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Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus Kindle Edition

by Erin Morgenstern (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon iron gates reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

As dusk shifts to twilight, tiny lights begin to flicker all over the tents, as though the whole circus is covered in fireflies. When the tents are aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign lights up:

Le Cirque des Rêves
The Circus of Dreams

The gates shudder and unlock, seemingly by their own volition.
They swing outward, inviting the crowd inside.

Now the circus is open.
Now you may enter.

Discover this amazing fantasy read with a different kind of magic.

The Starless Sea, the second novel from the author of the The Night Circus, is out now.

‘The only response to this novel is simply: wow. It is a breathtaking feat of imagination, a flight of fancy that pulls you in and wraps you up in its spell’ The Times

Print length

401 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Digital
Publication date

September 15, 2011
File size

3018 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ERIN MORGENSTERN is a writer and multimedia artist who describes all her work as being “fairy tales in one way or another.” She lives in Massachusetts.

From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Praise for THE NIGHT CIRCUS:

"The Night Circus made me happy. Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for and she has populated it with dueling love-struck magicians, precocious kittens, hyper-elegant displays of beauty and complicated clocks. This is a marvelous book."
-- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife

"If this novel is just cotton candy, it's cotton candy spun from strands of edible silver...With no more lust than a late volume of Harry Potter, Morgenstern manages to conjure up a love story for adults that feels luxuriously romantic. When Celia calls their circus a 'wonder and comfort and mystery all together,' she could have been talking about this book."
--Ron Charles, The Washington Post

"A Romeo and Juliet tale drenched in magic realism, The Night Circus defies both genres and expectations. In short, it's a showstopper."
--The Boston Globe

“Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus, is quietly, enchantingly perfect…reading this novel is like having a marvelous dream, in which you are asleep enough to believe everything that is happening, but awake enough to relish the experience and understand that it is magical.”
--Newsday

“[A] dark and extravagantly imagined debut…The plot follows the separate and then intertwining lives of Celia and Marco, both forced to spend their lives pitting their unusual talents against each other in a cruel competition. But their world is Morgenstern’s most vivid creation, a fantastical circus featuring illusionists whose powers transcend mere sleight of hand; like those performers, the author entices her audience to suspend disbelief and rewards its members with captivating pleasure.”
--People magazine

"Morgenstern's exquisitely realized world will have the reader wishing to run off and join this circus."
--USA Today

"Morgenstern’s Circus is the stuff that dreams are made of, and nothing short of a wild ride."
--Elle magazine

"Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing."
--Associated Press

"[A] few pages into this story of a mysterious circus and its two stars, a young man and a woman who are both capable of real magic, and you know you are in the presence of an extraordinary storyteller."
--The Daily Beast

“Morgenstern’s novel feels crafted from the fabric of a dream, and the circus itself never fails to astound. For me, the only real disappointment was that I couldn’t buy a ticket.”
--The Christian Science Monitor

"[T]he world of The Night Circus is elaborately designed, fantastically imagined and instantly intoxicating -- as if the reader had downed a glass of absinthe and leapt into a hallucination."
--Rachel Syme for NPR.org

"Two star-crossed magicians, Celia and Marco, duel for supremacy against the backdrop of a big top unlike any other. Morgenstern conjures up a world of dark enchantment and romance in this dazzling foray into the dreamscape of illusion."
--Family Circle

"A beguiling, gripping read...Ms. Morgenstern has crafted a thrilling and transporting tale. In so doing she makes it clear that of all the shapes magic may take, storytelling is often the most powerful of them all."
--The Economist

"Debut author Morgenstern doesn't miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love...a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Self-assured, entertaining debut that blends genres and crosses continents in quest of magic… Generous in its vision and fun to read. Likely to be a big book—and, soon, a big movie, with all the franchise trimmings."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“To enter the black-and-white-striped tents of Le Cirque des Rêves is to enter a world where objects really do turn into birds and people really do disappear…Debut novelist Morgenstern has written a 19th-century flight of fancy that is, nevertheless, completely believable. The smells, textures, sounds, and sights are almost palpable. A literary Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, this read is completely magical.”
—Library Journal, starred review

