From the Bookshelf of Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library…

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern

Why we're reading this: This story is finely woven. All the characters have strong backgrounds that intersect in this circus buil…more
[close] This story is finely woven. All the characters have strong backgrounds that intersect in this circus built on beautiful illusions.

You are never full sure who are the main characters, as the narrative view often switches. Those same narratives give a varied understanding of the world the author created and makes it hard to stop reading.

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

May 24, 2011 Sarah Sammis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, pc, fantasy, exwishlist, read-in-2012

I'm skittish of overly popular books. I'm usually the one who doesn't like the book that everyone else is praising. So I steered clear of The Night Circus by Erin Morgensternuntil I could no longer give in to lure of the beautiful cover art. I opted for the audio version as I often do with longer books because I can listen a little bit at a time without ticking clock of the due date.

The Night Circus opens with a tour. It arrives without warning and is open only at night. It's only colors are bla I'm skittish of overly popular books. I'm usually the one who doesn't like the book that everyone else is praising. So I steered clear of The Night Circus by Erin Morgensternuntil I could no longer give in to lure of the beautiful cover art. I opted for the audio version as I often do with longer books because I can listen a little bit at a time without ticking clock of the due date.

The Night Circus opens with a tour. It arrives without warning and is open only at night. It's only colors are black and white. Fans of the circus, some who travel around the world to follow it, dress the part but add a bit of red. Though none of them expect it, they hold the key to the circus's continued existence.

Morgenstern presents the chronology of the Cirque des Rêves out of order. Listening on audio, I had to keep track of the dates mentioned at the start of each chapter. At first I missed a few things but once I noticed that things weren't in order, I paid better attention. As a fan of logic puzzles, I enjoyed trying to piece the story back together.

The heart of the book, though, and the part that will either make it or break it for you, is the competition between two aged magicians through their student proxies, Celia and Marcus. They are bound to each other and the only way to win the game is to kill the other. Caught up in the middle of this battle to the death is the circus itself.

The problem with complex projects is that they take on a life of their own. The Cirque des Rêves is no exception. That the resolution of the novel hinges more on the continuation of the circus over Celia and Marcus's competition and ill fated romance is a bone of contention for many reviewers. I liked it. No, I loved that all that dramatic build up (so common in fantasy) ended up being a few nights of closure for the circus. There was no threat to the world or the universe — just a magical but still petty competition resulting in a personal tragedy.

For me, therefore, the true protagonists of this complex fantasy are Bailey — a boy who doesn't want to inherit the family farm — and the twins born at the start of the circus, Poppet and Widget. It's their story that caused me to make excuses to sit in my car for a few minutes longer.

I have also gotten a copy in tradepaper to re-read the book in print form, just as I did The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Kimberly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, first-reads

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the First Reads Giveaway program!

I don't really know how to review this novel--and I mean that in the best way possible. It is pure escapism, transporting the reader to a vividly realized fantasy world that feels like our own, but twisted sideways. It is fantastical, with elements of mystery and romance that will appeal not just to fantasy readers, but to anyone who has ever felt a sense of wonder. It is richly descriptive, appealing not only Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the First Reads Giveaway program!

I don't really know how to review this novel--and I mean that in the best way possible. It is pure escapism, transporting the reader to a vividly realized fantasy world that feels like our own, but twisted sideways. It is fantastical, with elements of mystery and romance that will appeal not just to fantasy readers, but to anyone who has ever felt a sense of wonder. It is richly descriptive, appealing not only to the senses of sight and sound, but also to scent and taste and touch, and still manages to be a compulsively readable and quick read. At times the writing reminded me of Neil Gaiman, Catherynne Valente, and Susanna Clarke, but if you don't like any of those authors, I would still recommend it. Plus it made just about as hungry as a book has since Francesca Lia Block; I wanted caramel corn and hot chocolate NOW!

The Night Circus is a novel blending together several narratives and different perspectives into a magical whole.* The entire novel is written in the present tense, and a great deal of it in the second person, so that you feel the Circus is being described for you personally, and that it is going on at this very moment. Second person and present tense can both be great authorial risks, in that the immediacy they create seems due to a gimmick rather than the author's own skill. But Morgenstern does such a great job creating this magical world for you that you do, in fact, crave the scent of smoke and caramel, and long to taste the delicious "cinnamon things" the circus children are raving about. In fact, when I first started reading The Night Circus, I was worried that Morgenstern had expended so much effort on the world-building that she might have forgotten about the characters and plot.

She didn't. At the heart of the story, although there are many different perspectives throughout the book, is the tale of Celia and Marco. Celia is the illegitimate daughter of Prospero the Enchanter, mundanely known as Hector Bowen, and Marco is the orphaned protege of the mysterious A. H. A magical duel has been arranged for the two young people by their respective teachers, which makes it that much more difficult when the two fall in love . . . I will admit, if you are the sort of reader who can't stand secrets, either when the characters keep them from each other or when they keep them from you, you may not be The Night Circus' ideal audience. For me it worked because I was made to feel like an audience member, and the heroes were both illusionists; it felt right to be kept a bit in the dark. By putting her reader into the circus audience, and later even the circus aficionados, Morgenstern also helped us relate to one of the major subplots, the story of Bailey, a farmer's son trying to choose between staying on the farm and heading for Harvard. Bailey was for me the easiest character to relate to as well, both because his obsession with the circus was relatable, and because his motivations were clear in a way that other characters' were not.

I will admit that The Night Circus swept me up completely while I was reading it, but left me with some questions after I finished. Given that the outcome of the magical duel was always stated to be death for the loser, why couldn't the participants just quit, I wondered. In part, I think the reason might have to do with the genre of the novel. While set in the Victorian times, and with a darker, almost steampunk feel (because of the clockwork), The Night Circus is a fantasy, and seems to find its precedents in ancient myth. The story of Merlin and Nimue is even retold, reminding us of legends of sorcerer's duels akin to Celia and Marco's. In such legends, the rules are not questioned, but are strictly adhered to, and I think Morgenstern has created a similar world. In sum, I found the novel both intoxicating and enchanting; not without its flaws, but definitely a worthwhile escape.
...more

Like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

A magical circus that arrives suddenly and is only open at night serves as a setting for a magical contest between two magicians.

I loved almost all of this book, but every 50 or so pages the author told me what I was doing during my visit to the circus and it drove me nuts. It felt like the old choose your own adventure books and I kept thinking "if you want to continue into the circus turn to page 75, if you decide to go home turn to page 97" or something else along those lines. It served as a ...more

Like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Dracolibris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-favorites, 2012, fantasy

Poetic, lyrical, magical, sensual- this book was a delight to read, and I found myself compelled to read some of the more descriptive passages to others while I was engaged in the story. I so wish I could buy a ticket to Le Cirque des Reves!

I would recommend it to anyone who does not mind a bit of magic in their lives, and who is looking for a delectable and deep story to fall into. Content is appropriate for older teens (there may have been some cursing, though very mild, and kissing).

Like · see review

Sep 22, 2012 Joey Manley rated it liked it

I didn't hate it, but I was happy to be done with it when I finally finished it. Not a bad first novel, but not as startling or original as all that, either. Long. ...more

Like · see review

Feb 01, 2018 emily rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 2018, fiction-historical, why-is-this-not-a-movie-yet

This is *exactly* what I had hoped for when I picked up Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. The magic, the world, the characters, were all so beautiful-- I absolutely loved the way the story of Bailey and the twins interwove with Celia and Marco, and ultimately all came together at the end. I totally get why everyone lost their shit over this book when it was first published; it's wonderful. ...more

Like · see review