The Night Circus

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 12:49 pm by Jeff Miller

The Night Circus 2013-02-20T12:49:59-06:00 Jeff Miller

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In one of the geek related podcasts I listen to I heard reference to The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern’s first novel. The various members of this podcast all recommended it

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 Rêves”, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.

I was rather skeptical going in as I was afraid it would be dark or nihilistic, but reviews by others on Goodreads mostly removed these concerns. Reading it I found I quite liked it and while not perfect was fairly enjoyable. The prose really drew me in and the stage is set and reset with a rich atmosphere.

The start of the story mainly revolves around the training of Celia by her father and this part of the story is rather dark as she is put through the training in a rather merciless manner. Despite this Celia is not warped by her father who uses her as a tool to compete against another magician in what is just another series of battles between them

The whole feel of the circus itself is quite intriguing along with the culture around the circus regarding fans that follow it as it travels. Some of the characters in the circus also add to the flavor of the novel and give it some depth.

My main problem with the novel is that the love affair between the two magicians is a bit contrived. It rings fairly true regarding Marcos, but it is just too sudden on the part of Celia. One minute she is weary of her rival in the game and the next she is in love with him. At least it seemed that way to me.

I liked the fairy tale aspect of the story and how the world of the night circus was expressed. A pretty imaginative story and the ending did not leave me disappointed. Certainly I will be awaiting to hear more from this author.

Previous Post

January 30, 2013

The Tribune by Patrick Larkin [updated]

Next Post

February 1, 2013 Trucker Ghost Stories

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Bible Study Bulletin Board Catholic Church Excerpt Faith-y Stuff Funny Stuff Good Deals Listening Now Patheos Book Club Personal Reading Challenge Podcast Alert Random Bookishness Resources Review Uncategorized Well Said What I'm Reading

Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz