Morgenstern night circus. "Night Circus" Erin Morgenstern. Free Download Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Erin Morgenstern

Night circus

© 2011 by Night Circus, LLC

© Ya. Rapina, 2013

© A. Bondarenko, design, layout, 2013

© LLC Astrel Publishing House, 2013

CORPUS ® Publishing

Anticipation

The circus appears unexpectedly.

No posters pasted around the city, no notes and announcements in local newspapers. It's just that one day he appears where he was not even yesterday.

A heap of black and white striped tents. Not a hint of gold or purple. Nothing colorful at all, except for trees growing nearby and grass in the surrounding fields. Black and white stripes against a gray sky; countless tents of various shapes and sizes - a colorless kingdom, fenced off from the rest of the world by an intricate wrought-iron fence. Even the ground, as far as one can judge from those miserable patches that can be seen from behind the bars, is either painted or powdered with black and white sand, or maybe this is some other circus trick. For now, the circus is closed to visitors. The time has not yet come.

After a couple of hours, the whole city knows about the appearance of the circus. By noon, the news reaches neighboring cities. Word of mouth is much more effective than the printed word and the abundance of exclamation marks on flyers and posters. The sudden appearance of a mysterious circus is a rare and significant event. Onlookers admiringly look at the high domes of the tents, stare at the strange, indescribable clock right outside the gates.

The sign on the gate in white letters on a black background reads: "We open after sunset, we close at dawn."

What is this circus that works only at night? the townspeople ask. No one knows the answer, but in the evening an impressive crowd of spectators gathers at the gate.

Of course you are here too. Curiosity, as it should be, got the better of you. In the gathering dusk, you hide your chin in a scarf, hoping to escape the cool night breeze. You want to see with your own eyes what this circus is, which opens only after sunset.

The ticket office behind the gate is still locked, bars down on the window. The circus is motionless, except that the panels of the tents sway slightly in the wind, and the hands of the clock describe circles, counting the minutes, although this sculptural masterpiece can hardly be called a clock at all.

The circus seems abandoned and deserted. However, in the evening wind, filled with the freshness of autumn leaves, you seem to have a barely perceptible aroma of caramel. The coming coolness has a sweet aftertaste.

The sun finally disappears behind the horizon, and the last rays of sunset fade under the onslaught of the gathering twilight. Tired of waiting, people in the crowd shift from foot to foot and grumble in an undertone that instead of this dubious entertainment, they should look for a warmer place where they can pass the evening. You yourself are about to leave home, when suddenly something happens.

First, you hear a quiet sound, almost indistinguishable through the rustle of the wind and the rumble of the crowd. This is how the kettle begins to make noise before boiling. Then the light comes on.

Here and there, thousands of sparks flash above the tents, as if a swarm of unusually bright fireflies descends on the circus. The crowd, barely seeing the light, freezes in anticipation. There is a gasp of delight nearby. The child claps his hands happily.

When the radiance illuminates all the tents, an inscription lights up against the background of the night sky.

Hiding until then in the bends of the lattice, new fireflies flare up on the gates at the top. Flaring up more and more, some release into the air sheaves of white sparks and wisps of smoke. The people in the front ranks hurriedly retreat a few steps.

At first, the lights seem to flash randomly, but the more they become, the more confidently they form familiar letter shapes. Here comes WITH, then other letters: for some reason q and a few e. Finally, the last light bulb flashes, the sparks and smoke dissipate, and the luminous inscription can already be distinguished. Leaning slightly to the left to see better, you read: Le Cirque des Reves.

Some of the faces in the crowd light up with understanding smiles, the rest look around inquiringly in confusion. The little girl next to you is pulling her mother by the sleeve so that she can read to her what is written in the sky.

“Circus of Dreams,” is heard in response, and the child's face glows with delight.

Forged gates, as if by themselves, shuddering, clang bolts and swing open, inviting spectators inside.

The circus is open.

Now you can enter.

Part one

origins

Everything that you see in the Circus of Dreams is subject to the principle of the circle. Perhaps the organizers wished to pay tribute to the word "circus", which comes from the Greek kirkos, which means a circle or a ring. And although there are a great many such curtsies towards the circus - in the historical sense, this circus cannot be called traditional. Instead of one familiar tent with an arena surrounded by rows of spectator seats, it consists of a sea of ​​tents of various sizes, from small to large. The tents are enclosed in rings of winding paths, the entire circus is enclosed in a ring of fences. Circle and infinity in everything.

