The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

9/13/2012 – One Year Anniversary of The Night Circus! Congratulations to Erin Morgenstern on the one-year anniversary of her first novel, one that continues to be read and loved the world over and is being celebrated with the release of the paperback edition here in the United States. It’s just as beautiful as ever and has me wanting to buy it all over it again every time I see it! 🙂

9/22/2011 – I bought and started this book while on a weekend vacation in New Orleans a few days ago. It has been quite a long time since I have been instantly captivated and charmed by a book and The Night Circus does that beautifully. The characters are intriguing, the world colorful and lovely and intriguing. It is a world that you want to sit and watch unfold and that is a very encouraging start to a book.

9/26/2011 – I’m still mesmerized. Celia’s audition for Les Cirque de Reves was simply amazing! And the challenge has begun!

Morgenstern’s way of weaving color, image, and action makes everything flow like water around you, like a river that you cannot stop, nor would you want to. It’s too beautiful, too…much. You just want to lie back and let the river take you where it will.

9/30/2011 – How is it possible that almost every chapter of this book makes me smile, marvel, and re-read in some way, shape, or form? It does and I am amazed by it. Single lines, entire descriptions, quick moments or quips…these all catch me and make me thrill all over again. It has been a long, long time since I have been so enthralled by an author and I think I shall just keep praise Morgenstern over and over again until she proves me otherwise.

One of my favorite passages:

“So proper for a circus girl,” Mme. Pava says with a gleam in her eye. “We shall have to loosen those corset laces if we intend to keep you as intimate dinner company.”

“I expected the corset lacing would take place after dinner,” Celia says mildly, earning a chorus of laughter.

“We shall be keeping Miss Bowen as intimate company regardless of the state of her corset,” Chandresh says. “Make a note of that,” he adds, waving a hand at Marco.

“Miss Bowen’s corset is duly noted, sir,” Marco replies, and the laughter bubbles over the table again. (page 136)

10/5/2011: I will say that we must needs credit Ms. Morgenstern with being the author who convinced me to purchase my first book on a Kindle. I decided that The Night Circus is so amazing that I simply must share it with friends. But what would I do when I no longer had the book in my possession? I would be bereft. So I asked my husband’s permission to purchase a copy of the book on his Kindle so that I would always have access to it. So…brava, Ms. Morgenstern. I am not fully converted but I am willing to note uses. ^_^

10/7/11 – Few books have affected me, surprised me, dismayed me, and delighted me so that I had to put them down for a little while. This is one such book. I will not give away the moment, as that would be unfair to others.

While some may find Morgenstern’s back and forth between past and present jarring, I still feel that it flows fairly well as, by that point, you are absorbed into several different threads of the same tale, each their own story in and of themselves. I find myself able to move fairly easily between Celia and Marco, Laynie and Mr. Barris, Marco and Chandresh, Bailey and the Murray twins, and, when they all finally come together in a startling moment, the effect is quite striking. And, yes, jarring.

The kind that leaves my heart pounding and aching for more.

10/8/2011 – FINISHED: I finished this book in the quiet of a sleepy Saturday morning and in the company of friends. No better way to do so, I think. I have to say that I was quite pleased with the ending, with the way that the important parts of the stories were laced together and bowed, like the laces at the entrance to Widget’s dream and memory tent.

This has been the first book in a long while to capture me as it has and I must tip my hat to Miss Morgenstern. She has perhaps only one grammatical quirk that could tend to annoy me, if I decided to let it. But I won’t.

Thank you, Erin, for an amazing debut. May all your future efforts be as fruitful and, if I and other reveurs may hope, perhaps someday we may all return to the Circus together.