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A review by galoshes
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I picked up this book convinced I would hate it but hoping I wouldn't. I'd tried reading Starless Sea before this, and I'd DNFed it in anger at the dizzying repetition and lackluster characters. But everyone said this one is so much better so I gave Morgenstern one more chance. I wasn't entirely disappointed.
The author is very good at painting with words. Her imagination is perfect for event planning, stage dressing, and designing magic shows or video games. She has great ideas for what I imagine to be impressive museum installations, dark rides, or movie sets. She would be a wonderful concept artist.
The characters and plot are really just there to propel the reader through the wonderful environment. Most of the characters seemed to have the same personality and spoke the same way. There are no actual stakes, there is no real reason for the plot to exist in the first place, and motives are nonsensical. There is no chemistry nor logic in the romance, which is apparently the main plot but doesn't start until more than halfway through. I kept reading out of frustration at the constant withholding of information, only to find out at the end that the motive behind the entire story was feeble, egotistical, and not at all satisfying. The Everyman Saves The Day ending was the nail in the coffin for me. I do not care.
One thing that really bothers me: there is some very obvious and scarring child abuse here that is just swept under the rug. One kid is severely physically abused while another undergoes severe neglect. Both of these kids turn out just fine and never consider their past as anything unusual. The flippant way the author handles abuse is unsettling.
Read this for the fantastical setting. Use it as inspiration in your next sculpture or watercolor painting. The scenery is the best part.
The author is very good at painting with words. Her imagination is perfect for event planning, stage dressing, and designing magic shows or video games. She has great ideas for what I imagine to be impressive museum installations, dark rides, or movie sets. She would be a wonderful concept artist.
The characters and plot are really just there to propel the reader through the wonderful environment. Most of the characters seemed to have the same personality and spoke the same way. There are no actual stakes, there is no real reason for the plot to exist in the first place, and motives are nonsensical. There is no chemistry nor logic in the romance, which is apparently the main plot but doesn't start until more than halfway through. I kept reading out of frustration at the constant withholding of information, only to find out at the end that the motive behind the entire story was feeble, egotistical, and not at all satisfying. The Everyman Saves The Day ending was the nail in the coffin for me. I do not care.
One thing that really bothers me: there is some very obvious and scarring child abuse here that is just swept under the rug. One kid is severely physically abused while another undergoes severe neglect. Both of these kids turn out just fine and never consider their past as anything unusual. The flippant way the author handles abuse is unsettling.
Read this for the fantastical setting. Use it as inspiration in your next sculpture or watercolor painting. The scenery is the best part.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse