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The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern

Start date: January 23, 2012

Finish date: February 16, 2012

Discussion: ♦Buddy Reads♦

Discussion leader: Shellbelle

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♦Buddy Reads♦

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What Members Thought

May 15, 2013 Nicole Field rated it it was amazing

Shelves: world-building-and-magic

That... was amazing.

This novel was nothing like what I was imagining. I make a habit of not really reading the backs of books before I start them though, in this case, I read the back of the novel afterwards. Even if I'd read it at the start, I don't think it would have given me any real indication of what I was about to head into.

The first page of this novel is told in second person. 'You' do this, 'you' see that. It's not a particularly useful form of writing (outside of Choose Your Own Advent That... was amazing.

This novel was nothing like what I was imagining. I make a habit of not really reading the backs of books before I start them though, in this case, I read the back of the novel afterwards. Even if I'd read it at the start, I don't think it would have given me any real indication of what I was about to head into.

The first page of this novel is told in second person. 'You' do this, 'you' see that. It's not a particularly useful form of writing (outside of Choose Your Own Adventure novels), but in this book it is utilised to great effect. These second person passages continue throughout the book, giving the reader a sense of being one of the circus goers that eventually form a culture of their own within the story.

As for the main characters: At the beginning (possibly because this was more because it was not what I expected than anything else) I felt a little bit off kilter at all the different passages zig-zagging between a host of different characters. Not only different characters, though, but different years. Take note of that, readers, for it will become important.

I've heard that people say there is a slow point in the middle of this book. I just didn't see it.

From beginning to end, this story is breath-taking, whimsical, beautifully lyrical, evocative and a whole bunch of other adjectives I could fill the page with. Hopefully this brief list at least offers the right kind of adjectives for a reader about to go into this novel to expect.

Although the entire book was amazing, I found the final passage of the novel to be particularly clever.

This book, I understand, is set for young adult readers. I suppose I can understand why that is the case. I'm an older person who often reads young adult novels, but I'm not quite sure that this book has its place there. It's not quite high brow enough to find its way into literature, nor is it strictly fantastical enough to work its way to fantasy. By the time period the book is set in, you could be forgiven for mistaking it as being steampunk.

I think that this novel is none of these things and perhaps all of them. That is the beauty of this kind of book. It's something that just kind of exceeds expectations.

~
Similar to: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
The Golem and the Jinni ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2014 Ezi Chinny rated it liked it

Shelves: magic, mystery, urban-fantasy, fantasy, new-adult, historical-romance, audiobook, fiction, romance, suspense-thriller

I don't know what I expected in this book, but it was intriguing in it's own way.

Two magicians have been battling and testing their skills against each other for decades and on this latest contest, they decide to get a protege.
Hector Bowen decides to pit Celia, his 6yr old daughter against his rival Alexander's 8 or 10 year old protege named Marco Alisdair.
It's clear from the beginning that both adult care nothing for this two kids as they are merely pawns in this egotistical game of magic and ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

May 01, 2021 Connie Anne Kikta rated it liked it

Shelves: cloud, feb-2021-group-reads, hooked-on-books-new, everyone-has-read-but-me, around-the-year-in-52-books

I really couldn't fully get into this book. There was way too many characters to keep track of and the timeline kept changing. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2016 Siiri rated it it was ok

Another case of a highly hyped book that I felt fell flat for me. Maybe this is another case that was because I listened to it as an audiobook. The book was very descriptive and a bit slow moving which when listening as an audiobook is not ideal. I'd suggest reading a physical copy. Maybe in the future I will give it another try but as of now I don't think I will try again anytime soon. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2013 Molly rated it really liked it

Shelves: magical-realism

(POTENTIAL SPOILERS) I kept expecting a big reveal that would make the scope of this story larger than it was, like that X-Files episode with God and Satan playing a game of chess, neither particularly scary nor majestic. I think I would have enjoyed the story more, myself, if I had known from the start that this wasn't ever going to become some parable or analogy for a cosmic showdown. Despite the obvious mystical and magical elements, the characters are all essentially human. The scale of the ...more

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Dec 03, 2019 Maria rated it it was ok

Shelves: 3m, audio, library, gave-up, 2019

Did not finish. I was bored to tears. This book just wasn't for me. I tried reading it. I tried listening to it. Nothing made it better. The writing is beautiful and you truly feel like you are in the setting since it is described so well but it is SLOW and there seems to be no point, not one I want to get to, anyway. I'm counting it in my final count of books for the year because I made it through half and that was torture. ...more

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