Friedrich Thyssen, 1892

A dreamer is one who finds his path only by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn earlier than everyone else.

Oscar Wilde. The Critic as Artist, 1888

Unexpected letter

New York, February 1873

Many letters come to the theater addressed to the sorcerer Prospero, but the envelope containing death note, and besides, neatly pinned to the collar of a five-year-old girl's coat, he gets it for the first time.

The attorney, accompanied by whom she appears on the threshold of the theater, refuses to give any explanation. In response to the director's protests, he just shrugs his shoulders and hurriedly leaves, touching his hat as a sign of farewell.

Even without reading the name of the addressee on the envelope, the director immediately understands who the girl came to. Her eyes, sparkling from under a shock of naughty curls, are a small copy of the eyes of the wizard himself.

When he takes her hand, small fingers limply lie in his palm. It is warm in the theater, but the girl does not want to take off her coat and only stubbornly shakes her head when he asks about the reasons for her refusal.

Not knowing what else he can do for her, the headmaster takes her to his office. She sits down and freezes in an uncomfortable chair near a wall hung with old posters, surrounded by boxes of receipts and tickets. The director brings tea with an extra piece of sugar, but it, untouched, cools down on the table.

The girl does not move, does not fidget in her chair. She sits motionless, her hands folded on her knees. Her eyes are fixed on her own shoes, which do not reach the floor just a little. One sock is slightly scratched, the laces are tied with neat bows.

The sealed envelope is still hanging on her coat, level with the second button from the top, when Prospero appears.

Even before the door is flung open, she hears his heavy steps in the corridor, so unlike the measured tread of the headmaster, who has already entered the room several times briefly - quietly, like a cat.

“Sir, there is a…um…package waiting for you,” the director says, opening the door to let him into the cramped office, and runs away under the pretense of various theater business, not feeling the slightest desire to be a witness to what the upcoming meeting may promise.

The Wizard looks around the room. A bundle of letters is clutched in his hand, a black velvet cloak, trimmed with snow-white silk, flows from his shoulders. He expects to see a paper parcel or a mail box, and only after the girl looks up at him, like two drops of water similar to his own, does he understand what the director meant.

The first reaction of the sorcerer Prospero to a meeting with his daughter is expressed in a short exclamation: "Damn it!"

The girl looks down at her shoes again.

The wizard closes the door behind him and, throwing a pack of letters on the table near the untouched tea, looks at the girl with an attentive look.

Pinned to her coat, he rips off the envelope without splitting the pin.

The envelope contains his stage name and the address of the theatre, but the letter found inside begins with the name given to him at birth: Hector Bowen.

He scans the letter. His face remains completely impenetrable, finally and irrevocably destroying the author's hopes for at least some manifestation of emotions. Only one thing seems significant to him: this girl is his own daughter, her name is Celia, and now she is in his care.

Erin Morgenstern

Night circus

Anticipation

The circus arrives unannounced.

The towering tents are black with white stripes, no gold or crimson. Here, in general, there is no color, with the exception of neighboring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields. Black and white stripes against a cloudy sky; countless tents of every shape and size, with intricate wrought-iron railings enclosing their colorless world. Even those patches of land that can be seen from the outside and those that are black or white, painted or sprinkled with powder, or maybe it's some kind of circus trick.

But the circus doesn't work. Not working yet.

Within a few hours, everyone in town heard about it. By noon, the news had spread to several other towns. Is there more effective method transmission of news than by word of mouth, compared with a collection of words, letter by letter, and exclamation marks on the paper of pamphlets or posters. Is there anything more stunning and unusual than the news of the sudden appearance of the circus. People are amazed by the incredible height of the tallest tent. They stare open-mouthed at the clock set at the gate, which no one can describe properly.

A black plaque with letters painted white hangs on the gate and reads:

OPEN AT DUSK

CLOSE AT DAWN

What is this circus that is only open at night? people ask.

No one has an answer to this question, but as dusk approaches, a considerable crowd of spectators gathers at the gate.

Of course, you are among the suffering. Your curiosity has taken over like curiosity is a habit. You stand in the gradually fading light, a scarf wrapped around your neck so that no cold evening breeze is terrible, waiting to see with your own eyes what kind of circus it is, which opens only at sunset.

