Good or bad. What did you think??

[Julia]

The author just knows how to describe everything...the scenery, the smells, the circus...

[Rushda]

I was absolutely hooked from the beginning! I thought the way it seemed so distant and mysterious was really effective because it made you want to find out more. It put you in the shoes of a rêveur, in love with the circus, wanting to be a bigger part of it. At least, that's what it felt like to me. It was beautiful, sad and utterly mesmirising.

[Kathy]

It was a struggle to finish. I tried and with only about 20 pages left I put it in the Goodwill pile. I just did not care anymore and there are way too many other good books out there to waste time on this. However, I did appreciate the rich details and descriptions. I kept thinking of the tents in Harry Potter and could not help but compare some of what she was trying to do. I did not feel any affection for the characters. They were flat and the story was not that exciting to me. Almost like she was trying too hard...IMHO

[Kathy]

Nelly wrote: "Loved it. Slow at the beginning, but then it had me. I couldn't put it down. The sights, smells, and textures were all so palpable. I felt like I was there."

That is exactly what I thought. It's been a while since I felt the desire to actually read a book TO someone. The writing was too beautiful not to share.

[Meran]

Awesome book! I wrote a review, if you want to know what I thought of it.

Great book for a "first author"... I want to read more from her.

[[deleted user]]

it was absolutely fantastic, and one of the best books i've ever read!

it made me want to be there in the circus, it was so creative and the concepts for all the rooms were amazing. some of my favourites were the rooms that they made for each other and widget's room.

also, while i see that a lot of people found the 'competition' confusing, i actually really liked that, because not even marco and claire knew what was going on, and they were the people involved in it...

overall, it was a fantastic book, great plot, interesting characters, and incredibly written.

[Alexes]

I loved this book. Loved the slow pace, that fit so well with the metaphor of the circus clock that changed so slowly you didn't notice it changing, only that it had changed. The Plot moved that way too.I was completely drawn into their world and enjoyed my stay there.

[Jeffrey]

One of the most imaginative and atmospheric novels I have read in a long time. I loved it.
The film version is currently in pre-production. I shutter to think what that's going to be like.

[[deleted user]]

Jeffrey wrote: "One of the most imaginative and atmospheric novels I have read in a long time. I loved it.
The film version is currently in pre-production. I shutter to think what that's going to be like."

i agree, it'll either be awful or fantastic - but i'm thinking that it'll be heading more towards awful... ah well, only time will tell...

[Erin]

This book was a bit slow to develope the story and did fizzle out a bit in the end, but the descriptions of the circus and the magic made me fall in love with the story.

[Elizabeth]

I loved everything about the circus! The descriptions really made it come to life.
The plot was a little too slow for me, however it didn't disappoint me and make me hate the book.

[Kerry]

I really enjoyed her writing style. That's what kept me reading until I got into the story. Liked the Black and White theme. Great inspiration, a circus that it takes place only at night. Playing on fear of the dark.

[Lela]

I expected more from the book,and great cover, so I was disappointed :)

[Sandy]

Louise wrote: "I really enjoyed this book - different and creative. Looking forward to other books this author might write"

Diana wrote: "I loved this book. I read it just before Christmas and it totally transported me to another world. I loved the visualisations and the variety of characters and I thought it was very original. I was..."
I agree. My 2 words to describe this book were "different" and "creative." It was just unlike any book I've read. Some of my favorite scenes were the descriptions of the dinner parties. What I would give to!

[Asousa]

I apologize but I did not like the book, I think I bought it with great expectations and then had a big disappointment

[Ladee]

I loved it! It took me to an entirely different world!

[Maria]

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down once I started it.

[Kathleen]

The Night Circus had it's draw. I enjoyed this book, though disjointed at times, I really loved some of the descriptions and I thought if done right it will make a most visually pleasing movie.

[Chandra]

Beautiful, descriptive writing, but I never felt any real connection to the characters. It felt like a lot of window dressing, and I was never invested in the plot. A decent first effort, it will be interesting to see the writer grow.

[Deborah]

What a unique way to write a love story. The visual expressions of their feelings for each, displayed within the circus, was captivating, and the ending was just tense enough before coming to a satisfactory conclusion( IMO).
Loved the twins , despised the father. This is a circus I would want to see.bit I need something red....

[Gary]

Really like the story once it got started. Well fabricated plot and wonderful characters.
Certainly a place I'd love to get lost in!

[Melissa]

So , I just finished this the other night... Not sure how I feel about it. I liked the premise...very interesting and def kept u wondering what was going on next. I did not like the fact that it jumped around so much. I think that is what took me so long to get into it. I couldn't keep track half the time when it was, how old the people were and who was dealing with who. The love story ties together a very unique story. Each action can have a distinct reaction. I was left wanting more in the end... What did Celia and Marco do in limbo, how did the kids continue to run the circus? Into the .com era? Not one of my favorites, but def a good read once u get into it!

[Helen]

Good or bad? It was neither. It was just poor and ill thought out.

