The circus arrives without warning.
Talk about a great first line. The mystery instilled within the first line of this book sets the tone for the entire story. I was hooked from the very start.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was one of those books that I left unread on my shelf for ages, knowing that when I finally decided to pick it up I would LOVE it. I didn’t underestimate Morgentern’s storytelling in the slightest- the impact this book had on me will be long lasting, I’m sure of it. It was truly “a feast for the senses” (pg. 76).
There are so many words that could be used to describe The Night Circus. It was whimsical, magical, curious, spellbinding, mystical, unusual, bewitching, and enchanting. However, my favorite has to be a word I actually learned from this book- “kismet”. Kismet is like destiny or fate. It can be a serendipitous coincidence that two people were in the same place at the same time, or that a man dropped his notebook at the exact moment that he did. It can be the realization that one has lost their shawl, but a handsome young man has picked it up. For many réveurs, it is the happenstance that the circus appeared just when they needed it the most. I love this word. Immediately it is one of my favorites. And it is the perfect way to describe The Night Circus for me. I picked up this book last week knowing that I was going to fall in love with it, and it was the perfect moment. It felt like kismet. I have been so overwhelmed with grad school, working, coaching, and more grad school, that some magical escapism was exactly what I needed.
The Night Circus is about a game. The rules are vague and the requirements for winning are even more so. There are two players, both raised by “illusionists” and “manipulators” themselves (they don’t like to use the term “magician”). They are trained their whole lives in preparation for this unnamed challenge. They don’t know what their goal is or who their opponent is, they just know to fine tune their skills until told otherwise.
Meanwhile, on one serendipitous night in London, a Midnight Party is held. Chandresh, our future circus proprietor, has an idea. These famous parties held in the dead of night are known for their debauchery and shenanigans. Courses upon courses of food appear with flavor pallets one can’t even begin to describe, the wine flows, and ideas come alive. One particular night, Chandresh introduces five of his closest accomplices to his idea for a midnight circus. He has plans in the making, and his hopes are high. Miraculously, all five are in. And so the night circus, or the Cirque de Réveurs (Circus of Dreamers) is born.
The circus itself is like nothing you can imagine without reading the book. It’s “stepping into a fairytale under a curtain of stars” (pg. 185). You must read The Night Circus!
If you have read it, what was your favorite tent in the circus?
Rating: 5/5 cups of mulled cider
xx, Lauren
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