Le Cirque de Rêves (The Circus of Dreams)

The circus arrives without warning.

That is the first line of the book that I just finished.  It is titled, The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern.  It was a wonderful story that blended magic, love and intrigue all into one.  It’s the tale of two people, rivals at first, that become so entwined with each other that the game they are playing no longer matters.  But the game does matter and so do the players whether or not they realize it.

I won’t go into too many details about the story because I think it is one that should be read.  I will tell you, however, that Miss Morgenstern has managed to create a beautiful world that is built upon a circus and its themes.  Though there is little mention of other scenery, such as the various cities the circus travels to, the details are in the individual tents in the circus and what they provide to the customers.

As the story went along, I found myself rooting more and more for the main characters, hoping beyond hope that certain circumstances would not come to pass and that their destinies could be changed.  Again, not going to give away too much, but I was satisfied by the ending.

I have read other reviews of this book from scathing to praise and though my opinions are on the praise side, I can understand some of the critical reviews for the book.  The writing is not extremely complex though I don’t find it to be elementary either.  It serves its purpose as the reader takes their journey with the characters.  Other complaints regard the so-called game and the love story.  It is my opinion that there are times when love stories do not need to have all of the elements of modern film and television – i.e. sex and alcohol – and simply just need to be.  This not only allows the reader to use their imagination, but it also lets the writer not have to conform to certain methods that might be more convenient.

Regardless of inconsistencies or whatever people call them, I still found The Night Circus to be a good book and I highly recommend you read it if you’re into magic and intrigue.  Oh, and love.

Until next time.