Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning.  No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards.  It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.


I am not a reviewer of books; I make no such claim.  Although it is true that through my reading I have learned a great many things, unless I am reading for work, I simply read for the sheer love of it.  Nothing more complicated than that.  Because, like most avid readers, my time spent with books is limited and therefore precious I do not waste time with something I am not enjoying.  I will simply move on; the possibilities are limitless.

I don't follow what is on the best sellers lists; I do not subscribe to literary magazines; my television viewing is limited, although eclectic, and I don't spend a lot of time on the Internet.  I am not sure whether I am just too busy with the task of getting through everyday challenges, or juggling too many balls to be distracted, or perhaps simply clueless, but I seem to be out of step with my fellow travelers.  And I discover treasures long after everyone else has found them, digested them, and discussed them at length.  I suppose I could look upon my situation as half full or half empty.  I choose full.  Looked at in that light, when I find a gem I feel a certain smugness at being very, very clever at having unearthed it.  I claim a personal "squatters rights" over it.  That's how it was when I joined a book club a few years back.  I ordered The Book Thief, Sea Of Poppies, The Graveyard Book and Becoming Victoria...none of which I had heard of before I looked at the catalog.  How brilliant  was I to have discovered them!  At least, that is how I remember it.  Perhaps somewhere my subconscious held on to a comment or a recommendation or a "thumbs up" given by someone else.  But it is more fun to believe I found them by myself.

What made me have the library place a hold on The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern?  I cannot recall.  I probably read a review and it was probably on a book blog.  But I am selfish, and I choose to believe that I was just being...discerning?  Brilliant?  I was so excited to pass along the news of my "great find."  I could hardly wait!  When I finished it I had to call one of my bookish friends, right away! "Great news you will thank me for..."  (Short pause)  "Oh, yes!  My book club read that last year....or was it January of this year?"  She replies blithely.  I sighed.  Sometimes one's friends can be such a disappointment.

You  may have heard of The Night Circus.  You may have even read it.  If not, I hope you do...and I hope you will find it as enchanting as I did.

"It is important," the man in the grey suit interrupts.  "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 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.

And when the tale has been told...and it is almost dawn...and you have reached the last page of the story, it is time to take your leave:

The step through the gates that takes you from painted ground to bare grass feels heavy.  You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Reves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus.  You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.

12 comments:

  1. I have held back from this one as I'd read reviews that said it didn't have a good plot. I really don't mind if the plot is only a small one, just a little sliver of plot will do. But I do appreciate a book that is satisfying, plot-wise. But if you liked it, Grad, then I will certainly give it more serious attention!

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  2. Litlove, the book is very different from anything I had read before. The author could have tightened up the plot a bit. But I loved the writing. In a way, it reminded me of Remains of the Day. More happened in Night Circus, but the characters were not as beautifully drawn nor is she as good a writer as Ishiguro. Nevertheless, I think Morgenstern is an author to watch. I will definitely pick her next one. It is a difficult novel to explain. I think one will either love it or hate it.

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  3. So glad you enjoyed the book! I'll have to read it one of these days. You might want to work on coaching your friend so next time you call about a book and she has read it she starts gushing happily about it so you can gush too. Unfortunately I don't have any big reader friends I could call so the fact that you do makes me a bit envious.

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  4. Stefanie, I had no idea it was a bestseller when I ordered it from the library. When I was at the book store yesterday I took special notice of what was on the best seller shelves...just so I wouldn't feel so out of touch. I see that Game of Thrones was there (next to...Shades of Gray, I hate to say). But as I sit here right now, I can't name anything else. I noticed Game of Thrones because you recommended it. I'm on the waiting list at the library. (I've promised myself to buy no more books this year.)

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  5. Sounds intriguing, Graddikins - and yes, it's definitely your own cleverness responsible for unearthing all these titles as though they've been written especially for you.

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  6. Di, it definitely was. Maybe I should try my cleverness at the racetrack picking winning horses!

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  7. You don't need to make any claim.

    Your writing makes it for you.

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  8. Thank you, Shelley. I take that as high praise from someone who I believe is a wonderful writer...and who created a fascinating story that I hope one day I'll see on the big screen. Do not give up on that, please.

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  9. I agree that you should take full credit for any and all discoveries. And I am so far behind in my reading that I haven't even heard of this book. Why is it called "The Night Circus," I wonder, when the French translates to "The Circus of Dreams"? Anyway, you've intrigued me ... and I will give YOU full credit when I read it.

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  10. Tinky, I believe the answer to your question comes right at the end of the book, which I have quoted. It is a rather dream-like circus...and dream-like book! And like all dreams, it was in danger of disappearing forever...well, I'm not going to give anything more away. Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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  11. Hi Grad, I really enjoyed this one as well. (Although there were moments in the middle when I got a little bored. I think that's more down to my distractedness in reading than anything else. The first half was brilliant. I loved the descriptions of the illusions / magic and her characters were lovable.) Definitely worth gushing about.

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  12. Pete, might I say you have very fine taste in books! :>

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