The Night Circus

“The circus arrives without warning.”

the reviews i heard of this book were really divisive, and i remember dropping this about 2 chapters in when i tried it a few months ago, so i went into this expecting to have a hard time finishing it. boy, was i pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed myself as much as i did.

The Night Circus, at its heart, is about a circus in which we see our main characters, Celia and Marco, play out a magical competition that they were both forced into participating since they were children. i can't really say much more than that without spoiling, but the writing was beautiful, the romance was (surprisingly!) good, and the story was satisfying.

i've heard at least two different reviews of this book call the writing “atmospheric”, and at the time i had no idea what it meant. i think i understand a little better now. for at least the first half of the book, you are just kinda swept up by this whimsical, enimatic, ethereal prose that perfectly illustrates not just the titular Night Circus in particular, but also the whole setting of turn-of-the-century England and America. i think when the plot actually picked up speed around the halfway mark of the book, it actually caught me by surprise.

the ending of the story of the book was a little meh to me, but i particularly enjoyed the post-ending aftermath, especially when Widget begins to tell the entire story of the Night Circus to the man in the gray suit, and begins with the book's opening sentence, "The circus arrives without warning."

i have a lot of things to say about the romance in this book, which i shall put under spoiler tags soon, but a quick and dirty spoiler-free summary is: i can absolutely get behind the main couple's beginning, but kinda wish that the romance was kept a little more toned down for the second half of the book. more elaboration with spoilers:

ok, so i loved it when Celia and Marco had their first ever conversation after that party at Lefevre's house. on paper, their backstory was really cliche, the whole thing about opponents becoming lovers, but in the story i thought it was executed really well. it made a lot of sense, that these two people who were forced to be fixated on a nameless, faceless rival for most of their lives in a competition that neither wanted any part of, would find themselves falling head over heels in love with the object of such fixation when they finally meet, and when they also realise that the other person has the same disinterest in winning whatever competition they were forced into participating. i loved it! i didn't find it insta-love at all, because they were "interacting" with each other all along through their magical feats, and i can absolutely see why it would be so easy for them to fall for each other.what i didn't like as much was kinda after that when the story just became a bit too romancey for me. like i don't mind if they were the most romantic couple but i just didn't want to see it so much, it was a rather jarring distraction from that soothing, ethereal illusion that was the rest of the story. so i kinda felt like the second half of the book wasn't as wispy and beautiful as the second half was, because we actually have like this romance drama going on.

all in all though, i really enjoyed this book a lot more than i thought i would've, but i can definitely see why this had so many mixed reviews. i think the book is best enjoyed if you treat the author as an illusionist painting pictures and building whole environments in your head in which a story can play out, rather than just giving you a story plain and dry.

im giving it 4 stars bc of how much i love the writing style but the plot was kinda disappointing ngl

If you need a break from reality, this book is a wonderful escape. It's one of those can't put it down, never want it to end, must find out what happens kind of stories. It's magic.

I don't like it as much as Starless Sea, but it is excellent, wonderful... I love it :-)

still as magical as the first time

Beautiful, magical, whimsical, fantastical...Words to describe The Night Circus! I love this book! The reading experience was one of the best I've had in a while. The narrative style and the choice of language is perfection!

First and foremost, the world of this book is absolutely beautiful. Morgenstern does an amazing job of bringing this night circus to life so vividly. I enjoyed envisioning the sights and sounds. I wish I could attend this circus!

The word choice is spot on. It is so well-crafted and lyrical. I just lost myself in the words. And the fact that the audiobook is narrated by Jim Dale is absolutely perfect. His voice is a perfect complement to the author's language.

The characters in this story are all fascinating and well-developed. Even minor characters come to life so vividly. Celia and Marco's love affair is as magical as they are.

I feel like my review does not do this book justice. Do yourself a favor, and read it.

I wouldn't go into the Night Circus expecting a lot of action or a well-explained magic system, it's a lot more vague than that. But I did enjoy the author's writing style and the mysterious/magical vibe I got from reading it.

It's interesting to see how divisive this book is, looking at the Goodreads reviews, so I guess you'll either like it or you won't.

I had a couple of nitpicks:

Tsukiko felt too much like a stereotype of a Japanese person, doing a tea ceremony, etc. and it feels like the author chucked her in for the exotic-ness of it, or made her Japanese to make her seem more mysterious.There was no depth to the love story either - there's not really any reason for Marco and Celia to fall in love, other than that both are strong magicians dueling against each other. You could also see it coming from a mile away, so I was confused that Marco initially got together with Isobel, and stayed together with her for a long time. The break up between them didn't end up being that big of a deal either so it felt a bit pointless.

2.5 stars. This author loves to hear herself “talk.” Pages and pages of beautiful prose, but dead boring 90% of the time. Plot was sorely lacking, as was organization. Bummer.

I never wanted this book to end. Between this and The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern may be my new favorite author.

This was such a good read!

“The circus arrives without warning.”

I loved this book! So magical. I have never read anything like this before, this book has such a beautiful story. The magic is so interesting, everything about this book is amazing!
It actually makes you feel like you are there, inside the circus, watching the performers.

