I first bought this book for a friend as I thought it would be her style of book and she loved it so much that I decided to read it myself. And I'm glad I did! Erin Morgenstern has created a masterpiece of a book that is equal parts confusing, magical and mind-blowing!
The book revolves around Le Cirque de Reves, a magical travelling circus that appears and disappears without warning. One day all you see is an empty field, the next you find it has been filled with large black and white striped tents and buy nightfall it is swarming with visitors. The figurative language used in the book describes the scenery perfectly and it isn't hard to image yourself wandering through tents full of cloud mazes, wishing trees and trapeze artists. I have to say that the mise-en-scene of this book is what makes it so special.
Surrounding this beautifully created circus is something labelled 'the game', a competition between Prospero the Enchanter (Hector Bowen) and Mysterious Mr AH. In this 'game' they pit two competitors against each other in a location (Le Cirque de Reves) in which both competitors must use their strange manipulative skills to out do the other. No other information or help is given no matter how many times the competitors ask. Both men have been holding 'the game' for many years but what makes this 'game' so special is the fact that Hector Bowen has presented his own daughter, the talented Celia Bowen, against the orphan Marco.
Aside from the plot of 'the game' Erin Morgenstern complicates things further introducing more unusual characters such as !!!!!!!!!! who create the circus and another plot about a boy who somehow works himself into everything without knowing it. The reading is quite confusing at times because not everything is in chronological order and it switches points of view. I would advise that you put a lot of time and effort into understanding this book fully. It can be read quickly but you wouldn't get the best out of it.
Unfortunately the ending of the book does not live up to the rest of the book. I had grown so attached the characters and Erin Morgenstern could have done so many things to finish the book. The ending does tie up all loose ends nicely but it does not play on the readers feelings to its full potential.
The beautiful aesthetics that Erin Morgenstern has created really make The Night Circus a really special book. Even though the ending does not live up to the rest of the book it was still such a good read. I have such a strong urge to discover Le Cirque de Reves and explore to my hearts content. I am judging this book really harshly as I have heard so many great things and had really high expectations. I give it 3/5 stars!
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