astratte, è ciò che la caratterizza di più. Tuttavia devo ammettere che questo romanzo non mi ha affascinata quanto il suo secondo libro (Il mare senza stelle, di cui tra l'altro si possino intuire gli abbozzi), mi sono sentita spesso distante dagli avvenimenti e anche dai personaggi, complice anche il fatto che su alcuni non sono state soddisfatte le mie curiosità. Inoltre per quanto il suo stile sia magnifico e affascinante trovo difficile a volte immaginare/visualizzare quello che lei sta descrivendo; forse perché lei ha un'immagine estremamente precisa di qualcosa (es. l'orologio, le diverse stanze del circo...) ed è effettivamente difficile trasmetterla nel dettaglio al lettore. In ogni caso ritengo che sia un libro (e un'autrice) da provare, non sarà per tutti - o per lo stile o per le trame - ma vale la pena tentare.
I had this on my nightstand for a long time. I had read The Starless Sea and was not impressed. So this one sat. One of my Twitter friends said this one was much better and I should read it. This book is fantasy and a fairy tale and an adventure tale all in one. Well written and quite engaging. One of the best books I read this year
I had this on my nightstand for a long time. I had read The Starless Sea and was not impressed. So this one sat. One of my Twitter friends said this one was much better and I should read it. This book is fantasy and a fairy tale and an adventure tale all in one. Well written and quite engaging. One of the best books I read this year
I'm still ruminating on how to express my feelings on this book. Largely in part to me thoroughly enjoying it from start to finish.
There are very few books that nail atmosphere as well as this. An ethereal, surrealist circus, plopped into the middle of reality, while two rival magicians pit students against each other in a mysterious challenge against each other.
While this challenge that happens inside of the confines of this aesthetically unique and cobbled-together-through-magic circus, the core focus isn't these characters in conflict with each other, but instead in conflict with very real concepts. Their respective father figures force them into a potentially dangerous competition, removing their free will, just to settle an old score between a man and his father figure.
Lots of themes run through the veins of this novel, all woven in with a sense of wonder. You watch the characters learn, grow and become their own people with thoughts and ideas that don't align with the parameters of their challenge or the expectations placed upon them. Then there's the idea of collateral damage of the entire circus being merely a platform for this challenge, with real human beings pulled into the orbit of it and potentially tethered to the circus and the challenge without their consent.
It takes the growth of both Marco and Celia to see not just their feelings for each other, but for the wellbeing of the people around them for this growth to happen, something neither of their father figures could figure out.
Very engrossing, well-written book that I can't recommend enough.
3.7!
Listened to the audiobok and enjoyed it. Didn't blow me out of the water but I really like how the show not tell writing went. Almost played out like a movie and I think it would be great as a movie to be honest.
I was amazed at how good that book was. Wished that this kind of circus existed!
I love this book an unimaginable amount. The way that Morgenstern manages to mix the plot and the details of her magical world is extraordinary. It's the book I always reach for if I need a pick-me-up :). Magical historical fiction is just chef's kiss. (ALSO, the romance omfg, the Yearning, the way that the two lovers describe their love for each other, ,,,, I love it so much)
the circus was such a magical and enjoyable place for my mind to spend time in. the imagery is so vivid and the story will never leave me, a new favourite
What a tremendous, intriguing experience. When the book first began, I'll admit, I was bit bogged down with the ~aura description. In first reading the descriptions, I was loving it, and it was highly immersive, but after some time, I found that I wanted to know more about what was being said, thought, and acted upon by the characters. For me, this didn't pick up until about halfway through part two ( a personal opinion, of course ) — and when it did? It made the entire novel worth it.
The ending was rather satisfying, all things considering, especially with how tragic the circus is, in and of itself. The interjectory chapters of “you” as a circus-goer added to the atmosphere, rather than taking away from it.
I found myself wishing for certain things to be “more.” Perhaps more of an explanation about the “game,” perhaps more of an exploration of certain side characters so that we could better empathise with their reasons for assisting. Rather than just being like, “we're all here.” But that's another personal preference: concrete reasons for being there. Sometimes, the concrete reason is just that, you're all there, so, it works. And also I do understand that if there'd been “more,” it could've detracted from it as a story.
All in all, an enjoyable experience. A one-time read for me, but a magical and worth-it one all the same. I'll be revisiting it in the distant future, to see what I missed, like a jigsaw puzzle.
4.5 fantastisch mooi geschreven. Heel beschrijvend, maar op een fijne manier. De sfeer van het circus voelt zo echt.
Ik heb minder een band opgebouwd met de personages als ik in het begin gedacht had, het magic system is voor mij te veel een raadsel, waardoor ik verwachtte dat er veel meer kon gebeuren als dat er effectief gebeurde. Toch heeft het verhaal mij tot het einde kunnen boeien. Ik heb het graag gelezen. En ik zal het zeker nog ooit herlezen.