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)

Wonder and Curiousity

I just finished the Night Circus. The story style reminded me a little of Neil Gaiman, who I think is a wonderful writer in the genre of the "curiousier and curiousier." This story weaves around you from the start, and in the end leaves you wishing to open your mind to all sorts of possibilities. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Exciting Atmosphere, ok story.

I want to visit the night circus. Every single tent attraction created a vivid picture in my head and had me longing to see stripped tents setting up in empty fields. Erin Morgenstern is a fabulous writer. The main story circles around two characters and the rules of some esoteric game.

Each of the characters was well written, but their interactions did not make this book for me. I thought the direct story line was ok, but nothing on the level that the hype led me to believe. The reason to read this book is for the magical atmosphere. Each side story and new character builds on this world and makes you want to be a part of it.

Jim Dale did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and was not a distraction.

Couldn't get into it.

Not sure why - the story line, the pace - but I just couldn't get interested in this book.

A really good story

Imagination, this book gets an A+ for that, not something I give out easily. The circus is a battleground in a contest set up by persons who seem almost soulless. Do not take the word battle literally, there are so many ways to wage war.
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These two provocateurs choose their instruments of war in the persons of Marco and Celia. They spend years creating their champions, and yet are they champions? A champion is a defender, one who holds up honor. What do these two contest? They are not given the parameters of the contest, a nebulous and wavering thing at best.
There is a rich abundance of detail but one is not overwhelmed. It is possible to read this book and come away with the circus in your mind as you would have it. The characters are full of life ??? people you would want to know, people you care about.
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The creation of the circus was phenomenal. It was so very realistic. If you were going to create a wonder whom would you invite to dinner? That dinner being given for the purpose of discussing your newly hatched thoughts???.your guest list must necessarily be made with much care.
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At several points during this book I was reminded of a poem I enjoyed as a child ??? A Nightmare, from Iolanthe by W.S. Gilbert. This was not because the book was a copy, but the quality of the ???imagining???.
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It is a mystery, a combat, a love story, magic, malice, drama and a joy for lovers of a good story.
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I hope the Night Circus shows up by me, I will definitely go and I will stay until dawn ??? wearing a red token.

I loved it.

What did you love best about The Night Circus?

This was and adult fairy tale.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best was the author's style of expression.

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

As an adult, I'd listened to Jim Dale's performances of the Harry Potter series. This performance, although restrained, was comparable based on the target audience. He does not disappoint.

If you could rename The Night Circus, what would you call it?

There is nothing I would change about The Night Circus.

Fresh Fantasy; Re-defining What Fantasy Means

Fantasy is supposed to be free, fresh and original- an escape from the stuffiness, the boring, and sometimes the simply unbearable "real" world. Unfortunately, fantasy today often feels cramped, dominated by the repetitive cliche worlds: medieval eras, elves, dwarves, warriors with ridiculous powers, et al.

This is not cliche. This is one of those precious gems that lives in the fringe of its genre.

The story is written very well. The author excels in bringing details to life, imagining a circus that's so beyond reality and yet grounding the idea so well it makes the reader believe they could go out into our world and find such a place.

The tale of the two illusionists is well told. Thoroughly told but not belabored, rich and consistently paced; and yet in a life where few can sit and enjoy a sip of fine scotch but would rather slam an energy drink and go a mile a minute, I can see how this tale might come off as boring.

This is not an action-adventure. The story is wonderfully different, deeply romantic, and unfolds steadily and consistently. If you're tired of the cliche flashy magic and Harry Potter-ish characters and story (or LOTR-ish settings), try this one.

Note: The only reason the performance received a 4 star vice 5: Jim Dale does an amazing job, however (as noted in many other reviews) he gives every female character a distinctively male voice.

Good story - Magical Realism

What did you love best about The Night Circus?

I liked how the story moved around in time. It allowed you to see characters at various stages at the same time.

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

I really liked the twins and their Scottish accents.

If you could rename The Night Circus, what would you call it?

By its French title: Le cirque des rêves.

Any additional comments?

There aren't a lot of magical realism genre books on Audible. Would love to see more.

Love, love, love this book!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Night Circus to be better than the print version?

While the audio version of this book is fantastic, it was a little difficult to follow all of the moving parts of the complex story.

What did you like best about this story?

This story is unique, original, and captivating. I was hooked from the very first scene.

Great listen

If you could sum up The Night Circus in three words, what would they be?

Fun
Mind dazzling
Unique

Who was your favorite character and why?

Widge, he was shy about his gift and seemed like a "normal" boy.

What about Jim Dale’s performance did you like?

Mr Dale did an excellent job of changing voices. A perfect choice of narrator!

magic-wonderful story!

I really loved this book. It had me enthralled from the very first line- swept into the magic of it - so much that I did not want it to end. I usually keep the audiobooks for when I am painting, but this was so wonderful that I broke that rule - and had to listen to it at every possible moment. I highly recommend it if you love being swept away into a world of beautiful magic