The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Audio Narrator: Jim Dale
Paperback Publisher: Anchor Books
Pub Date: 2012
Synopsis
Cecelia is left at a theater where she meets her father for the first time. Finding that Celia has special gifts, her father enters her into a game that has dangerous consequences. Marco is an orphan boy chosen to become the opponent to someone he does not yet know but his life will be tied to hers. Cirque De Reve is created as the perfect place for two young magicians, bound to a wager they did not choose, to duel. As the years pass, those who work within the circus start becoming affected and soon enough the fate of everyone hangs in the balance.
CAWPILE Rating
Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Plot: 8/10
Intrigue: 9/10
Logic: 10/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Total CAWPILE Score: 9.00
Rating: 5 🌟
Thoughts
I read The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern at the end of 2020 and I rated that one 3.75 stars. Although I did enjoy it, I found it incredibly confusing and long. I nearly DNF'd it a few times because there were moments where I didn't know what was happening and I was bored. I was fairly new to reading, which I believe was part of the problem but also, had I known what the story would be about, I believe I would've enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, the synopsis on the back of the book didn't give me enough information going in and the concept of the book made my head spin. One thing I wasn't confused about however was that I knew I loved her writing. I placed The Night Circus on my TBR shortly after and honestly, I can't believe it took me this long to read it. This second journey into the writing of Erin Morgenstern did not disappoint.
This story was pure magic. Morgenstern's writing was enchanting. I loved how she used prose filled with whimsy to create this deeply atmospheric setting. There were times I could almost taste the burnt sugar from the caramel on my tongue. It was easy to feel transported into the dream created by the circus. The characters had incredible depth and were easily distinguishable; even the side characters were memorable and played an important role within the story. The plot was much like a chessboard, where Morgenstern wrote with such strategy and purpose. Each step within the story had reason and because of that, there were no plot pacing issues or points where I felt the story ran too long. Trying to understand the competition itself as well as wanting to know how everything would wrap up kept me intrigued until the end, which did not disappoint. This was truly a memorable story that I know I will be thinking about for a long time to come.
Until next time, Friends,
The Litterature