The ticket booth is clearly visible from behind the gate, the window is closed, and the booth itself is locked. The tents are motionless, except for a slight swaying from a light breeze. The only thing that moves in the circus is the clock that ticks, counting the minutes, if such a wonderful statue can be called a clock.

The circus looks abandoned and empty. But you think you can smell caramel wafting in the evening breeze through the fresh scent of autumn leaves. Subtle sweetness on the blade of cold.

The sun finally disappears below the horizon, and the remaining light passes from twilight to twilight. The crowd around you grows restless with anticipation, a sea of ​​shuffling and shuffling feet, mumbling about making an effort and going looking for a warmer place to spend the rest of the evening. And you yourself are thinking about leaving when something starts to happen.

First, there is a popping sound. Barely discernible through the wind and the hubbub of the crowd. A muffled noise, like the gurgling of water in a boiling kettle. And then there is light.

Lights flickered on all the tents, as if the whole circus was covered with bright fireflies. The crowd calms down, considering this illumination. Someone close to you takes their breath away. Small child claps his hands with joy.

When all the tents are illuminated, sparkling against the night sky, an inscription appears.

It is stretched across the top of the gate, hidden behind curls of iron, made up of flickering firefly lights. When they get brighter, they appear; the appearance of some is accompanied by a scattering of white sparks and a little smoke. People standing close to the gate take a few steps back.

First, the lights are randomly placed. But the more they are lit, the clearer it becomes that they add up to letters. First, the letter C becomes distinguishable, followed by a few more. Then a K, oddly enough, and a few I's. As the last light comes on and the smoke and sparks dissipate, the dazzling sign is finally readable.

LE CIRQUE DES REVES - CIRCUS OF DREAMS

Some in the crowd smile knowingly, while others frown and look inquiringly at their neighbors. The child standing next to you is pulling his mother by the sleeve, asking what is written there.

All good things must continue, and so my research into what's new for 2011 is also on track.

To be honest, I was apprehensive about Erin Morgenstern's debut novel - it was praised too often, which reminded me of the situation with "Among Others" by Joe Walton. I was afraid that in the end, the book would not live up to the level of its PR. Fortunately, the book turned out to be excellent, as stated by numerous reviews.

Which is really strange. Because, having read and analyzed the book, I understand that I was obliged not to like it. Almost on all counts.

But first things first. The plot is one of the main reasons why the book should have disappointed me. In principle, there is, but it is unleashed very slowly (which is not bad in itself), and is often clogged with descriptions and forgotten by the author. The novel's summary also does a disservice by making one expect something like Christopher Priest's The Prestige. Two illusionist magicians (here the emphasis is on the first word, in contrast to “Prestige”), rivalry, only one can remain - all this gives false guidelines. Although for the first 40 pages, and it seems as if the author will go this way, she changes her direction rather abruptly.

So, two mages decide to compete with each other (not for the first time), but are not going to fight against each other (their argument is not about who is stronger, but about whose training methods are more correct). Accordingly, they find students and begin to train them. Let's take a break and look at our main characters.

They are another reason why I had to dislike the book. They are for the most part boring and cardboard (that will change), only the secondary characters are really interesting.

Let's start with the "fathers" (by the way, they are more interesting than the "children").

The spellcaster Prospero (real name Hector Bowen) is one of the most disgusting characters in the book. To train his daughter, he breaks her favorite dolls and then forces them to fix them. She cuts her fingerprints and breaks the bones in her arms so she can heal herself. Calmly puts her life on the line in the game. He probably went to children's matinees, and told the children that Santa Claus was a fiction.

His old rival Alexander is also far from being a saint. Despite the fact that he becomes attached to his student (although he is not his father), and his lessons do not carry the cruelty inherent in Prospero, it becomes quite early, obviously - he will do anything so that the competition does not fail. If that means killing people who have learned too much, then so be it.

Let's take a break again and talk about the best thing in the book - the title circus.

Le Cirque des Reves - "Circus of Dreams". And everything that is connected with it makes the book special and magical. The circus was created as an arena for the competition of two wizards (which very few know about), and in many ways, it owes its well-being to magic. Our heroes do not fight openly with each other, they just constantly improve the circus and support its existence.

