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"What did you think? Did you like it?"
The asker always has a happy smile and a sparkle in their eye. I'm supposed to tell them it was fabulous: lush and lyrical; magical and mysterious; visual and vivacious. So I usually smile awkwardly and say, "Well, the circus was described very well, and I would like very much to see it," which is true.
That is the only thing I can say to recommend this book.
Other people have put into much better detail many of the flaws of this book's historical worldbuildi ...more
The asker always has a happy smile and a sparkle in their eye. I'm supposed to tell them it was fabulous: lush and lyrical; magical and mysterious; visual and vivacious. So I usually smile awkwardly and say, "Well, the circus was described very well, and I would like very much to see it," which is true.
That is the only thing I can say to recommend this book.
Other people have put into much better detail many of the flaws of this book's historical worldbuildi ...more
This entire story is as magical as Le Cirque des Reves itself. It pulls you into the circus, showing you every nook and cranny without really showing you how the magic happens, like any good illusion. It makes you want to shut out the rest of the world and return to the circus, like the public does night after night when it is in town. It provides a setting beyond reality and characters to populate it, like every good story ought to.
Every so often there's a book that makes you want to ignore all ...more
Every so often there's a book that makes you want to ignore all ...more
Great, atmospheric build up to a frenetic pay off in the last 50 or so pages. Morgenstern knows how to create mood without it being too heavy and develops characters who are believable and appealing, even when they are practicing tarot divination or other forms of magic. At the end of the day, I found Bailey's story more interesting...not sure that's what I was supposed to feel. I would have liked 50 pages more of him and 50 pages less of everything else.
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Lyrical and beautifully described. I began reading not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. Creative premise and interesting characters make this an enjoyable read. The use of magic is plausible and the hint of steampunk is never garish. This is not an action packed novel that leaves you on the edge of your seat; the climax and conflict could have been emphasized a bit more. Nevertheless, this novel has some beautiful prose and is worth reading more than once. I look forward to other nov
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Very atmospheric and difficult to describe.
Apr 06, 2012
Chris Howard
added it
May 20, 2012
Malou
marked it as to-read
Sep 11, 2012
Fofilmusigner
marked it as to-read
Sep 25, 2012
Katie
is currently reading it
Nov 13, 2012
Fernan Marzan
marked it as to-read
Jul 20, 2013
Axiom Lind
marked it as to-read
Sep 07, 2015
Scott
marked it as to-read
