Book Review: The Night Circus

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you all had a good weekend, I definitely did! I had a lot of fun riding around on a trolley on Saturday for St. Patty’s (St. Patrick’s Day is a BIG deal in Chicago!) and the brunch Sunday at Barney’s with some Junior League Girls. Definitely tired now though!

Today I have a new book review for you all, a book that I loved so, so much: The Night Circus. The book was only halfway through and I was already dreading the idea of it ending. I looked up the author to see if she had similar novels, but this was the first book she’d ever written!

Don’t worry though, I finished the book and (clearly) survived. Several people have recommended The Night Circus to me before, but I put it on my reading list reluctantly and only decided to read it because my library had the ebook version. Thankfully they did, however, or I would have missed out on a truly unique and intriguing story.

The Night Circus, written by Erin Morgenstern, is the story of a competition of sorts between two young people, which takes place over several years in a somewhat unusual circus called Le Cirque De Reves, or The Circus of Dreams. It is only open at night and suddenly appears and then disappears in towns across the world with no warning, people just awake to see it set up in a field, ready for that night’s opening.

Celia and Marco, the two people involved in the competition, were selected as young children with little choice in the matter and almost no indication of the competition, it’s purpose or how it would end. They are each taught separately by their mentors (who are the ones who are truly competing: whose methods are better?) until they are around 18, when they are each instrumental in the creation of the circus, which becomes the venue for their competition, unbeknownst to everyone else involved.

What I loved so much about the writing is it’s ability to take me into another world. I felt as though I was there, in London, at the circus, or wherever the characters were traveling, despite the fact that some of the things described were unimaginable. I actually missed my stop on the bus while reading this book because I had gotten so absorbed in the story. It was a great book for reading during a commute because the chapters were quite short themselves, making it easy to find a place to stop.

If you’re a fan of magic, illusion and mystery then I highly recommend picking up the Night Circus. Even if you don’t think you’ll like it, you might be surprised.

What’s a book you have read recently, or a book that’s on your “to read” list?

Are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?