Numerous descriptions of various entertainments, emphasis on mystery (you never know what awaits you in the next tent), style absolute (circus in which there are only two colors - black and white), Victorian atmosphere. A premonition of danger, a sense of a distant threat, and at the same time - the joy of a child who has ended up in a circus. The author did a great job on the circus, without him - this book would not make sense. Despite the plot and characters, it is the setting and its atmosphere that are the alpha and omega of this novel.

But, nevertheless, back to our heroes.

Celia Bowen is an illusionist in the circus. As the author herself says in an interview, this is the story of Celia, and without her there would be nothing. It seems to me that he is a little disingenuous, given the obvious primacy of the circus, but you won’t get into the author’s head. Celia is very pleasant and a kind person, which is especially surprising, remembering her father.

Marco Allsdeir is a student of Alexander. In the circus, he works as an assistant to the owner, Chandresh Christophe Levefr. Given that the owner doesn't travel around the world with the circus, Marco usually doesn't have much time to make his move in the game.

Bailey Clark is one of the circus visitors, a young guy. Although he does not appear immediately in the story, and at first his line seems a little unnecessary, albeit cute. But, he will play a very important role in the fate of the circus.

Love tension arises between the two main characters, and it must be said that the relationship is written very well. And this despite the fact that most love lines, if they don’t annoy me, then simply leave me indifferent. Everything is completely different here. The love of Marco and Celia is strange, absurd (after all, they are supposed to be enemies), tender, absolutely not vulgar.

And to finish off, one more plus - the author's style is absolutely beautiful. The case when a lot of descriptions of dinner parties and circus entertainment do not bother - because everything is written in magnificent rich language. The book is divided into several (two, in fact) time periods that serve us mixed. One of the periods leads us from 1873 (Celia is six years old, Marco is nine) forward, telling about the formation of the circus. The second period is 1902 and it concentrates on Bailey. The author managed not to get lost in this chaotic construction, everything that happens looks logical and is linked to the events that have already taken place.

Score: 9

Circus of riddles, circus of illusions. "The Circus of Dreams", in which reality smoothly flows into dreams, hidden dreams take on flesh, and everyday worries recede into the background, that's what this novel is. The history of the competition between two young wizards, Celia and Marco, is practically devoid of action. The story flows at a leisurely pace, easily distracted by swirls of seemingly random scenes or sketches.

The author avoids sharp emotions for a long time, as if maintaining a clear white-and-black gamut of the circus. And now a competition with unclear rules turns into a game that is in many ways akin to life. Here the rivals with inspiration create more and more wonderful and incredible things, come up with numbers and tents, striking the imagination of the audience. So, little by little, the circus itself becomes an arena, and even more than an arena. It becomes an integral part of the life of any of the characters. But in addition to wizards, they are involved in what is happening ordinary people. Acrobats, illusionists, trainers and soothsayers. Their fates also become details in the game. A game that must come to an end.

But what to do if fragile petals of love sprouted out of mutual respect and admiration? What to do if the players are bound by bonds that even death cannot break? What will two immortal magicians do, who initiated the competition and do not want to stop their wards. The story is calm and measured. Sometimes violent, sometimes fabulous. Just like life itself. But because of the slow pace, sometimes interest is supported only by psychological studies.

Bottom line: a performance full of contrasts and wonders, telling about the power of love.

Score: 8

The Circus of Dreams is the most beautiful place you will ever visit. Miracles await you in every tent. We can say that each of them contains a whole world that surprises, delights and leaves no one indifferent. The atmosphere of the book is just magical. It is this magical atmosphere that first of all remains with the reader after the last page is turned. Erin Morgenstern managed to create a place where you would like to be yourself. I just want to become a "dreamer" and put on a red scarf.

There are several storylines in Night Circus that may seem disconnected at first, but by the end they are wonderfully tied together.

The line of confrontation and subsequent love, the students of two famous sorcerers. It is well-crafted, but still seemed a bit predictable to me.

Another, which I liked even much more, is the coming-of-age story of a simple boy named Bailey. Yes, at first it seems like just an interesting addition to the main story, an opportunity to look at the circus through the eyes of an ordinary teenager from a small town, but its true significance will manifest itself towards the end of the novel.

A few words about the characters, they turned out to be very interesting. This is especially true, in my opinion, of minor characters: Herr Thyssen, who will make a magical (technically!) Clock for the circus and become the first dreamer, a true fan of Le Cirque des Reves; Ethan Barris, who has helped develop the circus since its inception, even Bailey's mischievous sister Caroline.

