Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus
Author:  Erin Morgenstern
Published:  2011
Publisher:  Doubleday Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd.
Pages: 387
Genre:  Fiction
ISBN 9780385671712
Source:  I borrowed this book.

"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."

My Review:

Reputed to be comparable to Harry Potter in popularity and sales, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is  a delight of imagery that stimulates the senses and transports the reader to the magical world of The Night Circus.  Erin Morgenstern's prose flows over the pages, grasping the readers' attention and imagination as every circus can but The Night Circus is even more.  It is a magical escape, like a dream land, full of mystical performances, still life performers, acrobats, contortionists, fortune tellers and so much more.  To attend this circus once, is the beginning of a yearning to return time and again, as every reader is sure to attest.  This is one book that is definitely re-readable.

Meet the Author:

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and a multimedia artist, who describes all her work as 'fairy tales in one way or another'. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband. About Erin. The long, first person version: I write. Fantastical, fairy tale-esque things with magic and mystery and tea. I started querying literary agents in June of 2009. After working with interested agents and revising my manuscript (twice) I signed with my agent in May of 2010. Then I spent a summer in the Revisionland Hotel, and in September of 2010, THE NIGHT CIRCUS sold to Random House. The sound you are hearing is my head spinning, still. My fiction tends to be location-driven. Nocturnal circuses, subterranean libraries, townhouses dressed up as pirate ships. I got tired of living in Alice’s Wonderland and decided to build some of my own. I write 10-sentence flash fiction pieces inspired by photographs that are posted to the blog every Friday. They are fondly known as flax-golden tales. I paint. Mostly acrylic-based mixed-media abstract illustration. Which means painting with acrylic paint and adding anything I can get to stick, and it’d be abstract if it were not so illustrative and illustration were it not so abstract. I paint Wonderland-y things and teacups and pigs with wings. I spent large amounts of the last few years painting a black & white tarot deck. I finished painting it in early 2010. You can purchase a beautiful limited edition deck of the Major Arcana. (Well, you could. It’s sold out now, but they might turn up on tarot trading sites.) I keep an art-based blog on LiveJournal. I am lousy at updating it. I read a lot. I drink absurd amounts of red wine and even more absurd amounts of tea. I collect jewelry made from old keys. I rather like the internet (even Twitter!), so I will be polishing and decorating this corner of it for the foreseeable future. (from the Random House website)

The following is a reading by the author from her novel, The Night Circus.

Video Interview With Erin Morgenstern, Author of The Night Circus

Does The Night Circus Compare to Harry Potter? George Strombopolous Interviews Author Erin Morgenstern

In My Mailbox (Just Received) September 27, 2011 & Teaser Tuesdays

In My Mailbox is hosted every week by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It is a reveal of the new and exciting books and related items that have arrived or we have borrowed in the past week.  In My Mailbox (IMM) helps us as book bloggers keep track of new releases and inevitably add to our must read lists.

Today's edition is a compilation of the previous two weeks as the mailbox has been surprisingly empty, which is actually ok since I began working at a book store (say it, you're jealous :}) and I have thousands of new titles to explore all at my fingertips!  Loving it!  

Here's what's new:

Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks

by John Curran

I ordered this through Amazon with a gift certificate I won from Bev over at My Readers Block (thank you Bev).  The note on the cover says this book includes two UNPUBLISHED POIROT Stories!  Fifty years of mysteries in the making.  I was hoping this book would arrive prior to Agatha Christie's birthday, September 15 for a special post I planned to do, but since it came all the way from Britain, I am just happy to see it in my mailbox today!

My Sweet Saga

by Brett Sills

I received the ARC (mine has no cover and looks like the actual manuscript, yippee!) today as well.  My Sweet Saga is Admiral J Press' first release as a new publisher.  I am honoured to have the opportunity to review this book for them.  This will not influence my review, however.  Always honest and unbiased.

Also received today:

This Dark Endeavour

by Kenneth Oppel

http://kennethoppel.blogspot.com/

This is the much touted new release coming from Harper Collins.  Movie rights have already been sold to the producers of TWILIGHT!!  How's that for excitement?!!  Thank you so much to Cory from Harper Collins for sending me this book!  I am revved up to read it!!!

Also thanks to Cory from Harper Collins:

Dead Man's Grip

by Peter James

One Mistake

Two Murders

No Remorse

This is a new release for the fall.  I love a good mystery and Peter James is one of the all time best British crime writers.  Should be a good one!!  By the way, Cory sent me this copy and it is signed by the author!! Woot!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This is our book club read for the month of October.  I bought this book after hearing rave reviews of one of our new members.  This promises to be a source of great discussion!

Last Week:

Brainrush (a thriller)

by Richard Bard

Brainrush is author Richard Bard's debut thriller.  Thanks to the author and Bostick Communications for sending me this copy.  Here's an interesting note the author included with his book:

"If you're a Crosby, Stills & Nash fan, you'll get a kick out of this:  I'm a big fan -- always have been -- so imagine my elation a few weeks ago when I received an email from David Crosby telling me that he absolutely loved the story.  And he wasn't kidding; he even gave a shout-out at the MUSE benefit concert at the Shoreline Pavilion in SF on August 7th, with the likes of Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Hall, Jason Mraz and a bunch of others on the scene.  Now that's a brain-rush!"

What's in your mailbox, readers?  I hope you will share in the comments or leave a link to your IMM post.  I love to hear from all of you!!!  :)

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Miz B Should Be Reading.
 TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

Irma Voth by Miriam Toews

I am reading this for a TLC book tour, the review for which is scheduled for September 29th, 2011.

"I'm Fiorella, she's Button and you're Ham Hock, said Aggie.  We were walking to our gate.  We'd only be in Acapulco for two hours and forty-five minutes before we had to catch another flight to Mexico City, heaven and hell, according to Diego, but his world was defined by extremes."  ~ page 148, Irma Voth by Miriam Toews

In this scene, Irma and her sister Aggie, both mennonites living in Mexico, are running away from home and feelings of oppression and an abusive father.  They have, in tow, their new baby sister, and I do mean new.  At their mother's request, the baby accompanies them on this journey to what they hope will be a new and happy life.  Where they will live and how, is still unknown....

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

There is rumour that this book will be such a hit, comparable to Harry Potter and Twilight in sales and popularity!!

"Don't you want to know my name?" the boy asks.

"Names are not of nearly as much import as people like to suppose," the man in the grey suit says.  "A label assigned to identify you either by this institution or your departed parents is neither of interest nor value to me.  If you find you are in need of a name at any point, you may choose one for yourself.  For now it will not be necessary." ~ page 23, Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

This excerpt takes place in London, January 1874 in a grey nondescript building.  A man in a grey suit introduces himself to the headmistress who brings him three children to interview.  He does so privately, seeking for the one who will stand out...the one who will be his protege.  When the man decides upon a boy and he is ready, the two depart the building and do not return.  This excerpt leaves more questions than answers but to provide more is to reveal secrets crucial to the underlying story.  I am on the fourth chapter and I can feel that this is one of those books you feel as well as read and that's a good thing.

What are you teasing us with this week?  Please comment below so I can repay the visit.  Teaser Tuesdays are so much fun!!

The Night Circus Book Trailer

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is rumoured to be the next HUGE hit.  Predictions are it will be more popular than Harry Potter and Twilight!

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. 

If there is one book you simply must read this fall, make it The Night Circus....everyone else is.