The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Published by Double Day September 13th 2011

387 pages

Reviewed from ARC-borrowed from friend

Summary:

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. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

How do I even begin sharing my thoughts on this book? This intricately woven story has completely swept me away. The story moves back and forth through time, with many people & pieces and yet they all fit together perfectly. At the heart of it, is the story of love and sacrifice, believing in the unimaginable possibilities the world has to offer. The author's writing has a depth that encaptured all my senses- I was truly transported into The Night Circus and when I had to stop reading because my "real" life interrupted, like the patrons in the book, I rushed to go back as soon as possible. I long for sweet carmel apples, and chocolate mice, a red scarf and a silver card that gives me unlimited admission. I wish this Circus was real. This is not a book I will soon forget, and I hope the feeling that came over me as I finished the final line of the story, will stay with me, I'll hold on to it as long as I can. Highly Recommended -One of my favourites....ever.