"A Book A Week For A Year" Book #1 Review: The Night Circus

My 2012 New Years Resolution is to read one book per week, even if it means having to catch up on Grey's Anatomy on the weekends.  I spend far too much time watching TV, and have never been an avid reader.

This year that changes.  And the change has already begun...

For book #1, I started with a book that bf got me for Christmas, entitled "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.  Apparently, while bf was browsing at Chapters, a lady ran over to him and told him that he 'HAD TO GET' this book and that it was 'ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!' -- so that's what he did.   After a week of reading, I have come to the end, and I have to say....she was right.

This book is not just amazing, it's like reading the script of a movie I would pay money to see.

"There is so much that glows in the circus, from flames

to lanterns to stars.  I have heard the expression "trick of

the light" applied to sights within Le Cirque des Reves

so frequently that I sometimes suspect the entirety of the

circus is itself a complex illusion of illumination.

-Friedrick Thiessen, 1894"

The story starts out setting the scene. The authors way of depicting scenery and smells made me feel like I was about to walk into a real circus - and head straight over to the caramel apple booth.  In my mind, I could visualize the tents and the performers.  There was even mention of kittens at one point, and that's when I knew I was sold.

Celia Bowen is a young girl who has just lost her mother to suicide, and is sent to live with her father, Prospero the Enchanter.
Marco Alisdair is an orphaned child, who is taken in by a mystery gentleman - the man in the grey suit - with seemingly no emotions of any sort.
The two are connected, through a bond like no other - and with the help of a cast of characters unlike any other, they embark on the most amazing journey that one could only wish to have in their lives.

The characters surrounding Celia and Marco take on a life of their own, and I felt connected to each one in a different way from the moment they were introduced.  As I read each page, the descriptive story line and intricate mixing of the characters made it feel like I was watching them with my own eyes.  Like I could buy a ticket to the circus and run in to tell them things they needed to know.

As the story unfolds, there is a dual of sorts that will not only change the direction of the story altogether -- but ultimately pulls you deeper and deeper into their twisted world.  I normally struggle to enjoy anything set in 1800-1900's, but this book is just that.  Between the train travels, and the simplicity of the language and storyline - I had the feeling that if I were to meet any of these characters in real life, we would be bff.  Especially the ones who can alter appearance -- who wouldn't love a friend that could get rid of your grey roots just by willing it to happen?  No one. That's who.

Each character plays a role in the upcoming battle between two people who have been raised solely for the purpose of this event, but with a dramatic turn - everything begins to fall apart, much to my dismay.  I had imagined myself being at the dinner parties, and standing in front of the amazing, colour changing and dreamlike Wunschtraum clock.  As someone who has had an admiration for timepieces for the past 10+ years - this aspect of the book made it all  the better.

If you are looking for a book that has you craving page after page, trust me when I say that you do not want to miss this one.  The Night Circus will undoubtedly be seen on the big screen in years to come, and I hope that  the author decides to continue in the future and allow us insight into the lives of the characters I have grown so fond of in such a short period of time.

As for the author herself, she can be found on Twitter at @ErinMorgenstern and when I had to tell her just how in love with her writing I was, she was very humble and thanked me for reading.  The connection with the book was amplified by the pride of it's writer - and I hope that many other people take the time to not only relive childhood fantasies through the chapters, but also appreciate just how descriptive a story the author has managed to tell.



**Next week is Book #2 - Dead Sky Morning by Karina Halle.  It's book #3 in a series that I started last year, and I am anxious to see how my lovely Perry and sexy Dex are doing on the hunt for footage in their Expirement of Terror.

Stay Tuned for another review!!