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)

good story, well read.

The story was good, though I do think the time jumps can be jarring, especially when listening and not reading. I like this narrator, but some of his female character voices are comical and make it hard to take seriously, particularly Poppet's voice/accent.

It was... Okay.

While I won't say this was a bad book, I certainly had a very difficult time staying interested. I found many of the characters, particularly The main two, an interesting and unlikable. The plot seemed convoluted and to say it meandered would be an understatement. It was an incredibly slow pace. Too much environmental description and not enough character development. Don't get me wrong, the description was beautifully written, but without a strong plot giving it a backbone, it fell somewhat flat.

As for Jim Dale, I love him as a narrator. I’m not sure however, that he was the right pick for this book. Some of the voices he picked did not seem quite right for the characters which took me out of the story somewhat.

I know many people really like this book, but for me it didn't hold the magic I hoped for, and felt altogether rather bland.

My FAVORITE book

I love every single thing about this book!!! Its absolutely magical from cover to cover!!

A truly enchanting story with flowery writing.

It is a truly enchanting story wrapped in flowery writing of a true masterpiece ;)

Fantastic!!

This is an absolutely fantastic read. Wonderfully complex and detailed story that’s wonder and love and mystery and magic all wrapped up in one. Gorgeous. Would read again and recommend!!!

Interesting to read but slow at times

Interesting book but it wasn't until part 4 that it picked up and really enjoyed it

Incredible Craftsmanship

There are few books that can do thoroughly pulley me in on the basis of the writing itself. To be honest, the story itself is relatively basic. However, this relatively standard romance arc is wrapped up in a world of dreamlike artistry. Morgenstern pulls you into the world she’s built with her masterful descriptions that leave just enough to the imagination to keep you enveloped in her circus.

Fabulous

The imagery is magical from start to finish and the narration is exceptional. A must listen.

Narrator takes you into this magical world

The narrator really put you into the time period. Late 1800 London and through the circus. Voices were so perfectly distinctive and true to the period and places. The story may move slow but it’s to create the world and give you the details in everything around. The world building really transports you down the smells of popcorn and glows of candlelight. All the dates come together in a greatly built climax. The vantage point in the end ties it all together. Beautiful.

this needs to be a movie!

This was a great story. While it was semi hard to keep track of dates as an audible story, I never wanted to stop listening and that is most important!