The Night Circus

On the Inner Flap
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within these nocturnal black-and-white-striped tents awaits an utterly unique experience, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and become deliciously tipsy from the scents of caramel and cinnamon that waft through the air. Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves.

Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way -- a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a "game" to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, 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.

As the circus travels around the world, the feats of magic gain fantastical new heights with every stop. The game is well under way and the lives of all those involved -- the eccentric circus owner, the elusive contortionist, the mystical fortune-teller, and a pair of red-headed twins born backstage among them -- are swept up in a wake of spells and charms.

But when Celia discovers that Marco is her adversary, they begin to think of the game not as a competition but as a wonderful collaboration. With no knowledge of how the game must end, they innocently tumble headfirst into love. A deep, passionate, and magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

Their masters still pull the strings, however, and this unforeseen occurrence forces them to intervene with dangerous consequences, leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance.

Both playful and seductive, The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's spell-casting debut, is a mesmerizing love story for the ages.


My Thoughts
Erin Morgenstern's prose is so beautiful and elegant; I was swept away by her magical world of words. For most of the book, I was spellbound -- really captivated by the story and how it would eventually unfold. I enjoyed two of the frequent settings presented: dinners at the eccentric proprietor's London mansion, and, of course, the circus itself. Morgenstern has a way of describing settings and ambiance so effectively; it is so easy to transport yourself to another time and place that is Le Cirque des Rêves. It helps, I suppose, that there are one pagers dotted throughout the novel told in second-person narrative from a circus goer's point of view.

Despite her graceful writing, I feel that Morgenstern failed to develop her main characters and their supposed love for each other. This novel apparently centers on Celia and Marco, yet, I felt no connection with either of them, and their 'deep, passionate, and magical love' for each other felt limp and lifeless. I had trouble believing that these two would put the other above all else, and believing them in general, which is ironic considering they are both master illusionists.

Even the character development for the puppet masters fell flat. I think you're supposed to dislike them, or feel some kind of emotion as a result of their uncaring nature towards their real (Celia) or adoptive (Marco) child, but I felt nothing.

It's funny that no explicit mention is made of any romance between Poppet and her circus-goer friend, Bailey. Their bond was actually convincing and I would say their love was much stronger than the 'love' between Celia and Marco. Even the friendship between Celia and Herr Friedrick Thiessen, clockmaker extraordinaire cum leader of the 'rêveurs' (i.e. circus groupies) was more developed than our main characters' relationship. Truth be told, I figure the only 'love' between our main characters seemed to be their lust for each other one evening.

In summary, The Night Circus is a beautifully written description of a magical circus, but falls short when it comes to character and relationship development.

Wine Pairing
I picked Apothic Red as a pairing for this novel because my attraction to it was similar. Firstly, the swirls around the letter 'A' and the colour scheme of the label are very similar to the cover of The Night Circus -- predominantly black, with white writing and a splash of red (although the novel looks more pink than red, I suspect it's supposed to be red as an hommage to the rêveurs). And secondly, the wine was part of a large display by each checkout labelled "Staff Pick", which I would liken to the hype that surrounds The Night Circus.

For those of you who like a fruit-forward, richly flavourful wine with very little noticeable tannins, I highly recommend trying it. I really enjoyed drinking this red and would certainly buy it again, especially with its $15 price tag!