"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

“The circus arrives without warning.”  


This line is set to become one of my all-time favorite opening lines ever.  It sets the tone perfectly, and what follows is just an amazing reading experience.  This book reminded me of why I love to read as much as I do.

The Night Circus, Le Cirque des Reves, is a magical, mysterious event.  It arrives and departs the fields surrounding small towns around the world to the delight of crowds.  It is only open at night, and is dressed  only in black, white and grey.  This ambiance adds to the dream like state you feel when you enter through the gate, and helps you believe in all the impossible feats you witness within the tents.

Celia is The Illusionist of the circus; at least that is what the patrons and most of the performers believe.  A select few within the company know that she is far more involved than that.  When she was a small child, she was bound into a magician’s challenge – and the circus has become the venue.  She does not know the identity of her competitor, but she can feel his presence throughout the circus.  She falls in love with Marco, the Circus Proprietor’s Assistant, and the whole game changes.  Will she be left standing as the victor or will she fall?

This book is incredible.  It is more than that.  I don’t have the words to describe it accurately….  From the very first page, from that very first line, I felt transported to another time and place.  Transported to mysterious theaters and rooms pulsing with complex magic.  The narrative is filled with details that I suppose an impatient reader might become bothered by, but I wallowed in it.  I clung to the scenes laid out on the pages, and even dreamed about them at night.  Everything is so beautifully written – the world of The Night Circus seems magically tangible though it couldn’t be possible.

Yes, this is a much hyped book.  Summit Entertainment has purchased the movie rights, and the book has already been sold in 30 some odd countries.  This book is everywhere in the book world, and it is only going to keep spreading once it is released September 13th.  But I honestly and truly believe that this book deserves the hype.  I loved it.

If you haven’t entered already, I am giving away an ARC of The Night Circus to a lucky US winner, and an International winner can choose for me to pre-order a finished copy for them.  The giveaway is open through Wednesday, September 7th – just click the link at the top right of your screen.

*****
The Night Circushttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=sara023-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0385534639&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
by Erin Morgenstern
Doubleday, 2011
384 pages
Source:  ARC from Publisher

Also available at The Book Depository

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