The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

After a long summer hiatus, it was good to once again have everyone in attendance so we could catch up on one another's busy, yet fun summer.  We gathered back together at JoAnn's home on a warm September Saturday.  Since our novel was about a magical circus, JoAnn laid out a proper circus diet of hotdogs, corndogs, pickles, and the cutest chocolate mice.

Synopsis:

Marco and Celia are pawns in a challenge set by their mentors when they are but still children.  Unbeknownst to them, this duel of magic will require one of them to die in order for there to be a victor.  In the mystical setting of the night circus, these two opponents fall in love and begin a love affair expressed through beautiful magical creations.  Unfortunately, the challenge cannot be undone and the circus and all its performers are at risk as the couple's passion grows.

Comments:

First of all, it must be stated that we all agreed that the author has a wonderfully, creative imagination and the ability to create such fantastical magic with her ink and paper.  Her descriptions of some of the tent rooms had a dreamlike effect. That being said, it was also true that this imaginative circus was at times too fantastical and a bit much on the stretching of our imagination.  The clockmaker, Herr Thiessen, is one such example.  The descriptions of his clock creations were beyond comprehension.

The elaborate dinner party feasts which Chandresh hosted at midnight in his home were deliciously described.  We found it interesting to note that one of the characters, Isobel the fortune teller, may have been considered a minor character and bit player in the circus, but we discover near the end of the story that all along her simplistic little charms had a major effect on the success of the picture perfect night circus.

The character development was weak, while imagery descriptions were too lengthy and detailed at times.  The non-linear timeline was difficult to follow.  However, this was a sweet love story and we enjoyed visualizing the tent room creations which were the couple's love letters to one another.

Memorable Quotes:

"Better to have one single diamond than a sack full of flawed stones."

Oscar Wilde - "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."

FAB Rating: ***1/2 (3-1/2 stars out of 5)

We unanimously categorized this book as more of a beach read, maybe even more fitting in the young adult genre.  With all the great visual descriptions, it will make for a fun movie to view.