The Night Circus
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- Create Date：2021-03-27 13:17:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Erin Morgenstern
- ISBN：0099554798
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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。
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。
Reviews
John Marshall
，
Much hung in the air in the twilight of the 19th century。 Outlandish gentleman’s wagers。 Elaborate dinners of exotic cuisine， put on by wealthy eccentrics。 The rise of the travelling circus and stage magician。 Spiritualism， divination， tarot and illusion。 The notion that there was life beyond working the family farm。 The last hurrah of magic， if it was ever true， before the stuffy 20th century put a halt to such nonsense。 The Night Circus is about all all these things， and more。 Or possibly less Much hung in the air in the twilight of the 19th century。 Outlandish gentleman’s wagers。 Elaborate dinners of exotic cuisine， put on by wealthy eccentrics。 The rise of the travelling circus and stage magician。 Spiritualism， divination， tarot and illusion。 The notion that there was life beyond working the family farm。 The last hurrah of magic， if it was ever true， before the stuffy 20th century put a halt to such nonsense。 The Night Circus is about all all these things， and more。 Or possibly less; it’s hard to tell。 It’s also about love。 Two young children， one the abandoned daughter of a magician， the other a foundling boy taken in by another magician， are trained to compete with each other。 The titular circus is subliminally implanted into the minds of several craftsmen and expert performers， and forms the stage of their challenge。 But as this challenge goes on， the two burgeoning sorcerers grow close， and fewer and fewer things feel nearly so important to them。 It’s at its best when it’s about that， though it often demands to be about other things， and these demands are frequently indulged。 It also doesn’t only make demands of its plot， but about it’s nature。 Elements about the prose and structure of this book are highly stylized。 Though it’s tempting to regard this as decadent， the sort of writing one does because it’s “fun” and uncommon， it takes a certain degree of courage to commit to these stylistic choices， and still come up with something this eminently readable。 Some of these efforts are more successful than others。 Most prominent is the story’s use of present-tense （“he says，”） bucking the trend of past-tense （“he said。”） It’s sometimes distracting， but generally gives the story a sense of constant immediacy and urgency。 Combined with a short chapter length， the pacing positively flies。 The occasional vagaries of character， including where their magic abilities come from and why they’re treated， enhances an air of mystery and challenge to them， especially to differentiate them in a way that otherwise might be absent。 The more baffling inclusions are a few segments written in second-person perspective （“you did，”） rather than first-person （“I did”） or third-person （“she did。”） They’re used as a kind of small intermission or to introduce certain concepts， but they also look like they’re meant to thicken the atmosphere， which isn’t necessary。 The non-linear timeline， with chapter headings describing a date and locale， also feel much in keeping with the fashion of magical realism， but the path of where and when we go doesn’t form much of a pattern。 The nuts and bolts of the writing， apart from its stylism， also vary。 The narration excels at being flowery without dragging， but on occasion， in keeping with its Victorian trappings， the dialogue is sometimes too formal and stilted。 The book lacks the Gothic elaborateness to make the character’s reservedness feel like they conceal hidden depths， and it’s too European to have a more down-to-earth feel， like in Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni。 Fortunately， the emotionality of some of the characters shines through the uptightness， but only if they have this emotionality already， which is a touch scarce。 This book flicked through my peripheral vision every so often for the last ten years。 Its title is eye-catching， its concept appeals， but for years， I had no idea what it was about。 It didn’t feel like the kind of book that benefitted from knowing what it was about; much like an enchanted circus that attracts an audience without advertising or advanced notice。 That makes it a challenge to review， but I hope to impress upon you， it’s a worthwhile and distinguished， if overly fanciful， experience。 The fun and toil of the author lives in the prose， and it’s easy for the reader to feel it in turn。 。。。more
Lauren Stoeck
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One of the best books I've ever read！！！！ One of the best books I've ever read！！！！ 。。。more
Jasmin30
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First fantasy book I read。。 so magical and the way the author write the story it so unique。
Michelle Peterson
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4 stars for the descriptions/prose/ word pictures。 2 stars for plot and character development。 I’m not much one for fantasy anyway， so dark circus books do nothing for me。 Was a chore to get through for book club。
