The Night Circus: 'The Circus of Dreams' Truly Amazes
Erin Morgenstern refers to all of her writing as “fairy tales in one way or another” and this is definitely the case with her national bestseller The Night Circus. Enchanting, mystical, vibrant, and seeped in intrigue, her debut novel transports the reader to a world that only exists in the midst of dreams. The kinds of dreams where leaping off a suspended platform into a sea of clouds is an everyday activity or attending a party in a lavish ball gown that changes colors to match its surroundings is a part of any wardrobe.
Dueling magicians Marco and Celia are entangled in an intense competition, one they have been groomed for since childhood. The venue for this contest—The Circus of Dreams, or Le Cirque des Reves, an unusual circus that is open only from dusk to dawn. The goal—to use their fine-honed skills of illusion to manipulate the function of the circus and create its attractions, each in an effort to outshine the other. Initially unaware of who their opponent is and how the victor is to be decided, they soon discover these secrets and many more. But as with all illusions, nothing is what it seems and what is not mostly certainly is, creating a fantasy world that keeps the reader guessing from start to finish.
Cleverly set in an era of history when innovation was in its infancy and the innocence of Victorian life still allowed people to believe in and be amazed by the art of magic. Morgenstern takes familiar literary themes—conflict, familial discord, and romance—and fleshes them out into an intricate storyline that makes you feel they are brand-new topics of prose altogether. With the turning of every page there is a new cavern of mystery to explore, the details delivered with such vivacious color one can almost imagine they have seen it before with their own eyes. Add to that a cast of delightfully bewitching and eccentric characters, drop them into the alluring setting of a magical 19th century circus, and you have the makings of a genuine literary fantasy.
A true charm of a book, The Night Circus will exceed your highest expectations. It will haunt you, it will romance you, it will dazzle you. And more than anything, it will make you wish you possessed a silver ticket proclaiming unlimited admission to the most entrancing extravaganza fiction has ever seen!
