The Night Circus: A Review

The Circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it.

It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

What a magical book. I was truly captivated the entire time I was reading The Night Circus. Initially I picked it up as a gift to myself whilst feeling incredibly hungover (apparently books are my own little healers, how cute?) and, as they always seem to do, the cover drew me in. My taste in literature is quite varied, but recently I've been steering myself towards books involving magic and fantasy, really taking myself away from the real world. 

The Night Circus achieved exactly that :)

I'll definitely say it's the most visual book I've read in a very long time. The imagery created by Morgenstern's description is so vivid and captivating; it made me feel like I was right inside the circus, wandering around the site and into all of the different tents to watch the different acts. I particularly enjoyed the way Morgenstern switched between third and second person because it really involved and engaged me as a reader, addressing me as though I were a patron of the circus.

There is a sound like a woman laughing nearby, or perhaps it is only the rustling of the trees as you pushyour way forward, searching for the next door, thenext room.You feel the warmth of breath on your neck, butwhen you turn there is no one there. (Labyrinth, p.238)

I'm not usually a fan of second person in a novel, but the snippets in The Night Circus work fantastically, bringing the whole concept of Le Cirque des Rêves to life in more ways than one.

Celia Bowen was by far the most captivating character for me. Whilst I enjoyed the dynamic she shared with Marco, I liked the fact that she was strong enough to stand on her own two feet and was mistress of her own magic. Of course, it was both herself and Marco keeping the Circus alive, but her visible strength and showmanship were some things I really enjoyed. Her relationship with Poppet and Widget struck me as incredibly maternal, and despite the tumultuous upbringing she had, it felt as though she settled into this role so perfectly. We don't hear a great deal about Poppet anfd Widget's parents, but it seems to me that Celia makes it her responsibility to pass on as many lessons to them as she can.

The challenge was an interesting concept and plot idea throughout the whole novel, although I have to admit that I did predict a romance blossoming between Marco and Celia. I don't necessarily think that it's a bad thing, simply something that didn't strike me as wholly original. Saying that though, originality is a very difficult thing to come across in modern literature. We all take inspiration from somewhere :)

Plot-wise, The Night Circus moves rather slowly, but I personally didn't see this as a negative thing. It gave me the chance to really get involved with the characters, and as there are quite a number of characters to remember I was thankful that as a reader I wasn't forced to skip back through the book to remember who was who. As well as this, we also jump back and forth through time in the novel - forward to catch a glimpse of Poppet, Widget and Bailey's experiences within the Circus, and backwards to see its inception and how it encapsulates the challenge that both Celia and Marco face. Despite the novel's focus on individuals with special powers and abilities, I loved the fact that the Circus was entrusted to the character who could be argued was the most "normal". 

"But I'm not . . . special," Bailey says. "Not the way they
are. I'm not anyone important."
"I know," Celia says. "You're not destined or chosen, I wish
I could tell you that you were if that would make it easier, but
it's not true. You're in the right place at the right time, and you
care enough to do what needs to be done. Sometimes that's
enough." (Suspended, p.457)

Bailey is just like the reader, in awe of the wondrous Circus that he surrounds himself with every night, and he is the one to save it and keep it running for so many other people to fall in love with.

To say that I've been struggling to really get stuck into some of the books that I've picked up for at least the past year or two, I didn't struggle with The Night Circus. It was imaginative, inspiring and immensely enjoyable. If you love magic, mystery and the excitement of the Circus, then you'll love this book as much as I did.

C xxx