The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern;
Genre: Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Jim Dale;
Publisher: Random House Audio (2011);
Rating: (2 / 5).

Regardless of the gushing reviews and hype about this book, I’m giving it two stars.

This was a tough go for me. I almost quit a few times in the first half of the book, and this is the second time I’ve tried to read this story. One of the problems was, I think, that I chose the audiobook. Yes, Jim Dale is the narrator, and he’s absolutely one of the best. However, the chapters jumped around chronologically, which made it very difficult for me to keep track of the time period. There are a lot of characters, too, which should have been a red flag for me. The second half was much better—things actually started to happen—and I stuck it out.

Yes, the writing is lovely, the descriptions are lush, but I would recommend this book be read, not listened to.

The publisher’s summary: “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…”