The main characters are also quite “alive” (Celia, Bailey, Poppet and Widget), but I can’t say the same about Marco, perhaps because he almost never appears in the circus and influences him “from the outside”.

Well, yes, everyone has already noted this, but the language in which the book is written is excellent. I think the translation quality is also extremely high.

P.S: That's it, I went to look for a red scarf. :)

Score: 9

I have long noticed that the impression of a book depends on what age you are and what mood you are in. And now, apparently, I am the "current" just do not get into the club of lovers of this story. But there are so many enthusiastic exclamations about it that it’s even inconvenient for me to write something bad, but nevertheless it turns out that I can’t say anything positive about this novel.

Tell me, are we all creators in our own way? When do we get moral satisfaction from what we have done?

In my understanding, any creation is a part of a person, part of his emotions and vitality, which means that when creating something, be it a story, a drawing, a costume or a balance sheet, we invest and what we get as a result is the one and only, this is probably the meaning of self-expression. So I don’t understand what kind of satisfaction a person gets from what he created, who, for example, stole someone else’s idea or read many, many books, took and collected everything he liked together and wrote a “stunning” novel.

"Night Circus" - this is just such an okroshka. It seems to me that if the author went by collecting all the best from literature about the circus, then she should have brought something of her own. The magic that everyone talks about in their reviews is not a godsend of the author! Magic, airiness, saturation with extravagant characters - this is generally a distinctive feature of all circus stories.

In addition, there is really no action in the book, complete stagnation from beginning to end. There is no intrigue at all, everything is clear in it from the first ten pages. I won't say anything about the love line at all.

I wanted to write something good, but it is not written. I will not rate the novel, because maybe I’ll return to it after all, when there is peace in the whole world, and I’ll be in pink glasses, with a bow on the top of my head and with a teddy bear under my arm.

Rating: no

The circus always appears unexpectedly...

A very unusual novel - unusual, first of all, in its composition. It seems to consist of shreds, like a colorful blanket. They repeat, connect, flow one into another. It is also unusual stylistically - written in a very peculiar author's manner. details and detailed descriptions recreate in the reader's imagination the image of an amazing circus and its unusual inhabitants. Details are intertwined with understatement, give free rein to fantasy, forcing you to think after the author. The whole story seems to be permeated with magic - the magic of words.

The atmosphere of a miracle is in the air of the circus, the expectation of curiosities and amazing illusions. Everything about the circus is amazing, from the black and white color scheme to the wonders presented in the tents. And ordinary visitors do not even suspect that a struggle between two magicians is unfolding before their eyes, a competition conceived by their fathers as ... Like what? What is the meaning of this competition? It seems pointless, just the desire of two older men to feed their egos. But is it their merit that Celia and Marco have become so skilled in magic? What did they give their children, except for obviously broken destinies, dooming one of them to inevitable death in a duel that stretched for years? And what is a circus - is it just a arena for a duel, a background, a by-product? At first yes, but then it becomes alive, it breathes, it grows and changes, it becomes a home for hundreds of artists, and for some even the whole universe, giving away part of its magic.

The novel, alas, is not without flaws. If the images and scenery are written well and brightly, then the characters leave much to be desired. the motivation for the actions of the heroes is vague, the essence of their personalities is vague, their relationships and feelings are weak and superficial. In general, the characters are flat and faceless, black and white, no, even frankly gray. You do not believe in them, they do not cause sympathy or rejection. Perhaps the essence of the book is not in the depiction of heroes and the twists and turns of their destinies, perhaps the author set himself the task of showing the reader a magical circus, the focus of amazing miracles, the embodiment of a childhood dream of unusual and amazing, perhaps the scenery came to the fore, because the author intended it that way, but I think that this is still not the case. A circus without people is faceless and empty, like tents flapping in the wind. People give it shape and meaning, enliven and animate it. But here's the paradox: here the circus looks much more lively and brighter than its inhabitants.

