The Night Circus in #Pages4Progress Summer Reading Challenge

Jan 11, 2012 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it liked it

Shelves: literary-fiction, sci-fi-fantasy, winter-2011-12

The circus suddenly appears where it wasn’t before. In its labyrinth of foot paths, tall black and white tents tower over the smaller tents against the grey sky. I am standing in line with the others waiting to see what kind of circus is open from sunset to dawn. And the circus is grand! Morgenstern has created the best living character I’ve read in a long while. Yet the reason of the Night Circus’ existence is mediocre. It is the setting in which two young illusionists will compete. Only one wi The circus suddenly appears where it wasn’t before. In its labyrinth of foot paths, tall black and white tents tower over the smaller tents against the grey sky. I am standing in line with the others waiting to see what kind of circus is open from sunset to dawn. And the circus is grand! Morgenstern has created the best living character I’ve read in a long while. Yet the reason of the Night Circus’ existence is mediocre. It is the setting in which two young illusionists will compete. Only one will survive.

Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair have been bound together by two aging illusionists since they were ages 6 and 9 respectfully. Hector Bowen sees in his daughter a greater talent than he ever was. (Note: Prospero’s “unfortunate” trick that caused him to be dead to the world.) Any child will do for the man in the grey suit; Marco is picked up from an orphanage. The children are told they will be trained for a great competition and only one of them will win. The rules are never explained. And the competition is drawn out over 30 years with the NIGHT CIRCUS as their battleground. One performs in the circus; the other comes up with projects for it. Marco cannot travel with it for many years. Marco knows who his opponent is while Celia doesn’t and collaborates on projects with him.

I found myself drawn toward the teen Bailey more and more as he would be the lad to run away with the circus. Poppet and Widget were very interesting, while tarot reading Isobel was as psychotic as the sociopathic Hector and Alexander H. While the changing POV bothered some reviewers, I found the change very refreshing, especially the 2nd person narrative. It really pulled me into the circus and into the story. I cared about the child competitors while they trained in their own magic technique, but slowly lost interest in them after a while despite an ending that was satisfactory. Celia and Marco seemed like cardboard cutouts rather than three dimensional. But the circus kept me reading to the novel’s last page.
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Jun 28, 2012 Diana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

I listened to this book, enjoying every description of the fantastical world of the Night Circus. It appears in a field overnight. Nothing stirs among the black and white striped tents, until dusk sets in. Then the most fabulous circus begins. In each tent a different performer or unique miniature world appears. There are so many tents linked by the black and white paths that visitors lose themselves when moving from one tent to another. When morning comes the circus is closed, then one day, wit ...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Hilary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, bookclub

I really enjoyed this book. From the minute I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. This book was filled with mystery, fantasy and a dash of romance. My friend read it during a storm associated black out, and I have to admit, all the other obvious implications of a storm/blackout situation aside, I was kind of jealous - what a perfect book to read during a black out.... it would have just added to the whole mystique of the book. I found the ending only slightly disappointing, which may have just ...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Danielle Dandreaux rated it it was amazing

I loved this book! Usually when I read a book, I become the main character while I am reading. In this book, I found myself totally lost in the world of this circus. I wanted to go to this circus and get lost for the night in a world of imagination. There were so many beautiful tents. I loved how the circus affected all of the senses. I found myself wondering what was in unexplored tents. Whenever I stopped reading, I found my mind wandering back to the circus.

There was also an array of interes ...more

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Jan 23, 2014 Tanya Brodd rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a book I enjoyed reading. But it tried too hard to make a mystery that was telegraphed far too early and there wasn't enough character development to make the love story plausible. It was also very difficult to follow. Still, I did enjoy it - but it wasn't as great as I wanted it to be. ...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Tiffany rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, own

This book was amazing. The descriptions were very vivid and the story was very imaginative. Truly one of a kind.

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Nov 14, 2011 Peggy Downing rated it it was amazing

Excellent book!! This one would make an amazing movie!

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Jun 18, 2012 Heather rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this book and its love story. I always love magic and I love the imagery created in this book. Especially how mystical the circus is and how it's all tied together. It was a fun book to listen to in the car. The characters were interesting, but I do feel a little disappointed. I feel like the story and its characters could have been developed more. Since they were essentially bound together, I wanted more from them. There was so much unsaid or unknown about the characters, it could hav ...more

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