"This big and compelling first novel ushers in a menacing tone with its first sentence: "The circus arrives without warning."...With appeal for readers not particularly geared to fantasy but who plainly enjoy an unusual and well-drawn story, this one will make a good crossover suggestion."
--Booklist, starred review

“‘Dark as soot and bright as sparks,’ The Night Circus still holds me willingly captive in a world of almost unbearable beauty. This is a love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends. Take a bow, Erin Morgenstern. This is one of the best books I have ever read.”
—Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader

“A riveting debut. The Night Circus pulls you into a world as dark as it is dazzling, fully-realized but still something out of a dream. You will not want to leave it.”
—Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife

"Every once in awhile you find a novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell.The Night Circus is one of these rarities -- engrossing, beautifully written and utterly enchanting. If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."
—Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology

"Pure pleasure...Erin Morgenstern is a gifted, classic storyteller, a tale-teller, a spinner of the charmed and mesmerizing -- I had many other things I was supposed to be doing, but the book kept drawing me back in and I tore through it. You can be certain this riveting debut will create a group of rêveurs all its own."
—Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

“The Night Circus is a gorgeously imagined fable poised in the high latitudes of Hans Christian Anderson and Oscar Wilde, with a few degrees toward Hesse’s “Steppenwolf” for dangerous spice. The tale is masterfully written and invites allegorical interpretations even as its leisurely but persistent suspense gives it compelling charm. An enchanting read.”
—Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love

"The Night Circus is a very atmospheric tale in which things are seen in the half-light of another century's lamps. Morgenstern makes much of these shadows. She also clearly savors objects such as unusual clocks, vanishing rings, flaming cauldrons and strange carousels, and will make you savor them as well."
--Los Angeles Times

"Puts me in mind of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes lightened up by Harry Potter. This will be big."
--Library Journal

"This dueling-sorcerers premise brings to mind Susanna Clarke's magnificent 2004 novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell...[Morgenstern] employs her supple prose to conjure up a series of wonders: A maze made of clouds, a ship of books floating on a sea of ink, a tent that seems to contain a vast desert."
--Salon.com

"Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is a standout. With echoes of Alice Hoffman (fairy tale magic), Audrey Niffenegger (teleporting) and J.K. Rowling (young wizards, here magicians), Morgenstern's debut is lifted by its poetic writing, winking literary allusions and thematic cohesion."
--The Kansas City Star

"Erin Morgenstern has crafted a debut that is original and surprising and fitted it with a wonderful conclusion. She's revealed herself as a writer worthy of notice."
--The Denver Post

"If the preamble -- so aptly titled 'Anticipation' -- doesn't make you sit right down on the floor of your library or bookstore to see what Morgenstern conjures up next, you may not be the right reader for this novel. I'll wager, however, that you will fall quickly under her spell."
--Star Tribune

"So should you read Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus? The short answer: 'Yes.' The Book is engaging and magical, entrancing the reader every step of the way."
--Huffington Post

"The circus is a veritable cornucopia of sights and sounds and appetizing scents. It is a fantasia, a fairy tale writ large and come to life."
--Slant Magazine

"The Night Circus succeeds on a grand scale...Morgenstern's lush descriptions are magnetic, as if conjured by spell. The joy of reading this book is its offer of pure escapism."
--Nashville Scene --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Praise for THE NIGHT CIRCUS:

"The Night Circus made me happy. Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for and she has populated it with dueling love-struck magicians, precocious kittens, hyper-elegant displays of beauty and complicated clocks. This is a marvelous book."
-- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife

"If this novel is just cotton candy, it's cotton candy spun from strands of edible silver...With no more lust than a late volume of Harry Potter, Morgenstern manages to conjure up a love story for adults that feels luxuriously romantic. When Celia calls their circus a 'wonder and comfort and mystery all together,' she could have been talking about this book."
--Ron Charles, The Washington Post

"A Romeo and Juliet tale drenched in magic realism, The Night Circus defies both genres and expectations. In short, it's a showstopper."
--The Boston Globe

“Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus, is quietly, enchantingly perfect…reading this novel is like having a marvelous dream, in which you are asleep enough to believe everything that is happening, but awake enough to relish the experience and understand that it is magical.”
--Newsday