This is not a novel about fate, this is an album of watercolor sketches, sketches, colorful pictures: here we have a circus in all its glory, here a new tent with miracles appears, here is a midnight meal and the clink of glasses, here is a small apartment, full of books, here's a rainy afternoon in London, and here's a blazing fireplace, and a watchmaker's workshop... It's not the characters that are remembered, but the images that make up the background of the work. The atmosphere is remembered, the expectation of a miracle is remembered. Love? No, just a faint hint of her. All relationships and feelings are drowned in a stream of details and images, as if the author is not keeping up with his own pen. Although there should not be a banal love story and the pain of parting, Celia and Marco were brought up from childhood as magicians, whose life is predetermined by a duel. This is their purpose and the meaning of everything. So the fragile feeling that has arisen between them, although inevitable in the plot, does not necessarily end in an eternal rainbow surrounded by pink ponies.

Outcome. In this novel, everything is not as simple as it might seem. This is an interweaving of destinies, images, metaphors and meanings, seasoned with a bit of magic and mystery. It is difficult to resist the temptation to touch this secret. I want to get to the bottom of the matter, to understand the true nature of the circus, the essence of the duel, the purpose of the heroes. And based on this expectation, the ending is somewhat disappointing, because it does not give direct answers, does not tie the disparate pieces together - the mosaic does not add up, there are inappropriate details. But maybe that's the point? It's magic after all...

Score: 7

There are books after which you want to talk about their characters, plot, ideas, but this novel is that infrequent case when the atmosphere leaves the strongest impression.

A strange, very beautiful, even exquisite thing. Reading this novel is reminiscent of a leisurely and detailed examination of an unusual drawing, very beautiful, multi-colored, filled with many details and not quite clear, as if written in blurry watercolor.

The narrative style is very unusual - everything is described in the present tense, the episodes are replaced like snatches of dreams, jumping forward through the years and coming back. This enhances the feeling of unsteadiness, airiness and mystery. Objects filled with a mysterious meaning flicker like balls in the hands of a juggler - Tarot cards, books with incomprehensible writings, a white glove, watches, doves, a torch with a white flame, scarlet scarves, daggers and broken cups ... Flashes of light and gusts of wind; black and white scale of the circus and explosions of multicolor.

The story can be summed up in three words. Duel of two magicians. Or rather, those who stand behind them - their cruel and ruthless teachers who have been competing with each other for centuries, using their students as tools. The circus has been chosen as the arena for the fight. Not quite the usual, one-of-a-kind Circus of Dreams. Often the skill of illusionists seems like a miracle, but here the situation is reversed: true magic disguises itself as skillfully done tricks. But rivals are in love with each other, and they work miracles not to show their superiority, but to please and surprise the other.

The characters seem incorporeal, but emotionally they are very expressive - both the wizards themselves and those people who are voluntarily or involuntarily involved in what is happening. Only one winner can emerge from the duel, and the completion of the duel will bring death to the loser and the destruction of the Circus itself. The wizards themselves and all the people associated with the circus are doomed. Can love find a way out of this situation?

The plot is interesting, easy to read, but this novel is not one that keeps the reader in suspense, but one that fascinates.

Score: 9

A wild, dizzying journey into the depths of the circus and dark magic? Rather, a vanilla love story with many details designed to immerse you in the atmosphere of a sublime and detached from reality struggle in the arena of a magical circus. I was hoping to chew on a stone of pain and anger, but the only manifestation of cruelty in the book is when

Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)

dad cuts daughter's fingers.

This scene is apparently intended to help the reader form an image of the heroine as a strong and independent lady, able to endure many trials and not break down. The theme of manipulating other people's destinies is also widely replicated, all the heroes are involved in this to one degree or another, except that each has its own audience. Well, the central act called “love” generally plunges my inner impressionable young lady into a swoon, she is so tattered and scattered along the long-term confrontation. Even a gray-eyed boy with an attentive look does not save the situation. In constant jumps for several months (or even years) forward, the sense of time is lost, although it seemed that this indicator should play an important role in the issue of falling in love. In the context of the genre, the book half-satisfied the middle, the romance of “impossibility” that blossomed in all its glory is beautiful as a given, but there are too few meetings flaming with supernatural attraction.

But the magic of the Night Circus, characterized by the absence of boundaries, is perhaps the most interesting component of the book. Me in Lately the framework into which they try to squeeze the natural gift is very depressing (my mana is only enough for one lightning and two fireballs), so I perceive any hint of permissiveness more than favorably :-P

As a result, the book turned out to be unreasonably heavy. On the way to the central love story, she managed to acquire uninteresting side lines and a pile of hat boxes with details, the abundance of which makes her dizzy. Yes, and the love story itself suggests that it is not at all the main one here. But if you do not take it into account, then you will just have a beautiful wrapper.

