Reviews - Riverside Public Library

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* This big and—no, not bulky—compelling first novel ushers in a menacing tone with its first sentence: The circus arrives without warning. Why would a circus arrive so quietly in town, and why would anyone need warning about this particular one? The time span here is 30 years, from 1873 to 1903, and the settings range from America to Europe. To a famous magician is delivered a little girl who, as it turns out, is his child, and fortunately for his future, she is possessed of magical powers. As it also happens, this magician has an archrival, who, in the face of the first magician's jackpot in the form of his little girl, seeks a young person for him to train to rival her. What the two magicians did not anticipate, as the years pass and the two young people, the girl and the boy whom the second magician found, are honed in their specialty for performance's sake and to outplay the other one, is that the young persons, when of an age, would meet and, surprising or not to the reader, fall in love. How will their destiny play out now? With appeal for readers not particularly geared to fantasy but who plainly enjoy an unusual and well-drawn story, this one will make a good crossover suggestion. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

BookPage Reviews

Le cirque de debut

Fans of J.K. Rowling, Susanna Clarke and all forms of magical realism—rejoice. Erin Morgenstern’s long-awaited and much buzzed-about debut The Night Circus has all the makings of a historical-fantasy-for-adults hit: chronologically complicated and interweaving plotlines, wide-eyed descriptions of ever-changing labyrinths, a turn-of-the-20th-century European setting and a forbidden love practically swelling with Hollywood appeal. (Indeed, a Harry Potter producer has already snapped up film rights.) But perhaps most importantly, it creates a fantastical world so fully imagined and captivating, one cannot help but be swept along for the ride.

The story begins when Celia, a five-year-old with an already keen supernatural power, goes to live with her father, Prospero the Enchanter, a magician and key member of the world’s oddest, most awe-inspiring traveling circus: Le Cirque des Rv™ves. Sensing his daughter’s untapped power, Prospero pits Celia against another magician in a years-long (and exceedingly dangerous) battle of skill. Her opponent is Marco, a budding magician who begins studying the circus in order to learn his rival’s ways. But what neither he nor Celia anticipates is how much they will grow to like, and eventually love, one another—launching the novel into an age-old tale of star-crossed romance.

Intertwined with the lovers’ narrative are stories of other circus fans and workers—among them Friedrick Thiessen, Le Cirque des Rv™ves’ most enthusiastic scholar; Isobel, driven by unrequited love for Marco; and Bailey, a farm boy with a wanderlust who observes one magical performance and embarks upon a lifetime obsession.

This first-time novelist is heavy on description, and readers may find themselves skimming details about vanishing contortionists and mystical rainstorms to get back to the actual plot and characters. But she is also dogged in her pursuit of epic love and tragedy. Once you’ve entered Morgenstern’s world, you are not likely to forget it.

Read our interview with Erin Morgenstern.

BookPage Reviews

New paperback releases for reading groups

A BELOVED TALE REIMAGINED
The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey's ingenious retelling of Jane Eyre, will delight fans of Charlotte Brontë's novel as well as readers unacquainted with the classic. Set in the 1960s, Livesey's updated take on the tale chronicles the life of young Gemma Hardy, who is orphaned when her father—a widower—drowns. Gemma goes to live with her uncle in Scotland, but when he dies, she's overseen by a mean-spirited aunt. As an escape of sorts, she enrolls in Claypoole, a fancy private school, but there her misfortunes continue, as she's forced to work as a servant. Gemma's next move is to Blackbird Hall, where the lord of the manor, Hugh Sinclair, engages her as a nanny for his niece. Gemma and Hugh feel a mutual attraction, but he has secrets that could keep them apart. Livesey has written a wonderfully engaging novel with the tried-and-true elements of romance and adventure—as well as a few surprises.

MEMORIES OF AFRICA
In her fascinating memoir, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Alexandra Fuller offers another intriguing account of life in Africa. Although she was brought up in Kenya, Nicola, the author's mother, comes from a family of feisty Scottish highlanders. Passionate and brave, she marries Tim Fuller and explores Africa with him in search of a place where they can put down roots. Fuller's adventure-filled account of her parents' early years makes for great reading. Nicola and Tim are an unforgettable pair, at once larger than life and down to earth. They eventually settle in the Zambezi Valley, operate a banana and fish farm and discover lasting contentment. As usual, Fuller—an expert memoirist (Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight)—writes with assurance and flair. This singular chapter in her family history brims with the sights, sounds and smells of Africa, bringing the continent to life even as it revives poignant memories from her family's past.

