Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Genre: Magic, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Double Day
Publication Date: September 2011
Author Info: erinmorgenstern.com

It was fascinating to see the characters and events slip in and out of the chapters in such a graceful and sensual dance.

5 of 5 stars

Open the pages of the Night Circus and you are immediately absorbed into a mesmerizing world that leaves you hoping La Cirque des Rêves will visit soon so that you may experience its wonders for yourself. The simplest explanation of this circus is to have you imagine your favourite incarnation of Cirque de Soleil, only, on a more subtle scale, its grandeur hidden within the elegance of its black and white world under the stars. Like other circuses and fairs, you will still find acrobats and contortionists and fortune tellers… And you will find illusionists.

Cirque du Soleil

Within the setting of the circus, a competition plays out that is reminiscent of books like The Prestige, where two skilled magicians constantly try to one up each other. The difference here is that the magic is real, and that the “illusionists” in question do not directly compete against each other. Instead, they find and raise gifted children. The children are raised knowing their purpose, but not the venue or even their competitor. In this case, Celia Bowen and Marco Alexander end up intricately entwined within La Cirque des Rêves and they fall in love – something their callous fathers cannot fathom.

The lovers’ story is beautiful and tragic, but while they are at the heart of The Night Circus, theirs is not the only story being told. Everyone – from the clockmaker who’s love for the circus inadvertently forms the circus’ elite fan club, to the young boy wishing for a fairytale ending, to the red-haired twins born auspiciously on opening night, to the circus’ founders, to the fortune teller and the contortionist – is so intricately bound together within the circus. It was fascinating to see the characters and events slip in and out of the chapters in such a graceful and sensual dance. Somewhere along the way, I realized that even Time and the circus itself were like living, breathing characters.

The true magic of The Night Circus is that, like the circus itself, it cannot be pinned down. It cannot be easily lumped into any particular genre. It is all and it is none and its wonders and mysteries must simply be experienced…

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is a magical tale set in Victorian London, featuring the fantastical and mysterious le Cirque des Rêves which only opens from sunset to sunrise. Its attractions include a cloud maze, a wishing tree, ice gardens and other tents full of impossible wonders, as well as performers that are capable of the extraordinary.

Celia the illusionist is a true magician, groomed by her father Prospero the Enchanter to challenge Marco, the young protege of the mysterious Mr. A.H-. The circus becomes their battleground, with the two using it behind the scenes as a proxy to create more magical attractions to captivate their audiences. When the two finally discover each other, they fall in love despite the rivalry between their masters and being sworn to compete against each other until only one person is left standing.

On the face of it, I should have loved this book, given the nature of the story and its themes. It's also beautifully written, with descriptive prose which lets the reader picture the circus and its performers in all its splendid details. The author has a talent for bringing that magic to life with her words, and I also loved the many awe-inspiring ideas she had for the attractions in the circus.

At the same time, however, I felt the novel's setting began overshadowing everything else. The main characters lost their liveliness and charm, compared with amazing sights at the circus and everything else happening around them, which I often found to be much more interesting.

As a result, I tried but could barely grasp the romance or chemistry between Marco and Celia in this so-called love story. Their actions and words spoke of their strong feelings towards each other, but I just didn't feel the passion. I felt so much of the emotion was missing behind the intimate scenes and dialogue, though I give it they were certainly written prettily enough.

Personally, I wanted more from the characters, but if you're into magical realism and are looking for a neat little twist to your usual contemporary fantasy and don't mind a bit of stunted romance, then this book is a good choice.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars