The Night Circus

A Novel

By: Erin Morgenstern

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

©2011 Erin Morgenstern (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

" The Night Circus made me happy. Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for, and she has populated it with dueling love-struck magicians, precocious kittens, hyper-elegant displays of beauty, and complicated clocks. This is a marvelous book." (Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife)

"Self-assured, entertaining debut that blends genres and crosses continents in quest of magic…. Generous in its vision and fun to read. Likely to be a big book—and, soon, a big movie, with all the franchise trimmings." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Debut author Morgenstern doesn't miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love... a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics." ( Publishers Weekly)

Magical Book Magical Listen

What did you love best about The Night Circus?

Everything. There was a poetry to the story that was spellbinding, thanks in no small part to the masterful narration by Jim Dale. This book was definitely a treat in audiobook form.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Night Circus?

I loved the first meeting of the two main characters.

Which character – as performed by Jim Dale – was your favorite?

Hard to choose, but I will say this: Jim Dale does a good job with the women's voices. He doesn't try to sound overly feminine - which in my opinion is rarely (if ever) truly successful.

Any additional comments?

A delightful read for one and all, but especially if you are an adult, or YA reader who loved Harry Potter and similarly-themed novels. The narration really lends it's self to the mystery and magic of this gem of a book.

What a ride!

What did you love best about The Night Circus?

A fun period book with delicious twist & turns!

What other book might you compare The Night Circus to and why?

It's not really like much that I have read before which is part of why I enjoyed it so much!

Which character – as performed by Jim Dale – was your favorite?

The twins

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended!

Excellent Book and great narrator

This multifaceted magical story was a delight. It pulled me in and held my attention. The narrator was top notch.

too much environment, not enough character

This is a fantasy book, and the environment created by the author is indeed fantastic and fantasical, but that's where things end. There is little character development and the people in the novel seem to only rate a very distant second behind the environment of the Circus -- and the plot (what most people like to move the book along) rates a distant third. I think it's too bad that the author didn't do more with the premise - a mysterious and wonderful circus where magic masquerades as illusion - but instead spend time and words reiterating again and again he look, scents, and sounds of the circus. I think the characters, with learned and innate magical abilities, would have been interesting characters, had we really gotten to know them, but instead they were glossed over as mere cogs in the wheel of the circus, rather than (what I would have liked) the fuel that moved the wheel of the circus. The author never even bothered to consider exploring the very obvious anomaly that the twins aged significantly faster than anyone else associated with the circus, and sadly didn't really explore the effect such things had on those people.

And opportunity wasted. In fact, if it wasn't for the narration, I think I would have felt even worse about the book. To me, Jim Dale's narration always makes things sound like a fairy tale, and that worked well for this novel. He is wonderful and believable at managing multiple voices in the same reading, and his fairy tale narration added to painting the fantasy better (I think) than the words alone would have.

Best book I've ever listened to

I listen to this book countless times. The writing style, the narrative and the characters are all lovable. Whenever I'm in a place where I need an escape from, this story is my go to.

Best book I listened to in 2011

Would you listen to The Night Circus again? Why?

This was my favorite book of 2011. Wonderfully wrote great job Erin Morganstern.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Night Circus?

The magic of the circus...

Have you listened to any of Jim Dale’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to many of Jim Dale's performances and he does an excellent job. The Night Circus was superb, a brilliant performance!

Outstanding!

The story is original and holds your interest. The characters come alive with Jim Dale's incredible voice. You need to follow this story closely as it flashes forward in time and back again. I will listen to this story again and again. It's sure to become a classic. It was worth every penny spent.

enchanting, but it's more style than substance

This book is very Neil Gaiman-esque in tone and feel and the scope of imagination, so fans of his work should definitely check this out. I loved the concept and descriptions of the circus, but I must admit that I was not pulled in by the characters. I didn't really care what happened to any of them except for the Murray twins and the clockmaker... so this book was entertaining, imaginative, and very very prettily done, but a bit one-dimensional for me. Style over substance.

Best read of the year!

Where does The Night Circus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this book. Best of the best.

What does Jim Dale bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

If you were a fan of the tv show

If you could take any character from The Night Circus out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The sisters - get their take on what they were seeing and perceiving.

Any additional comments?

The foundation of the book is magic - if you're in the group that has no issue with suspending disbelief you will LOVE this book.

Greatest Show on Earth!

This story was mesmerizing, and Jim Dale made it even more amazing. I can't recall the last time I was actually sad to hear a story end, but this one has made me want to start it all over again.