Synopsis:
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.
Review:
I first read The Night Circus almost 10 years ago and thought it was the most magical book I had ever read. I’m happy to say that I still stand by that, although I don’t know about it being ‘the most magical book’. I didn’t quite understand the non-linear nature of it as a young teen but I appreciated it much more as an adult.
The descriptions of the circus are just so wonderful. You really feel like you are there. Especially the sections in between the ‘parts’ of the book. The prose talks directly to you and it makes the story so much more personal. These were my favourite parts.
Even after reading The Night Circus for a second time, I still don’t fully understand the motivations behind the competition. The rules also don’t make sense but it is interesting. A circus is the perfect setting to display skills of illusion.
There are so many great characters in this book that it’s hard to pick a favourite, but I do love the twins. It was very difficult to keep up with how old they were though. Time is very strange in this book, but in a good way.
The Night Circus is the type of book that draws you in and keeps your attention. Which is a nice way of saying I took no notes while reading and wasn’t thinking about the book analytically. I really need to stop doing this.
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