by Erin Morgenstern
Most of the time, I buy my books from used bookstores or check them out from libraries. Occasionally, I borrow one from a friend or coworker. I only rarely buy them new. I discovered The Night Circus while teaching. One of my usually-on-the-ball students was hiding something under her desk and ignoring the class discussion. I walked over expecting to confiscate a cell-phone and instead walked away with temporary possession of this novel. This, of course, led to a pretty interesting discussion about the book.
The Night Circus is billed as a "love story for adults" and I guess that's true but I think that's over simplifying the case. In reality, it's a story about magic and control. There's even a whiff of philosophical musing running under the surface. It's about what true immortality does to a human and it's about people pulling together to save each other. Surprisingly, it's only tangentially about romantic love at least as far as I'm concerned.
The best thing about The Night Circus is the richly developed world of the circus. It's otherwise set in the late 1800's and travels from location to location. The circus though is pretty much what I always wish circuses were. Miraculous things happen here. There are contortionists, acrobats, a bestiary, fortune tellers, and impossible structures full of clouds and wishing trees. It's a spectacle and it's the playing field to two dueling magicians: Celia and Marco. Their battle, committed to by their teachers when they were children, entangles the lives of everyone involved in the circus. Eventually it all starts to fall apart and it threatens everyone's life.
Great book. Totally worth collecting.
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