Score: 5

It seems like the topic is interesting, and the struggle of magicians against the background of the eternal circus is beautiful, but somehow all this is extremely secondary, strained and frankly excessive. A completely artificial book, reaching out to China Mieville and Ray Bradbury, but far behind both - by a whole infinity. Well, yes, there is a boy and a girl who have to fight each other on the field of magic, and here they are building this circus, and they are building it, and the circus is so magical, and now they love each other (this was clear from the first page, although Erin presents it as an amazing plot twist), and that’s it, thank God, finita a la comedy, everyone is fine, the circus is immortal. Dry, boring, cardboard.

Score: 4

In short: nothing, but great.

I won’t say that there is a lot of depth in the NC, that global problems are touched upon and that brilliant thoughts are expressed - but it is read with eerily pleasure! Just a beautiful story with beautiful settings, beautifully told, with beautiful characters - sometimes that's enough.

Atmospheric. Magical, fabulous even. And with the effect of presence, in which the narration in the present tense played an important role. The language of the story is generally very good, easy. And, although you think while reading on the topic “how much tinsel is there! ..”, it’s nice to read this very tinsel as well.

I was glad that the book did not slip into a story about love and nothing more. The relationship of the two main characters is just one of the stories of the circus that has not overshadowed it, running in parallel, unobtrusive. But there is a “but” here: the psychology and motivation of the characters seemed very indistinct to me. Almost at the first meeting, they confess their love to each other to the grave, and this is how it actually turns out. The transition from bad acquaintances to a couple in love turned out to be too abrupt. However, I said too much about love. To a much greater extent, the circus itself attracts: its pavilions, its actors and organizers, its spectators - everything is fused into one big lump, which is difficult (and, above all, you don’t want to) divide into separate parts.

For me, Le Cirque des Reves is a separate universe that has no end and no edge. It is impossible to bypass it all, new tents are constantly appearing in it, and some corners are completely hidden from the eyes of strangers ...

I believe that one cannot rely on someone else's opinion regarding the "Night Circus", neither positive nor negative. It seems to me that the "Night Circus" is a world that you need to visit in order to understand whether it is yours or not ...

This book is one of those that should not be taken apart and analyzed, but that you need to feel with all your senses ... After reading, there remains a bright sadness and incredible joy, lightness in the heart, as if you are about to soar in the air ...

My attitude to the book is contained in this quote: "One flawless diamond is worth much more than a whole handful of dubious pebbles."

I think dreamers will appreciate the magnificence of this book...

But in the end, we still get a bewitching work of confrontation, growing up, love and, of course, the circus.

Score: 8

The beginning was curious. These are pages, probably 40, maximum 50. Then the author's style began to tire - the narration is in the present tense from the third person, like voice-over narrators in films, for example: Stanley leaves the house and finds that it is raining. Stanley immediately takes out a folding umbrella from his bag and, opening it, heads to work. On the way, he notices the marvelous singing of small birds perched on the branches of flowering cherries. Stanley smiles and whistles a cheerful song. And everything in this spirit. It is easy to read, of course, but how primitive this language of narration is. Then the plot suddenly plunges into some kind of cotton wool from a love line, chewing gum, lengthy descriptions environment, and it becomes impossible to detect at all. Somehow scrolled to the end to find out what was in store for the finale. And there is still the same vanilla that envelops the entire book. The circus lived, the circus is alive, the circus will live. This book is not so much about people, but about the circus, about its magic and joy-giving magic and charm. Looks like the author has or experienced in childhood very reverent feelings towards the circus and wanted to share her passion with readers, only the audience turns out to be a very narrow circle.

The creation of Erin Morgenstern is another chapter of an endless story called "Tony, when you have already read, yamae as much as you can, sit down and read!", Which is now check and left behind. Putting this book into colors, choosing music and light, frames and construction, and on the basis of this, making a trailer for a film adaptation is as easy as blowing weightless blades from a dandelion when it has long lost its strong yellowness and is ready to learn how to fly. Because " Night circus"is woven from the atmosphere, mood and colors, and the action itself, the plot and the course of events are no longer so important and not at all about where you look.

