The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Pages: 512

Intended Audience: Adults

Genre: Romance / Historical / Supernatural / Mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains somemature scenes.

The Back Cover

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 Cirques des Rêves, and it is open only 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 both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Amidst the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The film and TV rights to The Night Circus were optioned by Summit Entertainment, and a film is being produced by David Heyman and Jeff Clifford under Heyday Films. Moira Buffini was hired in February 2012 to write the screenplay. As of April 2018, there is still no confirmation if a film or TV show will ever be made.

What’s good?

The story unfolds around the dark and mysterious, ever-changing venue of the night circus, where circus-goers wander from tent to tent to find fortune tellers and acrobats, but also wondrous things like rooms that snow and living statues. The circus itself, described in stunning detail, is a living, breathing entity that blankets the story with an ethereal atmosphere that gives the story’s characters a mystical quality. The plot is simple, and the pace is steady. It’s a very visual story and has a satisfying end.

Best Part: The setting.

What isn’t good?

The time jumps are confusing. The plot is very simplistic and lackluster, contradicting the promise of fierce competition, high stakes, and dangerous consequences in the cover description. The romance, what there is of it, is instantaneous and melodramatic. The writing is good, but the character and plot development is lacking. The story appears to be driven solely by the setting.

Worst part: The fierce duel never happened.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (2.5/5)

The setting was amazing, but the story was uninspired. This is basically a description of an amazing, mystical circus, with a thin plot and interesting but under-developed characters. By the end, I didn’t hate the story, but I felt underwhelmed. It was such a spectacular setting, but nothing really happened. I was disappointed.

Morgenstern, Erin. The Night Circus. Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2011.