Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des RĂªves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. 

The challenge must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.


Now this isn't my usual fare, but...good God...what a beautiful read. Completely captivating from the very first page. It sounds cliched I know, but it was utterly enchanting. I was spellbound, honestly. 

It's a slow paced novel, very heavy on detail and light on plot. This isn't something I'm usually a fan of, but in this case it's just so exquisitely written that it works wonderfully. Morgenstern's language is...and I really can't help but repeat myself here...BEAUTIFUL. I lost myself in the sheer gorgeousness of her prose for hours at a time. 

Reading The Night Circus really was like getting an instant ride to a whole new world of Magic and Marvel. There's a nice, slow reveal in terms of exactly what's going on and why, which given the lazy pace worked really well for me. The notion of the reveurs was, I thought, genius, and I mentally signed myself up. I shall have to get myself a red scarf.

It's hard to find any negatives, but personally the romance aspect for me was...well, it's fine and it works but it's just not really my thing. It was the only aspect of the novel that felt predictable, and a little bit 'safe'. Aside from that, it's absolutely outstanding and if you've not tried it yet,  and  fancy a bit of Magic in your day...you know what to do...

1 comment:

  1. I've seen this crop up a few times and heard nothing but good things - looks like a good one to have a go at. Shall keep an eye out for it :)

    Jamie

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