Katelyn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Overall not a bad book。 However， I was a bit sad with the pacing。 Some parts seemed to drag on， while others were rushed。 We went from Cilia and Marco finding out they were oponents to then being in love？ While there was a time skip indicated， I would have loved to see their relationship develop。 I also was a bit disapointed in the ending。 It ended very calm， but it was a bit underwhelming for me。 However， I did enjoy the book and the turns with Kiko's character and learning the bit we did about Overall not a bad book。 However， I was a bit sad with the pacing。 Some parts seemed to drag on， while others were rushed。 We went from Cilia and Marco finding out they were oponents to then being in love？ While there was a time skip indicated， I would have loved to see their relationship develop。 I also was a bit disapointed in the ending。 It ended very calm， but it was a bit underwhelming for me。 However， I did enjoy the book and the turns with Kiko's character and learning the bit we did about Hinata。 Overall， a decent book and I loved the writing style and I cant wait to start Starless Sea。 。。。more
Tarah Mason
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The first 5 pages are probably the most captivating intro that I've ever read。 Likewise， the last few pages are whimsically immersive。 The in-between is good， but I didn't like it as much as I wished I would， for some reason。 Poppy and Bailey were definitely my favorite bit。 And of course， I want to visit the circus。3。75/5 stars The first 5 pages are probably the most captivating intro that I've ever read。 Likewise， the last few pages are whimsically immersive。 The in-between is good， but I didn't like it as much as I wished I would， for some reason。 Poppy and Bailey were definitely my favorite bit。 And of course， I want to visit the circus。3。75/5 stars 。。。more
Catherine
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5/5 Second time reading and am still a big fan of this book！ I knew I would be from the first sentence。 Just an amazing book that you all need to read。
Jessie Spitz
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Tbh i dnf’d at 95%。 In the end， I lost interest and didn’t enjoy the romance aspect。 YA fantasy has not been my cup of tea lately。 Also my dumb ass could not follow the timeline as soon as i turned the page i would forget what year the chapter was in。 overall i don’t regret reading but it wasn’t a fav
Claire
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Ok i WISH i liked this book better。 4 stars because it’s well written and has a beautiful style。 However， the story is so so slow。 I feel like i never really connected to the characters because it took 200 pages for a story to actually develop！ If you love a pace like that， this book is for you。 But， if you don’t， i would avoid it。
Anna
，
An ethereal circus appears in the middle of the night， opening its guests' eyes to a world of wonder and magic disguised as illusion。 The heart of the circus is held by two young magicians， committed against their will to a lifelong challenge。 The novel follows the key players of the circus including those involved in its planning， operation and fandom。The novel is incredibly visually beautiful with a dreamlike atmosphere。 The atmosphere never changes so I got a bit bored half way through， espec An ethereal circus appears in the middle of the night， opening its guests' eyes to a world of wonder and magic disguised as illusion。 The heart of the circus is held by two young magicians， committed against their will to a lifelong challenge。 The novel follows the key players of the circus including those involved in its planning， operation and fandom。The novel is incredibly visually beautiful with a dreamlike atmosphere。 The atmosphere never changes so I got a bit bored half way through， especially as it kept on changing perspective。 I stopped reading for a while and got confused by the characters when I returned。 However， as expected， almost all the minor details became relevant at the end， and I grew to love the changes in perspective。 This is a unhurried， dreamlike story， which I recommend to people who like the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro and Paulo Coelho。 I would not recommend it to people who want fast-paced action。 。。。more
allie :）
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i’m not gonna write a long review abt this but please just read it it is AMAZING。
Cassi
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Didn't even get through the whole book。 I found it very boring; I kept looking for something to happen and nothing did。 Didn't even get through the whole book。 I found it very boring; I kept looking for something to happen and nothing did。 。。。more
Callie Moore
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An interesting tale that encompasses magic， romance and other obligations。 I did enjoy reading this but it took a while to get into。 Overall， the concept was new and interesting as it wasn't like anything i had read before。 I would recommend！ An interesting tale that encompasses magic， romance and other obligations。 I did enjoy reading this but it took a while to get into。 Overall， the concept was new and interesting as it wasn't like anything i had read before。 I would recommend！ 。。。more
ochjago
，