I haven’t seen a book that I like for a long time, but if you read it at night, then the dream cuts down right there, although everything is nice and normal. And everything is visible because from the point of view of the plot, "The Night Circus" seems to be made of lumps of mashed potatoes: as soon as you think that you have groped for an idea, a direction, and so on, the author immediately makes a feint with his ears, carries you into the next description, mood or episode, so that the impression of trying to go straight in a straight line turns out to be somehow slurred. And at night, looking after work, the brains are already blowing. But, it is worth noting, it was the episodes that I remember this novel most of all. Not even so much in episodes as in jerks of action. Pull towards you. Splatter the silk ink on the dress. Turn around at the sound of the clock. Cut your fingers on the endless sheets of notebooks and books. Train. Tent. Glove. Armchair. Ladder. The rustle of skirts. Smile. Sigh. Speaking of breaths.

The romantic line (crossed out) confrontation, which, along with the atmosphere and mood, is the basis of the narrative in the novel, to be honest, succeeded, but precisely from the point of view of emotions and background. Because if for at least five minutes you seriously think about who does what and when he doesn’t know what, then you’ll whistle, they say, what did the author want to say and why did he embodied his thought in this way (if the idea was originally there). But this is really nitpicking. If you set yourself the goal of sitting down to read, not resisting the style and building moods, then the "Night Circus" will be a great way to get into a strange, but in its own way beautiful story, even if the author sometimes gets carried away beyond measure not by the action, but by the description.

As a result, an unusual fairy tale (fiction? bedtime story? old belief?), Which can be praised (and there will be something for it), you can scold (and there will also be something for it), it is so peculiar. Recommended reading for lovers of black and white, vivid descriptions, a basic set of characters, the atmosphere of a circus and romance, when by default you hear the strings of the orchestra, which will continue to play in raised tones for him and her. Not recommended if you're more of a fan of intelligible action than wandering in circles, and don't feel like interacting with funny characters. I won't re-read it, but I really wanted to buy it for my collection.

Night circus Erin Morgenstern

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Title: Night circus

About The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Night Circus is a worldwide bestseller written by American writer Erin Morgenstein. The famous novel has been translated into twenty languages ​​of the world.

The unexpected appearance of a circus in the city without advertising and posters shocks the residents a little. It consists of several tents, and each, in turn, fascinates the viewer in its own way. Erin Morgenstein very cleverly conveys to the reader moments of illusion, it seems that everything is happening in reality. The Circus of Dreams operates only at night, which attracts the interest of visitors even more. It has a certain mystery that no one guesses. And about what is still hidden in the circus, you will learn when you read the book.

And so, in the circus you will see many tents, each of them is special and hides its secrets. Let's go through some of them and see what's inside. The first tent is called the "Ice Garden", it welcomes guests with cold piercing air, icy whiteness, frozen figures - it is easy to get lost in it. Here all the details are presented in white.

The “Mirror Hall” consists entirely of different shapes of mirrors, each framed in a frame, but for some reason the image is fuzzy, here you cannot see yourself completely in one mirror, each part of the body is reflected in a separate one.

The "Tent of the Soothsayer" is a bewitching room of a sorceress who can guess even the most secret desires. Getting to her, you forget that for decency you need to at least get to know each other. Erin Morgenstein in this episode managed to captivate the reader with the mystery of magic.

The "Pool of Tears" will help the visitor to get rid of their sorrows and losses, free the soul from torment, but you need to dare to enter it, as it appearance scares people.

From the book "Night Circus" you will also learn about the "Labyrinth", but not simple, but magical. will meet you a large number of rooms, the interior of each is filled in its own way, all the doors seem to lead nowhere, but when a person in desperation rushes to one of them, he ends up back in the circus.

"Drawing Room", what is it? After all the previous tents, it is difficult to imagine what is here. Let's go inside, and ... in front of you there are only black walls, buckets of white chalk, dare, create, write about what comes to mind.

You have not yet passed even a small fraction of the tents, but the night is ending and you must leave the circus. And then the “Wish Tree” appears before the visitor, the only clarifying point, it is seen only by those who really need it. Whoever is lucky enough to meet this tree on his way, his wish will come true.

You can tell for a long time and a lot, it’s better to sit down to read the book yourself, so you will get real pleasure from the reading process, rather than from stories.

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