I don’t normally use the word exquisite to describe a book, but Erin Morgenstern’s book The Night Circus is exquisite. Thanks to the generous Ale, who sent me this book for the holiday book exchange, I got to read one of my favorite books of the year.
The Night Circus is about two talented enchanters, Celia and Marco, who have been brought up since childhood to engage in a mysterious challenge with each other. Both take part in creating the night circus, a magical circus that appears only at night and is filled with wonders. The circus becomes the place where the challenge unfolds, each attraction and tent more wondrous than the next. As time goes on and Celia and Marco come to know each other, the energy between them is electric and they fall in love. Yet the nature and purpose of the challenge remains elusive.
The world Morgenstern has created is sumptuous. It is a riot of color, silks, warmth, beauty, and magic. The circus is so well drawn, it hurt my heart a little to know it only exists in fiction. Everything is vivid and somehow delicate, perfectly calibrated like the magical clock at the entrance to the circus. It’s an impeccably drawn world that’s not laden with details that don’t contribute to the atmosphere. As a reader, I felt every element was necessary.
The Night Circus is one of those books that you hate to see end. I don’t want to say too much about the ending, but it stuck the landing. I always get nervous when I love a book that the ending will fall apart (hello Stephen King). The ending here was just right.
I want to thank Ale for introducing me to this book. For my book exchange profile, I said I liked mysteries and was getting into fantasy. Ale described The Night Circus as a little of both, and it really was the perfect combination.