"The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not."
The Night Circus is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Erin Morgenstern writes in such a bewitching way that you are soon captivated hook line and sinker. This is a story about a circus that appears without warning and only opens as the sun sets and closes when it begins to rise again. It treats the visitors to every magical aspect of a circus but is it real or just an illusion?
The story is set in the late 1800's and we follow numerous characters throughout the book. The main two are Celia and Marco. When Celia is six she is entered into a complex competition by her Father, Prospero the Enchanter, and from then on she is bound by the rules even though she does not always understand them. Her Father then goes on to teach her his illusions and at times takes her lessons a bit too far. Marco, her opponent, we first find in an Orphanage and he is discovered by his teacher Alexander. Marco is taught with books and learning and is often left by himself to work things out.
The circus is designed as their arena and this is where the real magic is woven. They try to out do each other with different tents filled with amazing things. My personal favourites are the Garden of Ice and Widget's tent filled with all different bottles. This is where the book is exceptional. Erin's way of writing brings all the various tents to life and really makes you want to believe it is real. She concocts not just visual treats but also those of smell and taste. You may well get hunger pangs reading it!
I loved this book and would highly recommend it to everyone as we all need a bit of escapism now and again.
