The Night Circus

Are you a fan of fantasy and mystery? Do you love exquisite descriptions of seemingly ordinary things like clocks? Then this book is for you!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a novel that takes place in the 19th century and involves magic…..specifically two magicians who are pitted against each other by their competing masters. Celia is the daughter of Prospero the Enchanter and Marco is an orphan groomed by A. H. They are chosen to take part in a battle of endurance where the one who remains alive is declared the winner. The venue of this game is a circus, known as the ‘Circus of Dreams’, which opens at night and remains closed by the day.

The descriptions of the circus, its various tents and the wonders held within are beautiful, exhibiting the author’s command over her craft. The two leads are involved with this circus. Celia is the illusionist who works in the circus, and Marco is the assistant to the man who initially proposed the idea of the circus.

Both Celia and Marco realise that the circus is their playground and devise creations which outrank each other in turn. However, when they fall in love, the very premise of the duel comes into question. Any move made by either of them to leave the game also proves impossible, and they strive to find a loophole which will allow both of them to survive. 

The novel is slow-moving and is not for someone with a short attention span since it needs to be savoured. There are several characters introduced at various points in the book which do play a role in the overall setting but can be distracting too! The timeline also moves back and forth, which can prove confusing.

The actual clash between the magicians is akin to a gentle disagreement vis-à-vis an outright war and begins much later in the book. For a patient reader, the images painted by the author’s words can set one’s imagination soaring. Contrarily, after promising a fantastic adventure, the ending is rather tame and vaguely unsatisfactory. 

Since the contest between the magicians needs to end with the only person left standing, who do you think wins? Do Celia and Marco find a way to continue their love story? What happens to the Circus of the Dreams in the aftermath of this competition?

Grab a copy and immerse yourself in this magical fantasy!