Review (-ish): The Night Circus
After all of the hype surrounding Morgenstern's The Night Circus, I felt like I ought to check it out. Literally, the book was appearing on every fansite that I frequent. As a person who detests being out of the loop, I bought it about two weeks ago or so and just finished it up.
But before I put in my two cents, here is back cover style summary / review for the book:
"Opens at Nightfall; Closes at Dawn." The Le Cirque des Rêves is a circus unlike any other, just as this magical debut novel is equally unique. At the center of The Night Circus spectacle are two specially gifted young magicians, Celia and Marco, pitted against each other in professional competition, drawn towards one another in love. Erin Morgenstern's literary fantasy has already drawn raves for its captivating evocativeness: "A world of almost unbearable beauty.... A love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends." "A novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell... If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."
There really is no good way to describe or review this book, mostly because it's really different from a lot of novels. The best way to put it, I suppose, is that when I was reading it, it felt a lot like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Not in the plot elements so much as the general feel.
Guys, it felt trippy. Trippy and light and almost intangible. You didn't know where you were going with the plot for about 3/4s of the book, and quite frankly, I didn't give a damn. I guess in that sense it felt like Alice to me too. You don't read Alice thinking that you're going to get something like you would from Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks or the Bronte sisters. Alice, at least to me, as always been more about feelings than it was about story. And The Night Circus was totally like that.
The pictures Morgenstern paints are phenomenal. A definite feast for the senses. And her writing is simplistic in a very beautiful way. It's not a hard read at all.
The reviews seem to play up this romance between Celia and Marco, but honestly, they're making a far bigger deal out of it than there really is. Oh there is romance, but this book is not about star-crossed lovers a la Romeo and Juliet. First and foremost, this novel is about Le Cirque des Reves, magic, and story telling. What romance there is between Celia and Marco is beautifully crafted and very palatable.
The novel's supporting characters are just as brilliant as the main characters, especially the twins, Poppet and Widget. And it was also great to see an LGBT character, even if the plot point was very minor.
I really have no big complaints about the novel, other than one heavy handed Shakespeare reference that even the characters brought up. If you're the type of person who wants all their loose ends tied up or to really leave the book with a full understanding of everything, you will be very disappointed. However, I think the lack of clear answers goes with the general feel of the novel.
I would definitely recommend this novel for any of you who don't mind heavily character-driven stories, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or YA fantasy novels that aren't the norm.
But before I put in my two cents, here is back cover style summary / review for the book:
"Opens at Nightfall; Closes at Dawn." The Le Cirque des Rêves is a circus unlike any other, just as this magical debut novel is equally unique. At the center of The Night Circus spectacle are two specially gifted young magicians, Celia and Marco, pitted against each other in professional competition, drawn towards one another in love. Erin Morgenstern's literary fantasy has already drawn raves for its captivating evocativeness: "A world of almost unbearable beauty.... A love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends." "A novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell... If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."
There really is no good way to describe or review this book, mostly because it's really different from a lot of novels. The best way to put it, I suppose, is that when I was reading it, it felt a lot like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Not in the plot elements so much as the general feel.
Guys, it felt trippy. Trippy and light and almost intangible. You didn't know where you were going with the plot for about 3/4s of the book, and quite frankly, I didn't give a damn. I guess in that sense it felt like Alice to me too. You don't read Alice thinking that you're going to get something like you would from Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks or the Bronte sisters. Alice, at least to me, as always been more about feelings than it was about story. And The Night Circus was totally like that.
The pictures Morgenstern paints are phenomenal. A definite feast for the senses. And her writing is simplistic in a very beautiful way. It's not a hard read at all.
The reviews seem to play up this romance between Celia and Marco, but honestly, they're making a far bigger deal out of it than there really is. Oh there is romance, but this book is not about star-crossed lovers a la Romeo and Juliet. First and foremost, this novel is about Le Cirque des Reves, magic, and story telling. What romance there is between Celia and Marco is beautifully crafted and very palatable.
The novel's supporting characters are just as brilliant as the main characters, especially the twins, Poppet and Widget. And it was also great to see an LGBT character, even if the plot point was very minor.
I really have no big complaints about the novel, other than one heavy handed Shakespeare reference that even the characters brought up. If you're the type of person who wants all their loose ends tied up or to really leave the book with a full understanding of everything, you will be very disappointed. However, I think the lack of clear answers goes with the general feel of the novel.
I would definitely recommend this novel for any of you who don't mind heavily character-driven stories, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or YA fantasy novels that aren't the norm.