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)

Slow to spectacular

It took me a little while to get into the book, but after I did I found it endlessly wonderful. And as usual, Jim Dale brings each character into a life of their own.

Beautiful and captivating

Skipped work to read this. Cried at the end, not wanting it to be done.

It’s a beautiful story.

Many times I considered reading The Night Circus only to choose not to because I feared it it might only be cotton candy and not as substantial of a story as I hoped.

The reviews were good but like all always, there were some that gave me pause. I hope my review can help others that are on the fence.

It’s beautiful. I loved it. My words can not neatly explain why or how this book touches something in me that I can not define but for which I yearned.

Beautiful

The story is off the beaten path, unorthodox and unique. The emotion is powerful and the writing delicate. Worth listening to again and again.

Different

I am not sure I liked this book. Lots of characters and it was hard for me to follow at times... it wrapped up nicely. I’m sure it would make a great Tim Burton movie.

Enchanting!

A lovely escape into fantasy and magic. the Narrator is lovely and the story is intriguing from beginning to end.

came for Jim Dale, stayed for the story

I LOVED this book. I bought it because I've listened to all the Harry Potter books with the same narrator, Jim Dale, and I love listening to him. He's very talented and each character has such a distinct voice, which is really helpful in books like this where there are a lot of characters to follow. I didn't know what to expect with the story, but I ended up really loving it! Very different, won't disappoint if you like solid, clever fiction.

Great narrator but story was extremely difficult to follow

The narrator was PHENOMENAL! He really kept my interest. However, the story was lackluster at best and wasn't as much of a romance as I expected. Would probably enjoy the book more as a physical book because it was hard to keep track of the different characters and changes in time.

Swept away to another place

My wife and I adored this book. The descriptive words the author uses put you right there in the story. You can smell the caramel popcorn. You can feel the excitement of the circus all around you. You become a part of this extravagant event and we loved every minute of it. We were pleased with the story and never felt bored or tired. Do yourself a favor and he transported into the magic of The Night Circus.

Magically Strange!

An intriguing story but not as good as all the hype it is receiving. It took me a very long time to not be distracted by Jim Dale's narration only because I am so use to the Harry Potter books and could put a character from that series to every voice he used.

Erin Morgenstern creates a beautiful world with amazing imagery and a convoluted but entertaining story.I had a hard time connecting with the main characters but truly enjoyed some of the minor players. Worth a listen.