The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a phantasmagorical fairy tale story set in a historical Victorian London about wandering magical circus that is open only from sunset to sunrise. It is definitely not every bodies cup of tea but your like me and have a love for all things magical then you might find this book enchanting.Although at times it can be hard to follow due to the nature or it being written in different times and places, jumping backwards and forwards in time, Morgenstern holds it together and puzzles become clear as you continue to read. It is further towards the end of the novel that you begin to understand why she wrote it in such a manner.
Le Cirque des Rêves, which translates to "the Circus of Dreams," features such wonders as the blooming garden which is made completely of ice (my personal favourite), acrobats soaring from terrifying heights without a net, and a vertical cloud maze where patrons who get lost simply step off and float gently and safely to the floor. The circus has no set schedule, it appears without warning and leaves without notice; they travel in a train disguised as an ordinary coal transport. A network of devoted fans styling themselves "rêveurs" develops around the circus; they identify themselves to each other by adding a splash of red to their attire that otherwise matches the black and white of the circus tents. They follow the circus from city to city right across the globe.
The magical nature of the circus is occluded under the guise of legerdemain; the illusionist truly does transform her jacket into a raven and the fortune teller can truly read the uncertain future, and both are applauded for their ingenuity.
The circus serves a darker purpose beyond entertainment and profit. The magicians Prospero the Enchanter and the enigmatic Mr. A.H— groom their young proteges, Celia and Marco, to compete with their rivalry with the exhibits as a stage. Prospero teaches his daughter to hone her incredible talents by holding ever larger and more complex magical workings in her mind. Celia takes her position on the game board as the illusionist who makes true transformations, adding tents and maintaining wondrous aspects from the inside of the circus. Mr. A.H— trains the young orphan he acquires with books in the ways of glyphs and sympathetic magic and illusory worlds that exist only in the mind of the beholder. Marco takes a position as personal assistant to the producer of the circus; he works from the outside in, connected to the circus but not a part of it. The two charm and enchant the circus goers and each other with nightly wonders, soon falling in love despite being magically bound to a deadly competition with rules neither one understands; the magical courtship strains the fate laid out for them and endangers the circus that has touched the lives of so many, it cannot survive without the talents of both players.
I found myself deeply engrossed in the lives of Celia and Marco, not wanting to put the book down until I found out what would become of their romance. Often a very fairy tale style love but with the added darkness of the game in which both are involved. I find myself referring to a Romeo and Juliet style romance where one cannot live without the other but neither can they be together.
Obviously by now you may have realised that this book isn't for everyone, it definitely comes under the 'love it' or 'hate it' categories but to me personally I found it to be beautifully written and magically engaging. Considering that The Night Circus is Erin Morgenstern's first novel I would say she is an upcoming author to watch out for. If her next novel is as engaging as her first I shall definitely find myself reading it also.
Happy reading :)
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