TOP PICK IN BOOK CLUBS
Erin Morgenstern's captivating debut, The Night Circus, focuses on a mysterious troupe, Le Cirque de Rêves, or the Circus of Dreams, and its two stars, a pair of young magicians named Celia and Marco. Raised as rivals, Celia and Marco were coached from childhood to perform in the circus. They're now engaged in a battle of powers that's destined to end dangerously. Their contest takes place each night under Le Cirque's black-and-white tent, where the two find themselves falling in love—a development that could have fateful repercussions for the circus itself. Set in London in the 1800s and filled with an unforgettable cast of wizards and performers, including Celia's father, Prospero the Enchanter, Morgenstern's tale is a real dazzler. Her spellbinding novel works its magic through a blend of genres, combining elements of romance, mystery and good old-fashioned fantasy.

Kirkus Reviews

Self-assured, entertaining debut novel that blends genres and crosses continents in quest of magic.

The world's not big enough for two wizards, as Tolkien taught us—even if that world is the shiny, modern one of the late 19th century, with its streetcars and electric lights and newfangled horseless carriages. Yet, as first-time novelist Morgenstern imagines it, two wizards there are, if likely possessed of more legerdemain than true conjuring powers, and these two are jealous of their turf. It stands to reason, the laws of the universe working thus, that their children would meet and, rather than continue the feud into a new generation, would instead fall in love. Call itÂ Romeo and JulietÂ for the Gilded Age, save that Morgenstern has her eye on a different Shakespearean text,Â The Tempest; says a fellow called Prospero to young magician Celia of the name her mother gave her, "She should have named you Miranda...I suppose she was not clever enough to think of it." Celia is clever, however, a born magician, and eventually a big hit at the Circus of Dreams, which operates, naturally, only at night and has a slightly sinister air about it. But what would you expect of a yarn one of whose chief setting-things-into-action characters is known as "the man in the grey suit"? Morgenstern treads into Harry Potter territory, but though the chief audience for both Rowling and this tale will probably comprise ofÂ teenage girls, there are only superficial genre similarities. True, Celia's magical powers grow, and the ordinary presto-change-o stuff gains potency—and, happily, surrealistic value. Finally, though, all the magic has deadly consequence, and it is then that the tale begins to take on the contours of a dark thriller, all told in a confident voice that is often quite poetic, as when the man in the grey suit tells us, "There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict."

Generous in its vision and fun to read. Likely to be a big book—and, soon, a big movie, with all the franchise trimmings.

Library Journal Reviews

When Prospero the Enchanter discovers that he has a young daughter with extraordinary magical talents, he wastes no time in setting up a competition between her and the protégé of his longtime adversary. Celia and Marco train until young adulthood and eventually meet under the eerie black-and-white-striped tents of the Cirque des Rêves—the Circus of Dreams. What happens next has obviously intrigued a lot of people—rights for this debut have been sold to 22 countries, Summit Entertainment has made a film deal, and there's a 175,000-copy first printing. Not over-the-top kaleidoscopic but keenly, lushly cool and inventive with a hint of danger and reckless love; remember, this circus "Opens at Nightfall/ Closes at Dawn." Puts me in mind of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes lightened up by Harry Potter. This will be big.

