Where to start with this one? It starts off present day to give a
mysterious gleam to the circus. In my opinion, it works. Then it
opens up to the first part of five in the book, and that starts at
1873. This whole book takes place from the beginning from 1873
to 1902, delving just quick glances into what I take as present day.
I liked this, because most books one reads (unless purposely sought
out) are set in the most recent time allotted.
Marco and Celia are the main characters of the book, with many
sub-characters that are still important to the book. Both Marco and
Celia have been bound to play a "game" where only one can
be left in the end for there to be declared a "winner".
They do not know about each other and have to guess as to who the
other person is, all the while playing against each other. They are
both illusionists. This is the plot that drew me in, but this
plot is draw out so much. Along with Marco and Celia's story going on
you have a few others going on as well, going back and forth in the
time period. This confused me, because one moment one person may be
having a conversation with someone and in the next "chapter"
that conversation hasn't even taken place. I had to keep rechecking
what year Morgenstern was in with each "chapter". I
eventually lost interest in Marco and Celia's story and became
interested in Baily's.
This whole "game" was started by two men years ago. They
take two children that are magically inclined, bind them together,
and wait until one is unable to play anymore. Celia ends up being the
daughter to Prospero the Enchanter who's rightful name is Hector
Bowen. Marco is adopted by Alexander. Marco and Celia are told very
little about the game itself. They are both pressured into winning.
*SPOILER-ALERT* Celia's father "dies" some time into the
book, but he is not actually dead. He still roams the places that he
visited, or performed at, or places that have made a lasting
impression in his memory. He is often with his daughter berating her
for things that Celia has done. For example, collaborating
with the builder of the circus to make the merry-go-round. Celia
describes her father as not being dead, but he shed his shell
(that being the human flesh) and is now not bound to
anything in particular. Some are able to see him they just
ignore him.*SPOILER-ENDED*
Something else that I did not enjoy that I hinted toward earlier,
is that the book is not so much wordy, as drawn out. Things do not
really start picking up until a little more then half way through the
book. Morgenstern goes through how the circus came to be, how the
"game" started, how people met, how performers got into the
circus, and where as some of this is needed, I didn't think that all
of this was needed to be fully explained. I honestly put this book
down and began to read another book, I lost interest pretty quickly
in the beginning. Though once I got a little more then half way
through the book I couldn't put it down. Things started to pick up,
Celia realizes that Marco is her opponent, things start to come apart
in the circus, the book finally picks up the pace. You do have to
read carefully to pick up on little details in the book otherwise you
end up going back to see who is being talked about, that was
mentioned in a fleeting paragraph pages before.
Marco and Celia's story almost remind me of another Romeo and
Juliet story. Both are not supposed to be together, they get
together, *SPOILER-ALERT* and a sort of death happens to Marco and
Celia just like Romeo and Juliet in the end. *SPOILER-ENDED* Unlike
Romeo and Juliet's story, this takes place in a circus, and no one's
cousin is killed.
What I did like is that Morgenstern plays on the fantasy of
all little kids dreams; that magic is real. Marco and Celia banter
back and forth in the beginning once the circus begins to take off,
creating things, sometimes small, sometimes huge. They are all passed
off as illusions, but they are actually really being created by Marco
and Celia. They begin to collaborate, against the wishes of the men
who started this "game" years ago, and fall in love. Once
they find out that only one person can be victorious Celia
begins to try and find a way to make this not happen. Things do
and do not go according to plan and *SPOILER-ALERT* loop hole
is found. Celia makes Marco and herself become what her father is,
that kind-of dead, but not really dead state. *SPOILER-ENDED*
All in all I enjoyed parts of the book, but not the book as a
collective. I have seen it in the stores but I do not think that I
will actually buy it, because it took me so long to read and I lost
interest in it so quickly too. Would I be willing to pick up and read
something else by Erin Morgenstern? That's a hopeful maybe.
Rating: I would give The Night Circus a 3.5 out of 5.
Page Count: 387 pages.
Price: ???
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
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