Rereading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

I first read The Night Circus in January, and I just loved it so much. Here is what I said in my original review: "This was a really good book. It was darkly mysterious, and made me want to keep on reading, and not put it down. It tells of the Night Circus, or Le Cirque des Reves, which is an amazing circus that opens only at night. Inside the circus, however, a fierce competition or "game" is going on between two illusionists, Marco and Celia, bound by their masters to play the game to completion. They innocently fall in love, not realizing how the game must end- with only one person left standing. One thing that I really enjoyed about the book were the fanciful descriptions about the circus and its tents. It made me feel like I was really there in the circus, breathing in the scents and sounds. I also liked the ideas for tents that the author had; they were really wonderful. There is a beautiful and complicated clock in the middle of the circus, and I loved how its clockwork was described. The ending was a bit enigmatic, but it was meant to be that way, I think."

I loved The Night Circus just as much, if not more, the second time around. The writing style is my definitely my favorite part about the book; it just melts in your mouth like the confections at the circus itself. As you can see from the opening few sentences under the title "Anticipation", it really does build up the suspense and anticipation. The plot itself is also really great. The Night Circus just hooks you. Oh, how I would love to visit Le Cirque des Reves (which actually means The Circus of Dreams), with its beautiful clock, and outstanding shows. All at night.  And the book is dreamlike in a way, because of course, nothing like this could happen in real life. The Night Circus is quite romantic too. The two main characters of Marco and Celia are very strong too, and I loved both of them, as well as the supporting characters. Whether you like fantasy, romance, or historical fiction, everyone should at least try this one. It's one of my Top Ten Books, and I think it's been elevated to third or fourth by my rereading it. 

Read The Night Circus:

• if you like fantasy
• if you like romance
• if you like vaguely historical fiction
• if you are looking for a really wonderful book

512 pages (in the paperback edition.)
 

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf For Rereading (jf I own it)!