W myśl zasady “od ogółu do szczegółu” mówię: piękna książka， fantastyczny pomysł，zakończenie “meh”。Była to ostatnia książka， którą przeczytałam w 2020 roku i bardzo się cieszę， że wraz z niągo zakończyłam （ostatnie strony czytałam jeszcze 31。12。 w pociągu）。Nie jestem w stanie wyrazić słowami jak zachwycający dla mnie jest pomysł Cyrku nocy -może to dlatego， że nie czytam wielu książek tego typu， ale nie spotkałam się wcześniej zczymś podobnym。 Początkowo spodziewałam się， iż tytuł będzie jedynie W myśl zasady “od ogółu do szczegółu” mówię: piękna książka， fantastyczny pomysł，zakończenie “meh”。Była to ostatnia książka， którą przeczytałam w 2020 roku i bardzo się cieszę， że wraz z niągo zakończyłam （ostatnie strony czytałam jeszcze 31。12。 w pociągu）。Nie jestem w stanie wyrazić słowami jak zachwycający dla mnie jest pomysł Cyrku nocy -może to dlatego， że nie czytam wielu książek tego typu， ale nie spotkałam się wcześniej zczymś podobnym。 Początkowo spodziewałam się， iż tytuł będzie jedynie metaforą - jakbardzo się myliłam！ Cała książka kręci się wokół cyrku i w większej części w nim też siędzieje。 Nie jest to jednak zwykły cyrk z naszych ziemskich wspomnień i doświadczeń - jest tocyrk magiczny， żyjący niejako swoim życiem， a każdy namiot （których jest bez liku） przesiąknięty jest magią i tajemnicą。 Choć to nie cyrk jest głównym tematem książki， to właśnie onodegrał jak dla mnie znaczącą rolę。 Pomimo， iż dość szybko na pierwszy plan wysuwają siętajemniczy pojedynek oraz romans， jak dla mnie zawsze w centrum uwagi zostawał cyrk ijego opisy （które chłonęłam na jednym wdechu， choć fanką opisów nie jestem！）。Zakończenia komentować nie będę， ponieważ to nie ono było jak dla mnie silnym punktemksiążki i pozwoliłam sobie （może i mało obiektywnie） przymknąć na nie oko。 。。。more
Matt
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Not quite a 4， but better that 3 ; rounded up。
Sarah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I constantly felt like I was missing something or not in the loop with this book。 I never really had a clear picture of what was going on。 I am not sure if that was my own fault - maybe I missed something in the book that was essential early on and it left me constantly in the dark。 The other possibility is that， with a complex and magical idea like this one， the author was VERY vague and did not go into detail in order to avoid having to commit to anything。 I got this recommendation off of the I constantly felt like I was missing something or not in the loop with this book。 I never really had a clear picture of what was going on。 I am not sure if that was my own fault - maybe I missed something in the book that was essential early on and it left me constantly in the dark。 The other possibility is that， with a complex and magical idea like this one， the author was VERY vague and did not go into detail in order to avoid having to commit to anything。 I got this recommendation off of the Book side of TikTok。 I think I should no longer trust teenagers on a social media app to tell me what is good and what is not。 Additionally， they said this book was "Spicy" and full of romance。 They either have the dullest and boring romantic lives or are too young to understand romance/spice。 This book had one， extremely mild sex scene。 The main characters do not get together until the end third of the book。 Additionally， all the courting and flirting that is exciting is completely skipped over。 You just flash forward in time to a point where Celia and Marco are together and somehow deeply in love。 This brings me to the time/dates skipping around。 I know the dates were no the head of each chapter， but I had a hard time telling what was happening when。 I couldn't recall the year references for each occurrence， so it made the whole book just feel out of touch。 I never connected with it or felt entirely engaged。 I really wanted to like this book， because the premise for it was super alluring and interesting。 But I think it truly fell flat for me and left a lot to be desired。 。。。more
Cathyg
，
This book is amazing。 Check your pragmatism at the circus gate， and enjoy the show。 Let your imagination soar with the story。 Erin Morgenstern spun a wonderful tale of illusion; full of imagery and interesting characters。
Audrey Dry
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Me he enamorado de este libro。 No he podido soltarlo desde que lo empecé y lo que es mucho mejor （o peor， no sé）， es que me he quedado atrapada en Le Cirque des Rêves。 Me he quedado entre las carpas llenas de magia y estoy segura de que llevo la bufanda roja。La magia que envuelve a este circo es maravillosa， y también lo es cada descripción， cada personaje， cada historia。 El mundo que Morgenstern presenta es un mundo donde lo imposible es posible， donde la fantasía y la magia no tienen límites。 Me he enamorado de este libro。 No he podido soltarlo desde que lo empecé y lo que es mucho mejor （o peor， no sé）， es que me he quedado atrapada en Le Cirque des Rêves。 Me he quedado entre las carpas llenas de magia y estoy segura de que llevo la bufanda roja。La magia que envuelve a este circo es maravillosa， y también lo es cada descripción， cada personaje， cada historia。 El mundo que Morgenstern presenta es un mundo donde lo imposible es posible， donde la fantasía y la magia no tienen límites。 Dejando a un lado la historia de amor， la cual también me ha encantado， la vida de los personajes en el circo y el papel que cada uno representa en el reto que se desarrolla， me ha hipnotizado hasta el final。 。。。more
Olivia Jayne
，
I wish I could read this book over and over reading it as if the first time reading it I 。 This book is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read。 Every little detail is perfect。 I first came across the book late 2013 watching a YouTuber’s monthly favourites。 I knew I had to get a copy。 She described the book so beautifully。 Reading the night circus I wasn’t sat in my bedroom reading it I was in the circus in the audience， on the train， in London， France Germany and all the other places the I wish I could read this book over and over reading it as if the first time reading it I 。 This book is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read。 Every little detail is perfect。 I first came across the book late 2013 watching a YouTuber’s monthly favourites。 I knew I had to get a copy。 She described the book so beautifully。 Reading the night circus I wasn’t sat in my bedroom reading it I was in the circus in the audience， on the train， in London， France Germany and all the other places the book takes place。 The characters I fell in love with， the plot and the writing。 I’ve never found a book like it。 With some books the pace starts slow and quickly speeds up near the middle or the end of the book， this didn’t happen with the night circus the pace was consistant and at the right place where it wasn’t moving too slow or too fast。 Morgenstern started the book perfectly making me want to keep reading from the first line。 I honestly have no words to describe how perfect and beautiful the book is。 Up until late 2020 I hadn’t come across anyone else who’s read the book。 It’s blown up over ‘Booktok’ I’m glad the book is gaining the popularity it deserves。 There are no imperfections to this book。 。。。more
