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)

I want to visit this circus

The magic and mystery of the circus was brought to life by this wonderful live story. Jim Dale brings each character to life through his reading. If only there was a circus like the one created by this author

I want to visit

I have always loves this book and I love that I can always come back to visit, either through the book or through this audiobook

Vibrant imagery brought to live in silken tones

Although I'm not an ardent fan of fantasy, this story pulled me in with its grounding in reality and human emotion. The touches of fantasy provide an interesting subtext to a rich experience of inner sight and sound. I found the story to be a vicarious adventure of the "what if" variety - having myself, never quite fit into the banal real world. I would rank this story easily within the category of soon-to-be classics.

Started out slow but.....!

With a slow beginning it did get pretty good if the dates didn't confuse you too much. Love the narration! Jim does an extraordinary job. Overall it's a pretty good story

I enjoyed the book

I loved the story telling voice. Reminded me of Pushing Daisies narrator. Loved the mystical sound. Some parts were uncomfortable to listen to because of the content and whispering combination, but overall great reading. The book itself was just OK.

You'll be glad you went to the Night Circus ...

... it's a place of magical delights and both the writing and the narration give you the experience of being there. OK OK ... sometimes the story seemed to forget where it was and got lost in its love of its details ... and OK OK ... sometimes you could see the author imagining which actress was playing Celia ..
But if you are drawn to this type of novel, you will not regret buying this one.

Great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Loved the story, well read.

What did you like best about this story?

The Cirus

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

Poppit

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

I'd like to dine with all of them.

Any additional comments?

I liked everything about the story.
Wish I could hear more.

Wonderfully magical

This is one of my favorites and I frequently Reread it often because it has such a charm and mystical feeling throughout. It is woven together so subtly and yet it all works the way it should. Beautiful delivery too, though the mans voice over female pieces was very different as I read the whole thing with a woman's voice and expected that.

Still magical and I will listen again and again

Resplendant!

Beautiful prose that you can lose yourself in; narrated clearly and with the perfect amount of emotion so the imagery evoked can be clearly imagined! I look forward to listening to this over and over again, and will probably buy the book, so I can also have a physical copy to enjoy! My only complaint is that I have to work while listening and cannot give it the full attention that it deserves.

Wonderful

This is one of my favorite books.
Beautiful characters and the magic of the circus.