[JO]

I am late to this party but, I couldn't put it down at first but towards the end is where I thought it got slow and some resolutions were slapped together. I really liked the magical aspects, but also did not find Marco the least bit lovable. I neither hated this book or loved it. I felt bad for the characters who were tied to the circus, ya they appear to want to be, but still I felt they were in some type of prison thta was not worth giving up their lives. Didn't buy Bailey taking over the thing either. Also, the circus was great to read about but then I really got tired of it. The book was okay but the author has potential and I look forward to the next book

[Donna]

Mandy wrote: "I didn't see any complexity in this story. I saw a story that had a lot of stand-alone scenes and isolated conversations and drawn out descriptions of useless activities. Can anyone describe wh..."

I couldn't agree more, Mandy. The whole novel was description based, and the descriptions of the circus were evocative and appealed to the senses but the plot was a little laboured and all that magic was tiresome. I like character driven novels and hardly any of the characters were developed which made me apathetic to them. It doesn't help that I hate magic. I do understand why people loved it but too messy for me.

[Donna]

Jenna wrote: "I was extremely disappointed in this book. While the story and descriptions were wonderful, the characters didn't have the depth or texture that the circus had. It was surprising how well the autho..."

Totally agree with your synopsis. Give me a character driven novel any day. Make me care about them and remember them long after I finish the novel. Pip from Great Expectations has stood the long test of time. Will any of these characters? Nope!

[Chandra]

Donna wrote: I couldn't agree more, Mandy. The whole novel was description based, and the descriptions of the circus were evocative and appealed to the senses but the plot was a little laboured and all that magic was tiresome. I like character driven novels and hardly any of the characters were developed which made me apathetic to them. It doesn't help that I hate magic. I do understand why people loved it but too messy for me.

I don't hate stories with magic in them, when done right they can be quite mythic. But again my problem, as you say, is with the lack of character development. The descriptions in this book become so much window dressing, not a lot of substance. Do I think that this writer has potential? Certainly. She also needs a better editor to keep her on track.

[Heather]

I really enjoyed it. I really liked her use of colour, how visual the book was. The inerplay between players and how they reacted through-out time was moving. Was it perfectly written? No. Did it start out slow? Yes. I think modern readers have gotten spoiled. This was written much more like classic, Victorian novel.

[Chandra]

Heather wrote: "I really enjoyed it. I really liked her use of colour, how visual the book was. The inerplay between players and how they reacted through-out time was moving. Was it perfectly written? No. Did it s..."

I love Victorian authors, and have my degree in Enlish with a double minor in medieval and classical studies. I do not believe that my issue with this book had anything to do with it being structured like one of the classics (which I disagree, it is not). The author even thanks her editors for helping her to make sense of her confusing plot. The story leapt from different time frames, without any understandable purpose, and the character development was sacrificed for style over substance. I think that the author has potential, but needs time to grow.

[Mandy]

"She also needs a better editor to keep her on track"

Chandra I think this is the root of the problem. From the articles I read about Morgenstern's writing process, she had an agent, or agents, tell her that the book needed work. She went back and revised it for a year, then when she handed it in again, her agent said okay, looks good, and then sold it right away, like within two days, which is super fast for an unknown novelist. I think that the manuscript still needed yet another go around with a strong story editor. I think there was some pressure in the publishing house to come up with the next Harry Potter type "magical" reading experience for the masses and I wonder if this book was rushed before it was really ready.

Of course, the people who love it are in the majority, so what do I know? All I know is I was incredibly disapointed in the lack of story, and bored bored bored out of my mind with it. In Steven King's book On Writing he advises that the hardest thing to learn as a writer is to kill your story when its not working. I can see that a lot of this book could have been killed and the result might have been a much tighter, better story. I for one will not read her next book unless 90 percent of the reviews say it has a plot that will make your head spin.

[Chandra]

Thanks, Mandy, for your insight. I loved the idea of the book, and was excited to read it. Generally I found it to be a big disappointment after all of the hype. The author did demonstrate a lot of potential, but the book was a mess. I liked the twins far more than the two lead characters, which says a lot. Tightening would've helped this book immensely, and you may be right that they rushed it in order to tap into the next big thing. Who knows what a bit of polish might have done?

[Dionne]

Chandra wrote: "Thanks, Mandy, for your insight. I loved the idea of the book, and was excited to read it. Generally I found it to be a big disappointment after all of the hype. The author did demonstrate a lot..."

We had this same discussion on our Club Fantasci book club. The editor has a lot to answer for and it's a shame because she is a new author and wouldn't know as much as someone with experience. She has potential but this book had shallow characters who I didn't care about, not much plot and was a disappointment.

[[deleted user]]

It is my favourite book of all time. :) I love it!

[Kelly]

I didn't care for this one at all. I couldn't finish it.
It had absolutely BEAUTIFUL descriptions and I loved that part of it, but the characters really fell flat. And I found the storyline didn't really drive me along as much as it should have. There was very little that happened in a long period of pages and I found it frustrating that I was sending so much time reading yet felt like I was getting nowhere.

Even that aside, characters are what drive really good fiction. And the characters aren't memorable to me. I wanted them to be, but they weren't. I'll remember the descriptions and the imagery more than I will the people that were in the story, which isn't always good. Name any TV show/movie/novel you love and it's probably because of the characters more than anything.

