The Night Circus

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. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game 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.


First of all, before I dive into my review, I would like to thank my best bud Erin for recommending that I read this book. She is part of a book club in Victoria and this is their pick this month. I mentioned to her that I should try to read all of the books that they do and then post my review on here and then she can take my review with her to the meeting. She added that if I ever get out to Victoria I could possibly be an honourary member to a meeting sometime. I liked that idea. I also like the idea of reading books that I do not pick myself. I think it'll broaden my horizons a bit. So Thank you Erin!!


Every so often I read a book that seems like it is so "visually" stunning that I can't help myself to thinking "I wish I could see this as a movie". But, considering that movies often ruin books, the only reason I really want it to be turned into a movie is because I actually want to SEE parts of it because it would be so beautiful and crazy. But it would be really tough to get it right. You would need a director that can make visually stunning movies (like Baz Luhrmann) to team up with someone that does some amazing special effects (like James Cameron), but I doubt two directors would work together well enough, and they wouldn't do it justice. So when I think I want to see it turned into a movie, what I actually want is it to become real life. So someone needs to make this circus for real. I totally want to go to this circus.

There are several different characters that "host" chapters throughout the book, both of the two main characters as well as a bunch of secondary ones. I found that I enjoyed Bailey's chapter's (a secondary character) more than anyone elses', and Herr Thiessen's were a close second (another secondary character). I think it is because both of these people were observers of the circus and not directly involved in it until late in the book. So you get to see this magnificent spectacle through the eyes of someone who gets to wander around and be amazed by everything, just like any reader would be if the circus came to town. It makes these chapters most relatable and makes the circus so wonderful and amazing, because you are being amazed with them. 

I think that it is important to note that the chapters are dated and not in chronological order. I think it would have helped me to know this beforehand, because the importance of the order the chapters would be chronologically does not just effect the chapter prior and subsequent. I found myself flipping back and forth to find out exactly when things happened in relation to other events. For the most part, there are two (sort of) story lines that eventually meet close to the end of the book. One of them takes place over several decades and the other over only a few years. Just a heads up in case you are really good with remembering these dates, otherwise you may be in for a lot of page flipping if you are a bit OCD like me.

Sometimes when I read a book I wonder where the author got their inspiration. Either because I have read or seen something similar or their ideas are so far out there and totally crazy that I have no idea where they came up with their concepts. This book is a bit of the former. I am a bit of a loyalist when it comes to my television watching. I rarely quit watching a show when it's quality starts to slip or I lose interest. If I do quit I feel guilty. Anywhoo, any of the other loyalist people that watched Heroes until is last (and horrible) season, may also recognize the similarities between the circus in this book and the circus in that season of Heroes. I felt like maybe Morgenstern may have also watched the show and though to herself "This could have been done SO much better, imagine if..." and then made her own book out of it. If this is the case, and even if it's not, Morgenstern totally hit it right on the nose and created a fabulous book of wonder and magic that will probably be one of my recommends and fill my dreams with Le Cirque des Rêves for weeks to come.