“[A] dark and extravagantly imagined debut…The plot follows the separate and then intertwining lives of Celia and Marco, both forced to spend their lives pitting their unusual talents against each other in a cruel competition. But their world is Morgenstern’s most vivid creation, a fantastical circus featuring illusionists whose powers transcend mere sleight of hand; like those performers, the author entices her audience to suspend disbelief and rewards its members with captivating pleasure.”
--People magazine

"Morgenstern's exquisitely realized world will have the reader wishing to run off and join this circus."
--USA Today

"Morgenstern’s Circus is the stuff that dreams are made of, and nothing short of a wild ride."
--Elle magazine

"Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing."
--Associated Press

"[A] few pages into this story of a mysterious circus and its two stars, a young man and a woman who are both capable of real magic, and you know you are in the presence of an extraordinary storyteller."
--The Daily Beast

“Morgenstern’s novel feels crafted from the fabric of a dream, and the circus itself never fails to astound. For me, the only real disappointment was that I couldn’t buy a ticket.”
--The Christian Science Monitor

"[T]he world of The Night Circus is elaborately designed, fantastically imagined and instantly intoxicating -- as if the reader had downed a glass of absinthe and leapt into a hallucination."
--Rachel Syme for NPR.org

"Two star-crossed magicians, Celia and Marco, duel for supremacy against the backdrop of a big top unlike any other. Morgenstern conjures up a world of dark enchantment and romance in this dazzling foray into the dreamscape of illusion."
--Family Circle

"A beguiling, gripping read...Ms. Morgenstern has crafted a thrilling and transporting tale. In so doing she makes it clear that of all the shapes magic may take, storytelling is often the most powerful of them all."
--The Economist

"Debut author Morgenstern doesn't miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love...a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Self-assured, entertaining debut that blends genres and crosses continents in quest of magic… Generous in its vision and fun to read. Likely to be a big book—and, soon, a big movie, with all the franchise trimmings."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“To enter the black-and-white-striped tents of Le Cirque des Rêves is to enter a world where objects really do turn into birds and people really do disappear…Debut novelist Morgenstern has written a 19th-century flight of fancy that is, nevertheless, completely believable. The smells, textures, sounds, and sights are almost palpable. A literary Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, this read is completely magical.”
—Library Journal, starred review

"This big and compelling first novel ushers in a menacing tone with its first sentence: "The circus arrives without warning."...With appeal for readers not particularly geared to fantasy but who plainly enjoy an unusual and well-drawn story, this one will make a good crossover suggestion."
--Booklist, starred review

“‘Dark as soot and bright as sparks,’ The Night Circus still holds me willingly captive in a world of almost unbearable beauty. This is a love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends. Take a bow, Erin Morgenstern. This is one of the best books I have ever read.”
—Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader

“A riveting debut. The Night Circus pulls you into a world as dark as it is dazzling, fully-realized but still something out of a dream. You will not want to leave it.”
—Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife

"Every once in awhile you find a novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell.The Night Circus is one of these rarities -- engrossing, beautifully written and utterly enchanting. If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."
—Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology

"Pure pleasure...Erin Morgenstern is a gifted, classic storyteller, a tale-teller, a spinner of the charmed and mesmerizing -- I had many other things I was supposed to be doing, but the book kept drawing me back in and I tore through it. You can be certain this riveting debut will create a group of rêveurs all its own."
—Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

“The Night Circus is a gorgeously imagined fable poised in the high latitudes of Hans Christian Anderson and Oscar Wilde, with a few degrees toward Hesse’s “Steppenwolf” for dangerous spice. The tale is masterfully written and invites allegorical interpretations even as its leisurely but persistent suspense gives it compelling charm. An enchanting read.”
—Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love

"The Night Circus is a very atmospheric tale in which things are seen in the half-light of another century's lamps. Morgenstern makes much of these shadows. She also clearly savors objects such as unusual clocks, vanishing rings, flaming cauldrons and strange carousels, and will make you savor them as well."
--Los Angeles Times

"Puts me in mind of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes lightened up by Harry Potter. This will be big."
--Library Journal

"This dueling-sorcerers premise brings to mind Susanna Clarke's magnificent 2004 novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell...[Morgenstern] employs her supple prose to conjure up a series of wonders: A maze made of clouds, a ship of books floating on a sea of ink, a tent that seems to contain a vast desert."
--Salon.com

"Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is a standout. With echoes of Alice Hoffman (fairy tale magic), Audrey Niffenegger (teleporting) and J.K. Rowling (young wizards, here magicians), Morgenstern's debut is lifted by its poetic writing, winking literary allusions and thematic cohesion."
--The Kansas City Star

"Erin Morgenstern has crafted a debut that is original and surprising and fitted it with a wonderful conclusion. She's revealed herself as a writer worthy of notice."
--The Denver Post

"If the preamble -- so aptly titled 'Anticipation' -- doesn't make you sit right down on the floor of your library or bookstore to see what Morgenstern conjures up next, you may not be the right reader for this novel. I'll wager, however, that you will fall quickly under her spell."
--Star Tribune

"So should you read Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus? The short answer: 'Yes.' The Book is engaging and magical, entrancing the reader every step of the way."
--Huffington Post

"The circus is a veritable cornucopia of sights and sounds and appetizing scents. It is a fantasia, a fairy tale writ large and come to life."
--Slant Magazine

"The Night Circus succeeds on a grand scale...Morgenstern's lush descriptions are magnetic, as if conjured by spell. The joy of reading this book is its offer of pure escapism."
--Nashville Scene

From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: Erin Morgenstern’s dark, enchanting debut takes us to the black and white tents of Le Cirque des Reves, a circus that arrives without warning, simply appearing when yesterday it was not there. Young Celia and Marco have been cast into a rivalry at The Night Circus, one arranged long ago by powers they do not fully understand. Over time, their lives become more intricately enmeshed in a dance of love, joy, deceit, heartbreak, and magic. Author Morgenstern knows her world inside and out, and she guides the reader with a confident hand. The setting and tone are never less than mesmerizing. The characters are well-realized and memorable. But it is the Night Circus itself that might be the most memorable of all. --Chris Schluep --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ANTICIPATION

The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen. No color at all, save for the neighboring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields. Black-and-white stripes on grey sky; countless tents of varying shapes and sizes, with an elaborate wrought-iron fence encasing them in a colorless world. Even what little ground is visible from outside is black or white, painted or powdered, or treated with some other circus trick.

But it is not open for business. Not just yet.

Within hours everyone in town has heard about it. By afternoon the news has spread several towns over. Word of mouth is a more effective method of advertisement than typeset words and exclamation points on paper pamphlets or posters. It is impressive and unusual news, the sudden appearance of a mysterious circus. People marvel at the staggering height of the tallest tents. They stare at the clock that sits just inside the gates that no one can properly describe.

And the black sign painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, the one that reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

“What kind of circus is only open at night?” people ask. No one has a proper answer, yet as dusk approaches there is a substantial crowd of spectators gathering outside the gates.

You are amongst them, of course. Your curiosity got the better of you, as curiosity is wont to do. You stand in the fading light, the scarf around your neck pulled up against the chilly evening breeze, waiting to see for yourself exactly what kind of circus only opens once the sun sets.

The ticket booth clearly visible behind the gates is closed and barred. The tents are still, save for when they ripple ever so slightly in the wind. The only movement within the circus is the clock that ticks by the passing minutes, if such a wonder of sculpture can even be called a clock.

The circus looks abandoned and empty. But you think perhaps you can smell caramel wafting through the evening breeze, beneath the crisp scent of the autumn leaves. A subtle sweetness at the edges of the cold.

The sun disappears completely beyond the horizon, and the remaining luminosity shifts from dusk to twilight. The people around you are growing restless from waiting, a sea of shuffling feet, murmuring about abandoning the endeavor in search of someplace warmer to pass the evening. You yourself are debating departing when it happens.

First, there is a popping sound. It is barely audible over the wind and conversation. A soft noise like a kettle about to boil for tea. Then comes the light.

All over the tents, small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. The waiting crowd quiets as it watches this display of illumination. Someone near you gasps. A small child claps his hands with glee at the sight.

When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.

Stretched across the top of the gates, hidden in curls of iron, more firefly-like lights flicker to life. They pop as they brighten, some accompanied by a shower of glowing white sparks and a bit of smoke. The people nearest to the gates take a few steps back.

