I don’t usually get all, “wow, the writing in that story was just so beautiful.” I usually enjoy a book for the amazing story and that’s pretty much it, leaving the fancy schmancy stuff to other reviewers.
But The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern really was written beautifully. The book held some notes of Shakespeare and Roald Dahl. The imagery was amazing and I would do anything to visit the circus of dreams!
The Night Circus was a story that made me slow down to enjoy the writing, and it kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat all at the same time.
The black and white themed circus appears randomly and without notice, staying open from dusk til dawn. Circus goers can wander from tent to tent, always experiencing performances or tents where out of the ordinary occurrences are happening.
At the same time, Celia and Marco are bound in a challenge that is taking place among the circus. What are the rules to this challenge? When will it ever end? And will the circus survive the ending?
Some of my favorite quotes from the story. . .
- “Some things are not for you to see” – Celia speaking of some of the mysteries surrounding the circus
- “The finest pleasures are always the unexpected ones” – Tsukiko the contortionist
- “The circus arrives without warning”
What’s your favorite circus activity/performance/food?
rscaglione.wordpress.com 
I got this books some months ago from the edithors (in Spanish) and I still haven’t read it!
I have read really good reviews, like yours, telling the special writing and story the novel contains. I have to read it!
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Oh you MUST!!! It’s so beautiful, and you’ll enjoy it more in your native language, I think, since you’ll fully be able to grasp the imagery. I hope you enjoy it, too!
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I wanted to show you the way they sent the book to the bloggers – with a circus! 😀
http://fromisiblog.articulo19.com/?p=8085
(It’s in the last photograph)
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WHAT???????? That’s how you got the book? They sent it to you? Explain please!!!!
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Yes, indeed. The publishers sent us the book with a circus made of cardboard. It was so cute!
They sometimes send us very great presents. For example, a book by Anne Helene Bubenzer (it has not been translated into English yet) which is about the story of Europe through the story of a teddy bear called Henry, was sent to the bloggers with a teddy Henry 😀
Here is the photo:
Or the 50 Shades’ box:
http://fromisiblog.articulo19.com/?p=8857
This doesn’t happen always, just sometimes, I have to say, but sometimes the publishers do a great work!!
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Oh, and last Marian Keyes cooking book!!
With things for you to cook!!
http://fromisiblog.articulo19.com/?p=9874
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How’d you get this good relationship with the publishers?
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Well, here in Spain the publishers consider blogs as a good and cheap way to advertisement, so they write us asking if we are interested in the books they want to advertise.
For the smallest publishers, it was me the one who wrote them and ask if they were interested in my blog for reviewing their books (but they send only books, not teddy Henrys, because they are small publishers!).
I’ve seen the same relationship in the English blogosphere, so perhaps you can write them and ask if they are interested in sending books to be reviewed in your blog 🙂
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I have some authors who have contacted me, but I think I need to establish some sort of a relationship with some of the publishing companies!
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I’ve been hearing about this book for some time now. Your post finally pushed me over the edge. I’ve just gone on Amazon and ordered it! 🙂
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Yay! I hope you enjoy it! Come back here and let me know when you finish! 🙂
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Will do! 🙂
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This book knocked my socks off! 🙂
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I want to be a dreamer! I want to just start wearing all black and white with a red accent piece.
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Great book. I met the author, Erin Morgenstern, in
September at our book festival here in Atlanta. Read all about it in my posting: http://marygilmartin.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/life-in-united-states-book-festival-2012-decatur-georgia/
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Oh how fun!!!!! I will check out your post in a few minutes, and comment there, I’m sure, with jealousy! 🙂
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I thought the plot of this book was a little thin, but the descriptions of the circus were AMAZING. Morgenstern has a beautiful imagination. I could have read an entire book just about the different tents at the circus. I’m really looking forward to reading more of her books (I hope she writes more!).
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Um. . . her Twitter says kitten wrangler, so I’m guessing that was part of the inspiration for the twins’ act!
I do agree that the plot was maybe not the strongest, but I don’t think it was as necessary if you were able to get caught up with the beautiful writing.
And yes, I was like DYING to know what was in all of the tents! And I would also be that totally insane person who was upset about not being able to figure out how to see all of them! I’m too much of a planner and too organized to be able to lah-dee-dah wander through the circus to see what I find. I want to see it ALL!
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I love to watch the acrobats and their death-defying stunts. Crazy! My favorite circus/carnival food is…all of it. Love pretty much anything deep-fried, and I love fair nachos.
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I’d have to say my favorite carnival food would be the funnel cake . . . so yummy!
And the fair by my house used to have these amazing doughnuts. . . they were to die for! And they were by those big swings (you know what I’m talking about???) but they haven’t been around for YEARS!
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Now I’m hungry!
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I loved it so much I tell all my friends to read it. A truly magical read!
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Exactly!
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I haven’t read this one yet but I absolutely LOVE the cover. I think it’s very attractive & intriguing. I always see this whenever I go to the bookstore.
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The writing is as nice as the cover!
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Every time I pick up this book to read it I put it back down and read something else. I’m not sure why!
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You should try it, I really enjoyed the book!!
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Adding it to my list. I have a book, not published yet, which has a circus in it. Always looking for fresh views to help round out my own! Thanks!
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That’s very smart! My husband is a huge film nut and he’s starting to write a screen play (for fun at this point) but I think he needs to read books and watch movies of things that are related to what he wants to write about. Not to take the ideas, but to see how other people have used similar ideas (like you’re doing with a circus) and incorporated them, so that he doesn’t do it in the same way, too!
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Exactly! I’m designing a character right now that loves fire and so I’m checking out fiction and non-fiction books about firefighters to get an understanding of what I’m dealing with. It’s a great way to do research. I use action flicks as research all the time. 🙂
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I’m glad that you’re confirming the info I’m telling my husband!! 🙂
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lol!! Of course!
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This is the second blog that I have visited today giving this a big thumbs up, I shall definitely hunt this one out when i pop back into town later.
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It’s worth it! I just purchased it for a friend for her birthday, too, in order to share the love!
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I went out and bought it yesterday about an hour after I signed off of here, i shall read and review it sometime in the coming year, I’m looking forward to it immensely.
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🙂 Yay!!!
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I loved the mix of fantasy and reality in this book, it was a lot more reality-based than I’d thought, but the fantasy aspect was so strong and, as you suggest, well-written.
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And I’m usually not a fan of the magic type of stuff, but I think that the way it was written seemed very grounded and, I guess, a more realistic way to have magic.
Like they couldn’t just do anything they wanted, there were still guidelines and errors and so on.
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It’s a sad shame knowing we can never experience the circus for the first time again. This makes me emotional and I am dead inside (for a given value of dead).
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I know what you mean. Maybe we should get one of those Men in Black mind eraser things and start over???
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That would be awesome, unless I forgot to read the book as well.
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Hi Rebecca! Stopping by from SIITS girls! Great review! I think I may finally read this book after having had downloaded it 2 years ago!
Great blog! Good to know there is a place to come by and look at honest book reviews 🙂
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It’s so good! I hope you enjoy reading it. And Mila, my reviews are always honest. I try to find good in every book I read, whether I love it or not, but I’m not afraid to state my opinion, even when it’s unpopular (like when I wasn’t too happy with Pride & Prejudice. . .you would have thought I advocated puppy murder with the amount of comments I received telling me I was wrong!) 😀
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