The Night Circus

I couldn’t begin to express how much I adore this book. This book, magically, soothed my temper and let me really be able to relax after a pretty tense month. The slow yet comforting prose made me want to keep reading at a steady pace, without too much pressure to read quickly.

Plot
The plot is pretty slow, or rather, things happen but nothing grand. Unlike most fantasy fiction filled with battles and actions and so on, The Night Circus focuses on detailed descriptions (like what I tried to do but probably failed in Synopsis below), some are important clues for later events but some are not, simply for the joy of reading. The reading experience is like slowly opening a gift wrapped in many layers. Every layer is a surprise and a clue to unfold the big secret. (And you really get to know the secret in the end, trust me.)

Romance
The romance is there but not a central theme, despite the summary saying so. The relationship between Celia and Marco is pretty slow-burn, appeared only in the latter half of the book. So if you are reading this as a romance novel you might be disappointed. Nonetheless, their relationship is still sweet to read.

Writing
There are some things you probably want to know before reading. First, the story isn’t narrated in a single timeline. Every chapter is given a place and time, so you sometimes have to figure out the course of the event yourself. It could be confusing, granted, but I find it amusing, for it makes the story mysterious and real (imagine reading a historical document of some sort). Second, the narration is in both second-person (like what I did in Synopsis) and third-person, and always in present tense, which I know may bother some people. Third, there are fewer dialogues than in most fiction. So, if you don’t like lengthy descriptions you may have a hard time getting into it. If you love to read elegant, lush prose like me, though, you are on a treat.

Fantasy
This book is undoubtedly fantasy, but fantasy is not the main theme. The magic is there but you don’t get to learn the magic systems and how it works. Magic do exist though and you get to appreciate their beauty.

Characters
If you read the summary on GR and thought the main characters are Celia and Marco, you might be disappointed. The story isn’t about the two of them. Instead, it’s about the circus and the people in it. (So that’s why Celia and Marco are very important. They’re an essential part of the circus, but still, the story isn’t all about them.) The two of them also don’t have much of a personality arc. There is a strong personality arc, but just not the two of them. Also, sometimes you don’t get to see much of what the characters are thinking. It’s purposely left vague for you to guess.

All in all, this isn’t the perfect book, but the reading experience is refreshing in a way that few other fictions could provide. If you want to read something different for a change, The Night Circus might leave you pleasantly surprised.

*My review ends here. However, since the reading experience is too special to be put in plain text and the summary above is somewhat misleading, I try to write a synopsis in a similar style to the book, so you might get a sense of how it feels like to read it. I’m not a talented writer like Erin Morgenstern, though, so bear with me if I totally fail and just ignored it. No spoilers below.

Synopsis for The Night Circus:
The stars twinkle. The bell chimes midnight. You find yourself surrounded by the fragrance of sweet caramel and strands of black and white.

You did not realize this is what you’ve been waiting for all your life, not until this moment. Le Cirque des Rêves, a circus that only performs at night, a dream that thousands pursuit worldwide, a mystery that doesn’t plan to be unfolded, is finally in front of your eyes.

You tentatively take a step, then another, then another, into the circular path, wandering through tents after tents, wonders after wonders. As you step in the first tent, a deep voice, mystify yet comforting, says: “Once upon a time…”

It is telling you the story of the Circus.

As you visit tents after tents, gazing at spectacles you couldn’t begin to fathom, you learn how the idea of the Circus is born by an ambitious artist, Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre. How the Circus becomes the venue of a magical competition between two young talented magicians, Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair. How the Circus changes the life of a certain Bailey Alden Clarke. How destinies entwine and cross paths. How the Circus evolves with complicating sentiments: joy, devotion, hate, love.

And, of course, you learn the tragedies behind the shining surface, forgotten by most, but forever haunt the performers like burning scars.

Now you’re intrigued. The more you learn about the Circus, the more mysterious it becomes.
You ask how the story ends.

No reply comes.

A warm breeze strikes your cheek, gently urging you to look right. There stands a tent, signed “The Night Circus”, beckoning you in.

