If Lizzie McGuire said, “This is what dreams are made of,” then Erin Morgenstern gives Liz a run for her money. Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus” is her first book. It invites the reader into a world of 19th century society with the reality of Hogwarts. Published in September, “The Night Circus” has quickly climbed the bestseller charts and gained rave reviews from The Washington Post and the Associated Press. For those looking for the perfect chilly fall read, curl up with spiced cider and enter the Circus of Dreams, or the Cirque des Rêves.
“The Night Circus” follows the world of a strange circus that only opens at night. Celia Bowen, an illusionist like her father, is thrown into a game of disclosed rules. All that is known is that she must play her moves until her opponent has lost. Marco, who was taught by Alexander and is Celia Bowen’s opponent, assists Chandresh, the circus owner. Bailey, a New England farm boy, is captivated by a strange circus that arrives with no warning.
All of these characters’ stories seem rather elementary, but throughout “The Night Circus”, Morgenstern is able to wind these facts into complex plots to share an incredible story. Chapters are set in a variety of times throughout the circus’s history allowing the reader to understand the color that is held behind the black-and-white-only exterior.
The circus is more than just fantasy. It is living and breathing. It teaches that love is never impossible, that family is always around, and that sometimes life changing things happen only because it was the right place and the right time.
The circus is conveniently called the Circus of Dreams because what is held inside makes the imagination soar. Morgenstern’s great use of detail allows the reader’s senses to feel the warmth of the bonfire, see a garden made of ice and smell the sharp air of a fall evening. With a setting like that of “Water for Elephants,” magic like that of “Harry Potter” and forbidden relationships like that of “A Great and Terrible Beauty,” “The Night Circus” is perfect for any reader who wishes to retain some of the magic that has been missing since those final pages.