At first, it is only a random pattern of lights. But as more of them ignite, it becomes clear that they are aligned in scripted letters. First a C is distinguishable, followed by more letters. A q, oddly, and several e’s. When the final bulb pops alight, and the smoke and sparks dissipate, it is finally legible, this elaborate incandescent sign. Leaning to your left to gain a better view, you can see that it reads:

Le Cirque des Rêves

Some in the crowd smile knowingly, while others frown and look questioningly at their neighbors. A child near you tugs on her mother’s sleeve, begging to know what it says.

“The Circus of Dreams,” comes the reply. The girl smiles delightedly.

Then the iron gates shudder and unlock, seemingly by their own volition. They swing outward, inviting the crowd inside.

Now the circus is open.

Now you may enter.

PART I:
Primordium

"The Whole of Le Cirque des Rêves is formed by a series of circles. Perhaps it is a tribute to the origin of the word 'circus,' deriving from the Greek kirkos meaning circle, or ring. There are many such nods to the phenomenon of the circus in a historical sense, though it is hardly a traditional circus. Rather than a single tent with rings enclosed within, this circus contains clusters of tents like pyramids, some large and others quite small. They are set within circular paths, contained within a circular fence. Looping and continuous."

--Friedrick Thiessen, 1892

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moon-light, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."

--Oscar Wilde, 1888

UNEXPECTED POST
New York, February 1873

The man billed as Prospero the Enchanter receives a fair amount of correspondence via the theater office, but this is the first envelope addressed to him that contains a suicide note, and it is also the first to arrive carefully pinned to the coat of a five-year-old girl.

The lawyer who escorts her to the theater refuses to explain despite the manager’s protestations, abandoning her as quickly as he can with no more than a shrug and the tip of a hat.

The theater manager does not need to read the envelope to know who the girl is for. The bright eyes peering out from under a cloud of unruly brown curls are smaller, wider versions of the magician’s own.

He takes her by the hand, her small fingers hanging limp within his. She refuses to remove her coat despite the warmth of the theater, giving only an adamant shake of her head when he asks her why.

The manager takes the girl to his office, not knowing what else to do with her. She sits quietly on an uncomfortable chair beneath a line of framed posters advertising past productions, surrounded by boxes of tickets and receipts. The manager brings her a cup of tea with an extra lump of sugar, but it remains on the desk, untouched, and grows cold.

The girl does not move, does not fidget in her seat. She stays perfectly still with her hands folded in her lap. Her gaze is fixed downward, focused on her boots that do not quite touch the floor. There is a small scuff on one toe, but the laces are knotted in perfect bows.

The sealed envelope hangs from the second topmost button of her coat, until Prospero arrives.

She hears him before the door opens, his footsteps heavy and echoing in the hall, unlike the measured pace of the manager who has come and gone several times, quiet as a cat.

“There is also a . . . package for you, sir,” the manager says as he opens the door, ushering the magician into the cramped office before slipping off to attend to other theater matters, having no desire to witness what might become of this encounter.

The magician scans the office, a stack of letters in one hand, a black velvet cape lined with shockingly white silk cascading behind him, expecting a paper-wrapped box or crate. Only when the girl looks up at him with his own eyes does he realize what the theater manager was referring to.

Prospero the Enchanter’s immediate reaction upon meeting his daughter is a simple declaration of: “Well, fuck.”

The girl returns her attention to her boots.

The magician closes the door behind him, dropping the stack of letters on the desk next to the teacup as he looks at the girl.

He rips the envelope from her coat, leaving the pin clinging steadfastly to its button.

While the writing on the front bears his stage name and the theater address, the letter inside greets him with his given name, Hector Bowen.

He skims over the contents, any emotional impact desired by the author failing miserably and finally. He pauses at the only fact he deems relevant: that this girl now left in his custody is, obviously, his own daughter and that her name is Celia.

“She should have named you Miranda,” the man called Prospero the Enchanter says to the girl with a chuckle. “I suppose she was not clever enough to think of it.”

The girl looks up at him again. Dark eyes narrow beneath her curls.

The teacup on the desk begins to shake. Ripples disrupt the calm surface as cracks tremble across the glaze, and then it collapses in shards of flowered porcelain. Cold tea pools in the saucer and drips onto the floor, leaving sticky trails along the polished wood.

