I couldn't tell you exactly what prompted me to push Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus to the front of my 'to read' queue, but I'm so glad I did. This novel leisurely tells the story of two young people pitted against each other in a test of magical stamina. The playing field is the circus, which always shows up unannounced and only opens from dusk to dawn. As the contest advances over the years, the young magicians fall for each other, only to discover that the only way to win their contest is to outlive the other.The real magic in this book is in the descriptions Morgenstern writes. One almost has the sense of actually walking around the circus and visiting the cloud tent, where circus goers can actually walk on clouds; or visiting the ice garden, where the ice never melts no matter the temperature. Each tent at the circus transforms from a strategic move in a game neither understands, to a wondrous love letter created from one to the other.
The pacing of this novel feels like taking a walk in the park on a cool autumn day. As such, I won't recommend this to those of you who like action packed, complicated plot lined novels. I will recommend this to people who like: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Baz Luhrmann movies (Moulin Rouge, Romeo+Juliet, Strictly Ballroom), and Big Fish.
Find it at your library!
Reviewed by Samantha