REVIEW - THE NIGHT CIRCUS
The first thing I have to say about this book is that it was a vastly different story from the one I was expecting. My preconceptions were formed by an online game set in a simillar universe as the book - Echo Bazaar. I imagined it would be primarily a fantasy book about a circus that only comes out at night, perhaps with supernatural occurrences providing one of the main complications. The plot is a lot more human, in that it revolves around the relationships of certain characters who have something to do with The Night Circus. Also, it is set mainly in nineteenth century England, which meant that much of the drama and romance felt straight out of a Jane Austen novel. This wasn't bad - I am a fan of Austen - it was however, unexpected. The version of magic in The Night Circus was what I found most fascinating in the setting. It features an illusion based style which is very much underground - most people do not believe in the existence of magic and write it off as clever illusions, for in England, for some unknown reason, magic is only used as a performance or behind closed doors.
Celia, the main female protagonist, annoyed me as a character. She started very strong and interesting, but lost momentum as the book went on and turned into a more generic female love interest. Tsukiko's characterisations was also a little annoying as it relied on so many Orientalist stereotypes.. I thought she had a lot of potential to be a really great character, but I felt constantly frustrated by how many stereotypes were used to construct her, so much so that I kind of lost touch with the character. This, however, may be less the fault of the author and more a burden of being an Asian studies/Japanese student.
I loved the book overall, but I think that love was born less of the story and more of the setting. Reading about the experiences of the rêveurs was great because it was usually in those parts that Morgenstern expanded with information about what the Night Circus was like. The Marco-and-Celia story didn't hold my interest because I could tell as soon as Marco's character was introduced, that they would end up somehow together, and that they were somehow doomed. Some twists were really well placed, others predictable. I love Morgenstern's imagination and would definitely read anything else she put out, but I think there is definitely room for improvement on the character development/construction side of her writing.
As a side note, The Night Circus has more than a few parallels with the works of Gaiman and Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), which I am also reading at the moment. Not at all an intentional overlap! And, as a side note on that side note, they (and by 'they' I mean the BBC and HBO) are making a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries and an American Gods TV show! Super excited!
Celia, the main female protagonist, annoyed me as a character. She started very strong and interesting, but lost momentum as the book went on and turned into a more generic female love interest. Tsukiko's characterisations was also a little annoying as it relied on so many Orientalist stereotypes.. I thought she had a lot of potential to be a really great character, but I felt constantly frustrated by how many stereotypes were used to construct her, so much so that I kind of lost touch with the character. This, however, may be less the fault of the author and more a burden of being an Asian studies/Japanese student.
I loved the book overall, but I think that love was born less of the story and more of the setting. Reading about the experiences of the rêveurs was great because it was usually in those parts that Morgenstern expanded with information about what the Night Circus was like. The Marco-and-Celia story didn't hold my interest because I could tell as soon as Marco's character was introduced, that they would end up somehow together, and that they were somehow doomed. Some twists were really well placed, others predictable. I love Morgenstern's imagination and would definitely read anything else she put out, but I think there is definitely room for improvement on the character development/construction side of her writing.
As a side note, The Night Circus has more than a few parallels with the works of Gaiman and Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), which I am also reading at the moment. Not at all an intentional overlap! And, as a side note on that side note, they (and by 'they' I mean the BBC and HBO) are making a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries and an American Gods TV show! Super excited!