The magician’s smile vanishes. He glances back at the desk with a frown, and the spilled tea begins seeping back up from the floor. The cracked and broken pieces stand and re-form themselves around the liquid until the cup sits complete once more, soft swirls of steam rising into the air.

The girl stares at the teacup, her eyes wide.

Hector Bowen takes his daughter’s face in his gloved hand, scrutinizing her expression for a moment before releasing her, his fingers leaving long red marks across her cheeks.

“You might be interesting,” he says.

The girl does not reply.

He makes several attempts to rename her in the following weeks, but she refuses to respond to anything but Celia.

*

Several months later, once he decides she is ready, the magician writes a letter of his own. He includes no address, but it reaches its destination across the ocean nonetheless. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for . . . This is a marvelous book."
—Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife

“A world of almost unbearable beauty. This is one of the best books I have ever read.”
—Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader

Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves: Within these nocturnal black-and-white-striped tents lies an utterly unique experience, a feast for the senses. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination.

But when Celia and Marco innocently tumble head first into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands—their masters intervene with dangerous consequences.

Erin Morgenstern’s singular and spell-casting debut is a mesmerizing love story for the ages.

“A riveting debut . . . pulls you into a world as dark as it is dazzling, fully realized but still something out of a dream. You will not want to leave it.”
—Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife

"So magical that there is no escaping its spell. If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."—Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology

"Pure pleasure . . . You can be certain this riveting debut will create a group of rêveurs all its own."—Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

“A gorgeously imagined fable . . . An enchanting read.”
—Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005AKFXZW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Digital; 1st edition (September 15, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3018 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 401 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #99,503 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #595 in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction
- #636 in Action & Adventure Literary Fiction
- #784 in Women's Fantasy Fiction

Customer Reviews:
18,492 ratings

About the author

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Erin Morgenstern

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ERIN MORGENSTERN is the author of The Night Circus, a number-one national best seller that has been sold around the world and translated into thirty-seven languages. She has a degree in theater from Smith College and lives in Massachusetts.

twitter & instagram: @erinmorgenstern

http://erinmorgenstern.com

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Jay Martin

“Lucious prose” vs “slow-moving and poorly plotted.”

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2019

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This is the sort of book that non-fantasy readers who fancy the “literary” will enjoy, loaded with scene descriptions, adjectives and elaborate prose. On the other hand, if one is used to well-constructed fantasy (or fiction for that matter) the book is slow-moving and the source of the “conflict” that is purportedly central to the book is so obscured as to make the reader totally indifferent to it. The world-crafting that one expects in fantasy is rudimentary at best, and the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes. The attempts to create drama and mystery with the central characters and plot are attempted via obscure dialog, and the writing device employed, placing chapters out of order in terms of date, is simply annoying and only adds to the sloth-like plot development. I rarely put down a book, but this is one I wish I could return.

244 people found this helpful

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Darque Dreamer

Erin Morgenstern will make you feel like you are a part of the circus

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2017

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“What kind of circus is only open at night?” (Morgenstern, 3)

The Night Circus is enchanting and mysterious. Prepare yourself for a magical story of intrigue and whimsy. Erin Morgenstern will make you feel like you are a part of the circus. Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves.

“Trespasser Will Be Exsanguinated.” (Morgenstern, 51).

The Plot: The Night Circus begins in 1873 as Prospero the Enchanter learns that he has a daughter to be left in his care; a daughter with a special magical ability. It is this ability that brings about a mysterious meeting and the beginning of a game. As the years go by, Prospero meticulously trains his daughter Celia in the art of illusion, while the man in the grey suit, from the mysterious meeting, trains his student Marco. Both are bound together to play an unknown game with unknown rules until a winner is judged. The Night Circus becomes the arena for this game, and the moves made by Celia and Marco affect everyone involved in the circus. As the years go by, the two begin to fall in love, finding it more difficult to keep playing the game. A choice has to be made, to finish the game at all costs, or to give in to love and let the circus end.

Let me just start out by saying that The Night Circus is definitely one that you have to pay attention to the chapter titles and timelines. With that being said, I LOVED this book. I really took my time reading it and soaking it all in and I was astounded by the immense imagery and story building found in this book! Every single piece of information, and person you meet, has some sort of effect on, or part to play in, the circus. There are so many parts to the whole, and even going backward and forward in time with the chapters helps you to understand what is going on within the circus and the game that Celia and Marco are bound to. Between some of the chapters you can also find pieces of a 2nd person point of view story line that makes you FEEL like you are walking through The Night Circus! The plot, the circus detail, and the characters are amazingly written in this one!

