Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus has been on my TBR list for a long, long time. I will admit that it was the cover that first attracted me to this book. I have the paperback copy with the black cover, black and white circus tent, and figures silhouetted in silver. It caught my eye right away. I know, I know, I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I did, and it worked in my favor this time! There was just something magical about the images and the title. I had high expectations of this book going in, and it didn’t disappoint.

I initially wanted to place this book in the fantasy genre. A circus that is only open at night and appears out of nowhere without warning only to suddenly disappear without a trace sounds pretty fantastical. But the more I read, the more it felt like magical realism. This book most definitely has magical elements to it with fortune tellers, illusionists, and contortionists. But it has a human element to it as well. There is the daughter desperately seeking her father’s approval while simultaneously trying to escape his demanding presence. There is the little boy alone in the world with no one to claim him but a mysterious gentleman who is preparing him for a mysterious magical competition. The little girl and little boy grow up to be Celia and Marco, who fight a magical battle against the backdrop of the enchanting and mysterious night circus, managing to weave their love story in between the black and white stripes of the tents.

The story is set in the late 1800s/ early 1900s, and I enjoy stories in that time period so that was another plus for me. I have yet to read or hear a negative review of The Night Circus¸ and now I know firsthand why that is. It is, simply put, a good book with a magical story you will be delighted to lose yourself in for a while. Now go buy your ticket to the circus. I don’t think you will be disappointed!

One of my favorite passages from the book:

“The best we can do right now is take everything as it comes, and not worry ourselves over things that have happened, or things that are to come.” – The Night Circus