Emma from Bookish in Crickhowell gives us an insight into what’s good to read this month
The story follows Marco and Celia, pitted against each other since childhood. A game is initiated, where the rules are unclear and the winner can take decades to determine. Their arena? Cirque des Rêves. But the plot focuses on more than just the battle between these two. It looks at the dynamics of all the relationships that exist as a result of this game; and the effect the game has on the wellbeing of the characters. Some characters flourish within the confines of the circus whilst others crumble, struggling with the concept that their lives do not fully belong to them. The magical world of The Night Circus draws you in from the first page transporting you into a beautiful world filled with magnificent sights, tantalising scents and mouth watering tastes. The world of the Cirque des Reves is dreamlike and spellbinding.
However, the central narrative of the book is lacking as if the visualisation of the circus has overwhelmed the plot and characters. The competition is set up well, the mystery of the circus detailed throughout the book, but the characters are flat and the story underwritten in comparison to Morgenstern’s incredible realisation of the world she has created.
Despite the lack of plot, and the characters not feeling fully drawn, the majority of our book group fell a little bit in love with this book. This is an incredibly visual and beautiful debut, and worth reading for that alone.