I really wish I had liked this one, but I just couldn't. :(

[Carrie]

I loved it. My imagination was given tons of material to work with from the descriptions. The ending was very satisfying and nearly perfect. It would be easy to think this book is slow, but I didn't find it too slow, there were so many characters to flesh out that it took a bit of time to explain how they were motivated. Marco and Celia made me think of characters from Dickens, such dreadful childhoods and controlling father figures they were able to escape from eventually. Bailey and the description of his family made me think of a Andrew Wyeth painting...stark and a bit brutal, but with a secret life that was beautiful. The circus itself, and the various performers were wonderfully described and so Victorian in feeling. The various tents really tapped into a child-like sense of wonder, very simple compared to modern amusement parks. The overall tone of the book was pretty dark, the children were abused and neglected, but there was a glmpse of happiness just when it became too oppressive. I especially loved both the comic relief and wisdom of Poppet & Widget.

[Nancy D Miz-Firefly aka Sparky]

I can't say whether it was good or bad. I gave up after 42 pages because I was bored stiff. which is UN-Heard of for me. If a book hasn't engaged my attention within the first few pages (generally 5 or 6) I move on to the next one.

The buzz on this one was so strong I kept thinking that if I stuck it out I'd eventually find the pot of gold everyone kept raving about. The premise sounded great, but the author didn't give me anything to connect with.

[Joan]

I loved it, one of those books that stays with you long after the final page, wanting more.

[Liz]

I loved this book, but I can totally accept that it's not a book for everyone.
What I loved about it:
-So descriptive that I didn't want to leave circus and reenter the confines of reality.
-Read like poetry, or like a dream, but had enough back story to keep me hooked. Other dream like books are nice while reading, but don't really leave me wanting to finish them.
-Spoke of adult themes, but was easy to get through like a YA novel.
-Had a different take on a main character. This books main character was the circus (which in my mind was basically a living, breathing organism)
-Loved the vagueness of the magic. I feel authors often get trapped in the details of their magic.

What I found lacking:
-Did not like the slow petering of the ending. The conclusion could have been wrapped up a little quicker.
-Why did Prospero and Mr. AH not get their comeuppance? They were nasty men playing with their human marionettes. I guess H Bowen kind of gets his by being there, but not there.

Overall, I love this book because it was a beautiful escape. I liked the romance because even though it was all passionate and all-encompassing (which I normally very much dislike), it was explained by the binding spell placed on them.

[Canadian Jen]

I really enjoyed this read. It was one that stuck.

[Morena]

It was kind of 'meh' for me, I feel like it had a lot of potential but just didn't live up to it. The main 'lovestory' was not really believable and I liked some of the side characters a lot more than the main two.

But then again it's author's first novel, so there is room for improvement.

[Luna Belle Pris]

Mandy wrote: "I didn't see any complexity in this story. I saw a story that had a lot of stand-alone scenes and isolated conversations and drawn out descriptions of useless activities. Can anyone describe wh..."

So am I... sorry I can't help you, just wanted to tell you, you're not alone! :)

[Luna Belle Pris]

Mandy wrote: "No you are not alone Kelley. Sometimes I wonder if the publishers sent out two different copies of this book, and I got the bad, confusing, ultra-boring edition and others got some five-star, magi..."

Alas that must be it! I got the bad one! For me, it was excruciating. I don't think I'm over exaggerating.. it took me so long to finish, I just could not get past the pretentious narration or engage with the characters at all. The only thing I remember liking was the clock :) Anyway, spot on comment Mandy! It's fascinating how polarized the reception of this book is for its readers!

[Kirsty]

I loved it! one of my favourite books. The language was so descriptive and beautiful it felt like you were there. The layers of the different stories all intertwined perfectly. I've read it twice and I'll definitely be reading it a third time

[Mariel]

I really loved this book, but as people have mentioned before I loved it because of the circus. The description the author makes enamored me completely. More than the story more than the characters the circus she created was the key of the book. Don't get me wrong, I liked the characters and the story too.

[Joe]

Simply put this is one of my favorite books ever. The story's cool, the characters and their relationships are intriguing but the writing is simply enthralling. How Morgenstern phrases her dialog, writes her plot twist and describes her world is nothing short of stunning. If interested, more in my review here: http://wp.me/p2XCwQ-33

[Katie]

I so enjoyed this book because I too love the circus. I loved the vivid vignettes it created in my mind.

[Katherine]

I really loved it, but I know a few people who don't, its all a matter of opinion, but I say if you like novels set in the past, or something new and kind of complex then go for it

[Patrise]

Chad wrote: "Personally, I loved the book but I've heard from others that they didn't. What's your opinion?"

I loved it alot, but I am a very visual and meditative reader, and so I dont care if the action takes forever or gets lost in the scenery. I want to feel and smell and taste the places. I thought this was a marvelous work of imagineering.

[Amanda]

I absolutely loved it!!!!!!!! It was beautiful! I wish the circus was i real place. I would totally run away with that circus!

[Olivia]

I loved loved loved this book! It was unique in its vivid and beautiful descriptions. Absolutely amazing, I would definitely recommend it. :D