We Need More Shelves...
  • About This Site
  • Review Index
  • My Favorite Book Links
  • Contact Jan
The Night Circus cover

Review: The Night Circus

By Jan 
on January 4, 2020

The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern;
Genre: Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Jim Dale;
Publisher: Random House Audio (2011);
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars (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…”

©2011 Erin Morgenstern ©2011 Random House
Spread the love
Categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy Tags fantasy
← Previous Post
Next Post →

Search this site

Categories

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Jan has read 32 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide
32 of 100 (32%)
view books

Currently-reading

Quite Ready To Be Sent Somewhere: The Civil War Letters Of Aldace Freeman Walker
Quite Ready To Be Sent Somewhere: The Civil War Letters Of Aldace Freeman Walker
by Thomas LeDoux
tagged: currently-reading
A Journey Through Texas, Or, A Saddle-trip on the Southwestern Frontier
A Journey Through Texas, Or, A Saddle-trip on the Southwestern Frontier
by Frederick Law Olmsted
tagged: currently-reading
Fingerprints of the Gods: The Quest Continues
Fingerprints of the Gods: The Quest Continues
by Graham Hancock
tagged: currently-reading, audiobook, and history

goodreads.com

Contact JanContact Jan about this site.

I Love Book Covers

Visit Me

LibThing logo

Goodreads

LibThing Early Reviews

Audible logo

NetGalley Reader badge

FTC Disclosure

I have an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com. Some of the links on this site may go there. If you purchase something using one of those links, I may receive a small compensation. I am never paid to review books and am always brazenly honest (ask my husband). Thank you!

2021 - Copyright © Jan McClintock, All Rights Reserved