Library Journal Reviews

To enter the black-and-white-striped tents of Le Cirque des Rêves is to enter a world where objects really do turn into birds and people really do disappear. Even though visitors believe the performances are all illusion, they are obsessively drawn to this extraordinary night circus. Those who run and perform in the circus are its lifeblood. Marco Alisdair runs the operation from London as assistant to the eccentric proprietor. Celia Bowen holds it all together from her role as illusionist. As magicians, Marco and Celia are bound to each other in a deadly competition of powers, creating ever more fantastical venues for circus goers to marvel at. But falling in love was never part of the game, and the players struggle to extricate themselves from this contest while keeping the circus afloat. VERDICT Debut novelist Morgenstern has written a 19th-century flight of fancy that is, nevertheless, completely believable. The smells, textures, sounds, and sights are almost palpable. A literary Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, this read is completely magical. [See Prepub Alert, 3/7/11.]—Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine Univ. Law Lib., Malibu, CA

Library Journal Reviews

Morgenstern's much-hyped debut-it was previewed by Barbara Hoffert in Prepub Alert, garnered a starred LJ review, and topped the September 2011 Indie Next List-is a generous and unexpected novel, fancifully articulated through a time-spanning plot that unfolds in connected interludes. Readers are welcomed into Le Cirque des Rêves-the Circus of Dreams-on the first few pages: under the popping lights, through the spacious veil of stars, into a labyrinthine space of black-and-white-striped tents filled with such attractions as an ice garden, a cloud maze, and a bonfire of crimson, violet, and white. From this initial invitation, the story jumps back and forth in time between 1837 and 1903, exploring the interrelated tales of a handful of characters. The weaving creates a lovely, restrained pacing, allowing readers to stroll through the story the way they would through the circus itself. At the narrative's core are two magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been set among the circus tents as figures on a magical chessboard. They are to play a game run by Celia's father and his nemesis, Alexander, a game the two masters have orchestrated many times before. What is at stake, how the game is played, and even the length of the game are unknown to Celia and Marco, who at first compete, but soon cannot resist collaborating to create ever-more fantastical attractions for the circus. As they forge the sumptuous revelry inside the tents, the two slowly fall in love, and their relationship is as fragile as the folded-paper models Marco uses to keep up with the circus and the mysterious scrapbook he employs to ensure the circus doesn't unravel. But unravel it does, as the circus was not designed as anything other than a battlefield. As the fate of the citizens of Le Cirque des Rêves, and that of a few key outside supporters, hangs by a thread, Celia and Marco must figure out how to escape the game. Evoking a mood of wonderment complemented by a portentous feel, the novel's lush language and charming sensibility will lure readers in as surely as tent signs such as A Climb Through the Firmament lure visitors into Le Cirque des Rêves. Note to audio fans: Don't miss Jim Dale's extraordinary reading. - Neal Wyatt, "RA Crossroads," Booksmack! 10/6/11 (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal Reviews

With splendidly lush prose, a focus on evocative descriptions, and a strong otherworldly tone, Morgenstern's magician's duel set within the glorious Le Cirque des Rêves, the Circus of Dreams, makes for great next reading. In a tale as dark and spellbinding as Gaiman's, with high stakes that are cleverly reconciled, two magicians are drawn into a deadly game neither wants, pawns to masters they must thwart if both are to survive. Prospero the Enchanter enters his daughter, Celia, into the ageless game, turning her childhood into harsh lessons in magic. The mysterious Mr. A.H. picks the orphan Marco as his contestant. When Celia and Marco finally meet, nothing goes as anticipated, and the two hatch very different plans for the game's final move. Morgenstern's modern fairy tale should please Gaiman fans looking for another imaginative, lyrical, and sweeping fantasy. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Debut author Morgenstern doesn't miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love set in a turn of the 20th-century circus. Celia is a five-year-old with untrained psychokinetic powers when she is unceremoniously dumped on her unsuspecting father, Hector Bowen, better known as Le Cirque des Reves' Prospero the Entertainer. Hector immediately hatches a sinister scheme for Celia: pit her against a rival's young magician in an epic battle of magic that will, by design, result in the death of one of the players, though neither Celia nor her adversary, Marco, is informed of the inevitable outcome. What neither Hector nor his rival count on is that Celia and Marco will eventually fall in love. Their mentors—Marco's mentor, Alexander, plucked him from the London streets due to his psychic abilities—attempt to intervene with little success as Celia and Marco barrel toward an unexpected and oddly fitting conclusion. Supporting characters—such as Bailey, a farm boy who befriends a set of twins born into the circus who will drastically influence his future; Isobel, a circus employee and onetime girlfriend of Marco's; and theatrical producer Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre—are perfectly realized and live easily in a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics. (Sept.)