The first character we are introduced to is Prospero, or Hector Bowen. He is ultimately the reason behind the circus and the plot because of his choice to start the game with his daughter Celia. Though he is an integral part of the story, I found him greedy and cruel and felt that he cared more about the game and it’s outcome then he did his own daughter.

In the beginning of the story we are also introduced to Mr. A. H. in the grey suit. He is also an integral part of the story, as he is the mentor of Marco, Celia’s opponent. Mr. A. H. is mysterious, quiet, and quite possibly a murderer.

Our main character, Celia is definitely a favorite character of mine. She is strong, beautiful, and talented in her abilities. She also captures my heart because she is a major bookworm, and holds very high morals. It is no wonder that Marco falls in love with her!

Celia’s opponent Marco is a man of mystery. He was taken from an orphanage by Mr. A. H., so his background and origin are unknown. In his first encounter with Celia, he seems mildly intimidated and nervous. He becomes very restless in his training, and has slightly devious aspects in his game moves, but he plays the role of a co-main character well.

Though we are introduced to many other characters, with them all being integral parts of the story and the circus, we have one other main character to consider. Bailey is introduced to us further in the story, and further in the future, and starts off as a circus spectator. He begins to build a relationship with the twins, Poppet and Widget (whom were born in the circus on opening night, thus being endowed with magical abilities), and in time, becomes a very important piece to the story. It is Bailey’s childish innocence and ability to dream that ties things together and ultimately offers a resolution to the game.

“When you were five years old you turned a laundry tub into a pirate ship and launched an attack against my hydrangeas in my garden.” (Morgenstern, 87).

I recommend reading this one slowly so you can take it all in. You will truly feel like part of the circus. Pay close attention to the dates in front of the chapters and let yourself be immersed into the imagery of The Night Circus.

“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus.: (Morgenstern, 387).

149 people found this helpful

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Wilhelmina Brantley

Don't Bother

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2017

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I couldn't get past page 78. Here's why. There is a complete and utter lack of development on anything; setting, characters, or plot. I have no idea how these characters feel or think about anything. Celia has a dead mother and a crappy father, she doesn't mention it at all. The same with Marco. Apparently, he's okay with being locked in a house for years, for no apparent reason, being accompanied, at all times, by a man whose name he doesn't know.
The occasionally second point of view is annoying and unnecessary as it takes away from the book and can easily be woven into the story.
Right now they are learning magic, but why? They don't know, outside of some obscure challenge, and they don't seem all that interested in finding out. They seem absolutely content in where they are and what they are doing. You can't make a story out of that!

142 people found this helpful

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Pearl M.

Put down whatever you're doing and buy this.

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2016

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As soon as I finished the Night Circus two things happened; first, it shot to the top of my favorites list and second, I simply had to reread it. I couldn't let the world go so quickly. This is the book I turn to when I want to be encompassed and surrounded by a luscious and fantastic world that is better than mine. I adore the characters, but the descriptions of the circus itself leave marks. When I think of wonder and magic, this world and it's circus are what define those qualities. I've never read anything quite like this, and I'm afraid that I might not ever find something as wonderful as it again, but I hold out hope.
If you like Harry Potter, you'll probably like this, though it is very different.
If you, like me, adore this book and are looking for something else to read, go try Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, and it's sequel Court Duel.
If you want another wonderful way to experience this book: listen to the audiobook. It's read by Jim Dale, and it is magic.

259 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

The best book I have ever read. And I read a shit ton.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2018

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This is her first book and she nailed it. I've owned so many copies, lend them out and people don't give it back and I cannot blame them. I'm not sure I could either.

This is not a fantasy novel. This creates its own genre. I'm 40 and have been devouring books for as long as I can remember. I get the sense that Erin Morgenstern had a similar reading experience. She writes scenes you can smell, scenes you feel the temperature of. The desperation, the hope, the wonderment and the confusion.

What a marvellous web you weave Erin Morgenstern. I will buy everything you ever write based on this stunning book and the utterly marvellous Flax Golden Tales. My favourite being the obsolete 'No Swimming' sign. I very often say that there is a flax golden tale for every emotion.