Shadows of various shapes and sizes dance inside. You see a big black raven darting through the air, and a white dove flying gracefully by its side. Cats, big and small, performing tricks too dazzling to keep up. A woman and a man, shifting in and out of focus, his hand on the small of her back, her head resting on his shoulder.

And then you notice all shadows seem to be swirling around a white table in the center, with a black leather book and a note on top.

“Turn the pages and read on…” the note reads.

When you exit the tent with an overwhelming heart, it’s already morning.

The Night Circus was an enchanting, mind-boggling story that enraptured me. It was confusing, lovely, frightening, elusive, all at once. There are times I loved this book, times I didn’t, times I wanted it to be over already, and times I never wanted it to end.

Put shortly, it’s a conundrum. A lot like the circus itself.

I don’t know what I expected going into this book, but I know I didn’t get it. Let me be clear: this is a purposely confusing book, but unlike many other confusing novels, this didn’t distract from the story. If anything, it enhanced the creepy, mystical atmosphere, and kept me reading. Morgernstern’s prose was beyond beautiful – it was seductive as her words draw you in and, even during the times where you have no idea what is happening, you don’t want to shut the book.

The characters were fascinating, yet almost two-dimensional in a sense. As there were so many characters, and the novel flitted quickly between their POVs, I couldn’t really get the best sense of each character. There were definitely a few that I could – the side characters – but the two main characters – Celia and Marco – were not as well-developed.

All in all, this was an entertaining book, although it was hard to read, and, not going to lie, my patience was tested a few times.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


Published: January 1st 2011 by Anchor

Page Count: 516 pages

Awards: Locus Award for Best First Novel (2012),Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2012), ALA Alex Award (2012), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), The Reading List Genre Awards for Fantasy (2012) September (2011), The Kitschies Nominee for Golden Tentacle (Debut) (2011)

Links: Goodreads

In all honesty, I don’t know how I feel about this book. at times it is exasperating and other times it was undeniably engrossing.
I don’t know if my exasperation was due to impatience or if the plot of this book was drowned in too many details but I’m sure that some parts of it felt so vividly imagined that I couldn’t put the book down for fear of breaking the spell.

The ending left me agitated. I know, of course that a nicely fitted ending is a luxury in literature and that one mustn’t make a habit of expecting or seeking out books with endings that eave nothing open for interpretation; that the uncertainty of an open ending is in itself, one of the most appealing things about literature.

Erin Morgenstern described her books as “Fairy tales in one way or another”. That is the perfect description of this story. It’s a fairy tale. A tragic tale of love and loss and sacrifice.

the book tells the story of Celia and Marco; two young manipulators: Magicians, sorcerers. whatever you want to call them who have been entered into a competition when they were only children. The competition entails that they out perform each other, magic-wise. Or so they think.

it just so happens that the arena of their competition happens to be a circus. All be it, an extraordinary circus but a normal circus none the less. only with the influence of Celia and Marco’s magic, the circus becomes a place of mystery. An entity in its own right, and very soon people begin noticing and the circus develops a following of devotees who seek out something within its enchanted grounds that they cannot put a name to.

They find themselves drawn to the magic even though they don’t believe in it. some of them even rearrange their whole lives to revolve around the circus; following it wherever it goes.

as the competition draws on, Celia and Marco finds that even though they are rivals, they are drawn to each other. The bonds that hold them together are more than magic and rivalry; they are the bonds of love.

unbeknownst to them, the competition is not one of magical talent and skill. It’s one of stamina: the rules of the game dictate that in order for there to be a winner, only one of them has remain alive in the end of the contest.

inevitably, the game takes a toll on more than the players themselves as everything around them plunges into chaos.
Celia and Marco have to try to save the lives of everyone involved in the circus as well as maintain a hold on their fragile love, but it comes with a price and the sacrifices made are not easy for either of them.

Final Thoughts: this isn’t a cheery book. I would avoid this if you are going through a sentimental phase in your life. unless of course, you like stories about star crossed lovers with unfortunate endings.