This is a rather convoluted novel where you have to pay attention so you don't miss anything important. I liked this novel, but I didn't love it. There was something missing - I was quite happy to read further to find out what happens but I didn't really feel passionate about the characters.

WOW!! I just finished listening to this Audiobook and I am blown away by the enormity of it all. I LOVE Erin Morgenstern, I always have! In fact, the Night Circus happens to be in my top 10 favorite standalones of all time!! Her inexhaustible imagination is enviable. Her brain is both unique and fascinating in equal measure and always comes dressed to impress. Her ethereal, yet distinctly un-floofy (it's a word) writing invokes a visceral response in me that is downright Pavlovian.

“For those who feel homesick for a place they’ve never been to. Those who seek even if they do not know what (or where) it is that they are seeking. Those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.”

This was one such book for me. I was wanting, needing, fiending for... Something. A Something book rich in both body and soul. Even though I am a HUGE fan of her work/brain/Worlds, when I finally commited to sitting down and wrapping myself up in the Starless Sea, I had no idea it would satiate my literary cravings so completely.

The writing, of course, is sublime. It is transcendent, boundless, celestial and Extra... Extra-ordinary, extra whimsical and extra je ne sai quoi. There are many intricate machinations going on simultaneously. The myriad of characters are supernal and each a star in their own right. There are incredible circumstances that intersect and moments that interject. There are unforeseen twists and great loping turns... both of which may very well be described as Finesse incarnate... so much so that you will find yourself scouring the prose for clues while blissfully being swept up and away... simply grateful to be brought along for the ride.

It feels like I took in a great many threads and wove together an approximation (be it a beautiful approximation) of what the tapestry was meant to be. There is SO much going on in the Starless Sea and I know, with 100% certainty, that there are still new threads to discover... tidbits scattered here and there to be gathered and incorporated into the whole with each successive revisit, gently augmenting it in subtle yet significant ways.

Within these pages lay stories embedded within tales and a beautifully rounded cast of characters within the lore. It is a multi hued yarn that comes together to form a picture tangible enough to envelope you and your inner King of the Wildthings. It kept me in a state of perpetual awe. It is a refuge... a love letter to the Story and the Storyteller alike. For those who feel lost or those that feel there should be something more to this life... Something more magical, adventurous, dangerous, spectacular or simply just... more. This is an invitation for we dreamers to let loose and dream impossible dreams. It calls to those of us who "are here to wander through other people's stories, searching for our own." For we are the consummate revelers among the harbors embracing the edges of the Starless Sea.

 

All of the above is both accurate and adjective laden SO I'll boil it down to this-- this book is all sorts of evocative, fanciful, wonderous, and lush AND I can not recommend it highly enough!

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not"

My favorite read this year ♥

Within the black-and-white striped tents is a magical unique experience ♥

The book is about two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who, when they were children were arranged to be in a competition by their guardians, the venue for their competition is Le Cirque des réves, a circus that travels the globe, where Celia is the Illusionist, and marco is the assistant of the proprietor, the novel follows their challenges, their magical powers and their relationship with each other and the other characters.

I Loved The characters, each one of them was extremely interesting, Celia and Marco especially, i loved them, Poppet and Widget as well.
I loved the mystery that surrounded the circus, it was perfect, the story was beautiful, I felt connected to it, I felt like this could be a place I belonged to and loved.

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”

This book gave me every feeling I ever wanted from a magic circus, it was a very very nice experience and I loved every second of it.
I definitely plan to check other Erin Morgenstern books.

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.... Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.” ♥♥♥

Morgenstern's first book, The Night Circus, continues to be one of my favorite books, so I was eager to see if her next book would live up to that promise. It did not disappoint. Given what I consider to be an extraordinarily high bar, this is a terrific accomplishment. My biggest dilemma reading this one was trying to savor it without racing through it; but, in taking my time, losing some of the thread of the complicated story. When I picked it up, I tended to do a bit of rereading to get me back into the action. This is not a criticism, maybe just a warning. If you have a comfy couch, a lot of free time, and enough snacks, I would definitely recommend binging on this book.

The premise for this book is a simple one: two magicians are pitted against each other in a duel and the Night Circus is the venue for this duel. And the author could have done so much with a premise such like this, but, unfortunately, she didn´t.

 

The plot was pretty much non-existent and the little bit of story that existed was moving at a snail´s pace, I was constantly at the border of being completely bored by this book. And then the author didn´t even give me an explanation for the duel and the reason behind everything that has happened within the story.

 

In my mind, there can only be two reasons for Erin Morgenstern to totally disregard the plot. She either wanted to write a character-driven novel or she simply wanted to indulge in the beauty and lavish descriptions of the circus.

 

If this supposed to be a character-driven novel, it certainly didn´t resonate with me, simply because I didn´t feel any kind of connection to any of these characters. They are simply there, doing whatever they are doing. They didn´t make me feel sad or happy or any other kind of emotion that I can possibly think of. I was following these set of cardboard characters in an uninspired story and having come this realization, a big “meh” was looming above this book.

 

Which brings me to the circus, Erin Morgenstern´s main reason for writing this book. Don´t get me wrong, the descriptions of the circus are bloody gorgeous and absolutely stunning. It´s one of those literary places I really wish would exist in real life. And I can take a fair amount of descriptive writing. But this book is 500 pages long and those are too many pages only filled with descriptions over descriptions without any kind of plot and uninteresting characters.

 

So, what am I looking for in a book? A plot, interesting characters and compelling (and in this case magical) story telling. Erin Morgenstern only gave me the story telling part with this book and as wonderful this novel was from this perspective, it just isn´t good enough for me.