The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

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 amazement. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.

Le Cirque des Rêves

The Circus of Dreams.

Now the circus is open.

Now you may enter.

THE NIGHT CIRCUS tells the story of Le Cirque des Reves, a travelling circus that "magically" appears and opens only at night. There are some traditional circus acts, and some not so traditional ones; and the entire circus is decorated in black and white with absolutely no colour.


While this circus is the main basis for this novel, the story really delves into the special relationship between Celia and Marco, two magicians who have been training their whole lives for a competition against each other. They are given little details about this game and definitely not the important one that only one will be left standing; and they aren't quite sure what their role is. When they find themselves falling in love with each other, the game takes on a different meaning; and their actions end up having consequences for not only themselves but everyone involved in the night circus.

Admittedly it did take me while to start enjoying this novel, I'm not sure why I just felt I couldn't connect with it even though I was enjoying the story. I kept telling myself 'come one, carry on, it will get better'. I am glad I did because it got a lot better. I ended up liking The Night Circus a great deal There is no doubt that it's an extremely well written piece of literature and unlike anything I've ever read. I loved how the author brought the characters and the setting to life as well as how she told this story; however, I found that I was wanted a little more plot as the story went on. Having said that, the longer I've let this book stew in my thoughts, I've grown to appreciate it more and more and I liked how magical the story was!

I don't think I can do justice to explaining how amazing Erin Morgenstern's writing skills are. This really is one of those novels that you need to experience for yourself. The book's description barely touches the surface of everything this book involves, and I am still shaking my head at how the various story lines all came together at the end. There were lots of characters, both members of the circus as well as fans, and I never had an issue keeping them straight. In addition, the story was told in a non-linear format which I thought was a big risk that the author took as it could have been confusing, yet all of it just meshed perfectly into a beautiful story.

Overall, I found The Night Circus a beautifully written story that transported me to a magical place and time, I felt a bit like a child being taken into a fairytale. I would recommend this to anybody that likes tales of magic and mystery but I would think anybody would like this book. Just stick with it!