Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

8 reviews

sarah_plemmons's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is a testament to the power of language in storytelling. Every moment I was reading, I felt like I was fully there, walking through the circus, experiencing the white and black powdered ground and caramel-scented air. It was enchanting and intoxicating and strangely distant. It was like being fed maraschino cherries dipped in dark chocolate by my secret lover while they whisper old stories, only to close the book, wake up, and realize it was a dream and that nothing was real except the confusion and disappointment and longing that lingered. 
It's almost impossible not to wax a little poetic about it because this is a highly poetic book, which is wild considering it's at least partially about Disney adults. All that to say, it was a near-five-star read for me, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for what I can only describe as a luscious read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Infidelity, Grief, Child abuse, Alcohol, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, and Injury/injury detail

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Injury/injury detail

Moderate: Death, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

zoeelora's review

dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Infertility, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide

bi_n_sad's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The last quarter of the book is so frustrating. I despise Marco with every fiber of my being.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Suicide, Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Eating disorder

alexisgarcia's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i am so glad that this book lived up to the hype. i can’t even begin to describe how beautiful and magical the writing was. i could taste the circus snacks, see inside every tent and their corresponding act, and feel the magic that surrounded the circus. the concept was executed perfectly and truly left me in awe. this is one of the most beautifully written books i’ve ever read. i was fully immersed in this world and never wanted to leave. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Death, Grief, Murder, and Injury/injury detail

thewordsdevourer's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I totally get why so many ppl love this book: it's original, unique, charming, a lil whimsy; it's all things that are considered 'pretty' all rolled into a volume of almost 400 pgs. As much as I wanted to also love it, however, The Night Circus wasn't totally for me.

I felt like the story had a lot of wasted or unexplored potential. You have a circus that traveled all over the world, yet the majority of the story took place in Europe and the U.S.; there was a lot that could've been explored in this respect, yet the opportunity was wasted. Furthermore, while the story's about the famed circus, it felt more like 'conversations about it and those that took place in it'; I personally felt the show-not-tell trick was really not utilized here. The book would've been a lot more interesting if we got to see how both Celia and Marco costructed their tents and creations, all the magic that was involved. Instead, readers were often transported to when all the fun bits were over, after the magic stuff was already done and we got to see only the results.

The challenge between Celia and Hector was also made to seem a lot more complex and serious than it actually was. For something that had deadly consequences and put the lives of so many involved, the reasoning behind the challenge and the workings of it were insufficient and frustratingly glossed over. 

To sum up, my main issue is w/ the book's wasted opportunity at exploring its full, possibly-fantastic potential--a lot of fluff w/ no substance--but it's also balanced out by the fact that it's quite original and undeniably charming. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Murder and Death

uranaishi's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

March 5, 2012
March 26, 2014

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Car accident, Dementia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual content, Animal death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexism

bencaroline's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Murder, Infidelity, Child abuse, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Trafficking

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Animal cruelty