From the concept, to the complicated interwoven characters (not to mention the complete lack of clowns), this clever book is an Erin Morgenstern classic. I knew going into this book that I was going to enjoy it because I absolutely love this author. The magical elements in each tent are imaginative and illimitable. My favorite part about her characters is that they are all complex and can switch sides on you at any moment. Every paragraph is made of subtext and alludes to the bigger picture. I also love that all of her characters are open about particular social issues in a way that makes it commonplace as it should be. While the author makes it easy to guess the ending, they way she brings it about is beautiful. Each character serves a purpose and nothing feels arbitrary. Consider me a rêveurs.

absolutely increadible read, beautiful descriptions and evocative of another time and place.

I wanted to like this. The setup of the two old magicians getting two proteges to compete to the death, all to prove their particular philosophy of magic had such promise. The descriptions of the circus itself were fantastic. I loved the parts with the three kids, the twins and their friend Bailey.

Unfortunately, I wound up disappointed with the execution of the contest and the story. As much as I appreciated the idea of the circus, having the two young competitors, Marco and Celia passively challenging each other with their creations from afar does not make for great conflict. Their romance feels forced and lacks chemistry.
In the end, despite their love story, Celia and Marco should have been compelled to fight to the death. These were the guidelines set up by the writer, but she doesn't follow through. The contest is settled by a third party who intervenes and Celia and Marco never have to make a real decision to either fight for their own life or to spare the other. They just drift off into a spirit world, happily ever after.

I was hoping for some tension and emotional/psychological stakes from this story. Certainly, the two older magicians, A.H. and Prospero could have faced some real consequences for putting these two young people in this position. There was a such a big build up that amounted to very little.

If I could give this book ten stars I would. Check out my review here!

https://youtu.be/hBB1jsm1C5k

The Night Circus was one of those books that the first few chapters I was confused with going back and forth between the different time jumps. However, I persevered because the writing was fantastic, and I knew there was something magical about what was going to happen. It did not disappoint.

Celia and Marco are dynamic personalities, and throughout the book, you can't decide who to cheer for the loudest. The twins you want to find out what the secret is behind them, and every other character you can't wait to find how they intertwine with the story.

Keep reading past the first few chapters, and you find a story that is exhilarating and mystifying as the magic and illusions the characters themselves showcase at the Night Circus.

I did not finish the book. I listened to this book and found it hard to follow.

i have a love hate relationship with this book. what i love about it, is that it doesn't shy away from adult themes just because of the magical backdrop. however, while a part of me found the way the book was written enthralling, another part of me found it exhausting. It doesn't help that every character's actions felt incredibly selfish. It could have been something amazing, it left me with a taste of what could've been.

I loved this and can't believe I waited so long to read it, since it's been on my radar for years. The way Erin Morgenstern writes is beautiful, and I really felt transported back in time to the 1800s and that circus.

I loved the love story in this book as well. It wasn't rushed or too romance heavy which I tend to get annoyed by in fantasy novels.

If you like magical stories with lots of world-building descriptions this book will probably be for you.

I have to say when I first started this book, i was unsure about it. Mostly because the plot seemed unconvincing (especially for someone who mainly reads psychological thrillers). However, this book was a quick obsession. The way Morgenstern writes is in depth, but not straight George RR Martin. She describes the scenes with extra care, however, leaves some to the imagination. I really think that this was a very well written book. It actually reminded me of something that could be from the Harry Potter universe, with that fantasy/ magic edge to it. I would highly recommend. The character development over the book's life is wholesome and does the plot and its many many characters justice. Can't wait to read her next one!

The beautiful language eased into a misty dark world of intrigue and magic. The Circus itself could be so many things from fantasy to love letter to nightmare. The pacing of the book was a little frustrating, since the first third did so much world-building with Celia and Marco. Then, new characters are introduced that tore me away from the story I cared about the most. The stringent rules of The Circus felt a little derailed by Tsukiko's abilities, but everything folds into each other more or less in the end.

A lot of people loved this book but for me I had too many issues with the plot and characters.

The descriptions of the various circus tents are cool though. Which is good because there are a lot of tents throughout this book and they are very relevant to the story.

Okay...Listen to me..I debated very hard about giving this book 3 stars. Mostly because I get why people are into it. However this book was insanely hyped up. INSANELY. This books screams MAGICAL...And I was waiting to be sucked into the magic.. and instead I got detail after inane detail. That doesn't equal magical or fun or great suck me into this world and never leave story telling.

Celia and Marco are flat and boring as main characters. Both of they're crazy ass fathers had more life in them. And crazy they were. I also would have liked to know why the two men were rivals or what started the competition of finding to proteges to battle to the magical fucking death. Because I feel like that would have been a better story than this one.

Fierce competition? Uh where, bitch? Where? I was expecting a massive stage where two magicians go at it. Quite the opposite.

There are also different timelines so the book is bouncing back and forth. One timeline makes it seem like maybe that character plays a bigger role? Maybe? I don't know...its just more damn details. Not to mention that to books moves slowly. VERY VERY slowly.

Now, hear me out, I'll never say to not read a book. And the scene settings and all the descriptions/details are very pretty. I, however, need more. I get why people fell in love with those. For the same reason I'd wager some think Charlie Hunnam is quite hot and I'm just like meh. I get it..it's just not for me.

This is a very imaginative book and maybe it can be defined as an epic. The story is sweet, with a decent mix of sad and uplifting moments. Most of the characters are well defined and have their own reason to be and are not only living in the shadow of the heroes. Well done!

It is always such a disappointment when you don't like the book, that a lot of people love.

I can't really say something bad about Night Circus. I liked it well enough, but I just wasn't fully engaged in the story. Also, I was somewhat irritated by the constant change of timeline. The novel overall was somewhat ephemeral, really hard to connect to.