Roa
，
3。5
Alexis
，
The prose was beautiful and haunting。 Somehow， though， the pieces didn't fit together quite right in the end。 The prose was beautiful and haunting。 Somehow， though， the pieces didn't fit together quite right in the end。 。。。more
Heather Browning
，
Romeo and Juliet with magic and a circus。 An ok read。
Zali
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So now I NEED to own this book。 I want it on my shelf right next to The Starless Sea So now I NEED to own this book。 I want it on my shelf right next to The Starless Sea 。。。more
Nicola
，
Okay。 Meh。 Okay？ Meh。
Lea
，
“Stories have changed， my dear boy，” the man in the grey suit says， his voice almost imperceptibly sad。 “There are no more battles between good and evil， no monsters to slay， no maidens in need of rescue。 Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience， at least the ones worth something， in any case。 There are no longer simple tales with quests and beasts and happy endings。 The quests lack clarity of goal or path。 The beasts take different forms and are difficult to re “Stories have changed， my dear boy，” the man in the grey suit says， his voice almost imperceptibly sad。 “There are no more battles between good and evil， no monsters to slay， no maidens in need of rescue。 Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience， at least the ones worth something， in any case。 There are no longer simple tales with quests and beasts and happy endings。 The quests lack clarity of goal or path。 The beasts take different forms and are difficult to recognize for what they are。 And there are never really endings， happy or otherwise。 Things keep overlapping and blur， your story is part of your sister’s story is part of many other stories， and there in no telling where any of them may lead。 Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon， or a wolf and a scarlet-clad little girl。 And is not the dragon the hero of his own story？ Is not the wolf simply acting as a wolf should act？ Though perhaps it is a singular wolf who goes to such lengths as to dress as a grandmother to toy with its prey。”2。5There is no doubt that Erin Morgenstern is immensely talented as a writer， and her imagination is admirable， especially in world-building and beautiful lyrical atmospherical descriptive writing。 But， there is a substance lacking in her story - the storyline is predictable and flat， there is no psychological characterization or recognizable character development and there is no moral to the story or philosophical standpoint that the writer conveys through the book。 At times it feels that Morgenstern herself does not know where she is going - but maybe that was her point described in the quote above， the quote indeed describes the book itself- it lacks clarity and goal。 The is not much in it for me to contemplate， reflect upon or analyze。 As a reader， I what much more from the book to give it a higher rating， this just an ok sparkly reading experience。 （If there is a contemporary fantasy with more meaning please recommend it in the comments。） 。。。more
Siti Sulaiman
，
Enchanting， captivating and searingly sweet and honest in the portrayals of All the characters。 A book to fall in love with。 For keeps forever。
Winter Rose
，
I like how the main characters met each other， I love the plot and everything about this book。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Samantha
，
To be honest，I didn't like this as much as I thought I would。I think I read this too late，and as a result，some aspects did not age well。 Main one being the romance。It felt more like a dramatic infatuation between two besotted teenagers，brought on by the magical binding， than the passionate love story I believe the author was trying to portray。 Which is why couldn't bring myself to care for their relationship， which is a problem，since the book centers around the relationship and the conflict that To be honest，I didn't like this as much as I thought I would。I think I read this too late，and as a result，some aspects did not age well。 Main one being the romance。It felt more like a dramatic infatuation between two besotted teenagers，brought on by the magical binding， than the passionate love story I believe the author was trying to portray。 Which is why couldn't bring myself to care for their relationship， which is a problem，since the book centers around the relationship and the conflict that comes with it。However， I did thoroughly enjoy the writing，it was still brilliant。The world building and story structure made this a worthwhile read，in spite of the annoying insta-love lol 。。。more
Azuram
，
Tengo sentimientos encontrados， es un libro diferente lo cual me encanto， pero el final no es como se espera。 Lo recomiendo si estás hastiado de lo común。
savi
，
SO good i just wish the ending was a bit better
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Night Circus
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Night Circus&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Night Circus&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0