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Sparkle (1)
The circus arrives without warning.
No announcement 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 first time I heard about Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus was at the Editor's Buzz panel at BookExpo America in May. As soon as the editor started talking about it you could hear the room start to buzz. I don't think I ever fully appreciated the term before. We heard about how the book ended up on her desk and how she took it down to the cafeteria to read, coming back to her office only after she had finished it. We heard about how they knew they had to have it and how Summit Entertainment had acquired the film rights, the same company that brought the Twilight series to the big screen.
After the session there was a mad rush for to the hallway where the advance copies would be handed out. Copies of The Night Circus disappeared as fast as the publisher could stack them on the table. Once I had a copy in my hand the temptation to open it up right away was overwhelming but I resisted. There is less fun in reading a book such as the one The Night Circus promised to be when you can't share the experience of it with anyone else for months. I resolved to wait until closer to the release date.
When finally it was time to read The Night Circus I fell in love with Le Cirque des Rêves in all its black, white and shades of grey glory. Others who had already read their advance copies told me how lovely it was to read and I was prepared to be enchanted. I'm pleased to say I was.
Morgenstern created a special world. I could smell the caramel in the air and felt the urge to visit each and every tent in the circus. Reading The Night Circus was intoxicating. I was immersed in Morgenstern's world and I wasn't alone. Andi, who blogs at Estella's Revenge felt it too.
I could imagine the tents, each of the acts, the bonfire that serves as the heart of the circus, the food on sale to the patrons, the way the various acts dressed and conducted themselves. Hardly ever do I read a novel that makes me feel so thoroughly immersed in the fictional world.
Imagine a world, very much like our own, but touched by magic. A place where circuses can pop up out of nowhere in the middle of the night and are only open from dusk until dawn. Most people never knew of it of or noticed it. Magicians might perform but you'd think it was just sleight of hand -- smoke and mirrors. Two magicians duel by proxy. Each chooses a competitor. Marco and Celia are bonded to the competition without their knowledge. They neither understand the game nor it consequences. For the most part, they aren't even certain who their competitor is -- something that proves dangerous for both of them.
Their arena? The aptly named Le Cirque des Rêves. It is the thing of which dreams are made. But a circus cannot be run by just two people or with just two performers. Others are brought, unknowingly, into their game. These characters, the supporting cast, will interest you almost as much as the main characters. Widget and Poppet, the precocious twins born on the very first night of the circus, will enchant you. You will find yourself a little bit smitten with the master clock-maker and original rêveur Mr. Friedrick Thiessen. Your heart will ache for Isobel. You will wonder how Bailey fits into this magical puzzle. Prospero and Alexandre are worthy of being despised.