You wordsmith, you! Thank you for finding the words for things I have felt since 1984.

Long live the dreamers xxx

130 people found this helpful

carrie-anne

Meh!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2020

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While I can appreciate that a great many people love and recommend this book as a good read, I honestly can't and dont.
I tried 3 times to read it.
3rd times a charm as they say.
I feel almost angry after reading it though because I genuinely wanted to love it.
I wanted to be fully immersed in it.
I wanted to be utterly drunk on it.
I wanted to fall completely in love with the characters.
Truth was, I couldnt care less for any of them and while there were bits of it that showed promise, mostly I was just bored and in the end I just wanted it all to end but it felt like the last few pages just stretched out forever... hell, I think I'd throw my self in the fire if it took any longer to conclude.
It was definitely hard work to read.
It really didnt need to be so long.
It was an absolute chore to read and I really, really struggled with the writing style.
However, I did love the core premise of it. It just failed to deliver.
And personally. I feel that the end was unsatisfying... to put it politely.
2 stars for the idea that is at the heart of the story alone.

40 people found this helpful

nitasha nayak

A magical story of two people bonded to each other since childhood

Reviewed in India on March 11, 2019

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🌼Book Review 🌼
.
🌼The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. .
🌼Genre : Fantasy. .
🌼Storyline :
Q. Did the story have a good beginning?
A. Yes indeed. It was all dark and mysterious.
Q. Was there a lot of action?
A. Yes a lot of it. Magic all over the story.
Q. What was the most exciting moment in the book?
A. When Marco took Celia on a tour of chandresh's house.
Q. What did you think was the most important point or climax of the book?
A. Celia and Marco unhooking the bond.
Q. Did you read the book to the end? Why?
A. Yes. You just can't put it down.
Q. Were you happy with the ending?
A. No. Not at all. I felt as if most of the ending was left upto the reader's imagination abd wanted so much more to happen. All through the book I was expecting a duel but was kinda a talent show. 😞
.
🌼Setting :
Q. When and where is your novel set?
A. If there was a main setting that wasn't the circus, it would be London, where the book starts, and where much happens, like Chandresh's Midnight Dinners.
Q. Were the descriptions good?
A. Oh. They were mesmerizing. Totally magical. .
🌼Characters :
Q. Pick up the main character in the novel you studied.
A. Celia, Marco, Alexander, Hector Bowen, Bailey, Poppet, Widget.
Q. Did you like them? Why and why not?
A. Celia was my most favorite and Marco was my least favorite after what he did to Isobel. But I wanted to so much of the relationship between each of characters and their development.
.
🌼Theme:
Q. If you had to say what the novel was about in one sentence how would you describe it?
A. A magical story of two people bonded to each other since childhood.
.
🌼Language :
Q. Did you find this book easy to read?
A. Parts of it wasn't easy to comprehend as it's a fantasy.
Q. Pick out your favorite description.
A. Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, remember that.
.
🌼Conclusion :
Q. Who would you recommend this book to?
A. Recommending this to all Harry Potter fans (not that it's equivalent to it but still) and to those who want to start reading fantasy.

85 people found this helpful

Shez

The concept was good and if it didn’t move around so much it ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2018

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Odd is the only word i know to describe this book. The concept was good and if it didn’t move around so much it would be great but I was sick of the change of location/person/date every 5 minutes. It flittered around far too much to let the story flow. The plot is certainly quite unique and the characters were nice but that was all I liked about it. It is also a read you need to do quickly. I have a busy life and so had gaps when reading and so that did not help. I certainly won’t be rushing to read it again though it is good if you want to try something different.

42 people found this helpful

cambridge reader

then I wasn't going to waste my life hoping the next 250 pages would

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

When you have finished your Harry Potter novels, completed the Game of Thrones box set and are looking for something in the same vein but a bit more grown-up (but not much) try this. Otherwise steer clear. I got just beyond the mid-way point of this 500 page book and couldn't stand it any more. If it hasn't done it for me after 250+ pages, then I wasn't going to waste my life hoping the next 250 pages would. Characters are sketchy, storyline of little interest and I can't think of a single redeeming feature of this book.

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