The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—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 them, 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 and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. (synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

I am absolutley in love with this book.  There are not enough words to even describe it: magical, whimsical, mysterious, bizarre, confusing and at the core, a love story.  I cannot fathom how the author even came up with the premise for the story. I went to Ms. Morgenstern’s website and she says she grew up reading Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and that this probably explains her literary development.  It certainly shows in The Night Circus.

 I got this from the library and I want to re-read it, so I'm going to buy it.  I want the hard copy, not the e-book.  I want to hold on to it, tell people about it, show people my copy and say "GO GET YOUR OWN!!!!" because I won't give it up.  Does that sound silly?  Too bad - that is how much I loved this book.

In case you can’t tell, I’m giving this 5 out of 5 stars.