The Night Circus

By: Erin Morgenstern

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE TIKTOK SENSATION

Discover the million-copy bestselling fantasy read.

The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Rêves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists a fierce competition is underway.

Celia and Marco are two young magicians who have been trained since childhood for a deadly duel. With the lives of everyone at the Circus of Dreams at stake, they must test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love.

'The only response to this novel is simply: wow. It is a breath-taking feat of imagination, a flight of fancy that pulls you in and wraps you up in its spell' The Times

© Erin Morgenstern 2011 (P) Penguin Audio 2011

Critic reviews

Lush, evocative, dreamlike...a magical, coming-of-age story

Dark and dreamy; a captivating love story

The Night Circus made me happy. Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for. This is a marvelous book

Enchanting, and affecting... A strikingly beautiful world, in spite of its darkness

Dazzling

An extraordinary blend of dream and nightmare will take you on a magical journey (Viv Groskop)

Deliciously inventive... Don't imagine this is a light, frothy tale. For all her humorous touches, Morgernstern...has produced something darker than night

The only response to this novel is simply: wow. It is a breathtaking feat of imagination, a flight of fancy that pulls you in and wraps you up in its spell

Charming, magical, mysterious, enthralling

Lushly imagined, extremely charming and very, very readable

Enjoyable

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed this book but nothing really happened.

What do you think your next listen will be?

For my next listen, I will be looking for something with a little more substance. This is basically a boy mets girl story with a magic background.

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of the circus and the people in it is wonderful.

Do you think The Night Circus needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The story is pretty conclusive and I dont see a follow up.

Any additional comments?

I dont know what demographic this book was aimed at, but perhaps a the young adult reader would appreciate it.

Superb and Magical

What a captivating story, usually well narrated.
however the narrator did make some mistakes and say the wrong names sometimes. often leaving me a bit confused.
his way of saying 'Thank you is quite irritating. but it is all redeemed by his use of different voices for characters

A poor tale nicely read

Would you try another book from Erin Morgenstern and/or Jim Dale?

Jim Dales reading was excellent. The novel failed to deliver on the expectations it set.

What could Erin Morgenstern have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Delivered on the promise of the novel. The reader is kept waiting for some sort of resolution, instead we are literally presented with a whole passage on how there are no longer any good stories (or are there).

Have you listened to any of Jim Dale’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was The Night Circus worth the listening time?

No

Thoroughly enjoyed

So imaginative and wonderous. Very sweet and mysterious at the same time. I did however need to go back to take note of chapter titles as I didn’t realise it jumps back and forward in time a bit. I loved it, but I was a bit conufsed initially as I hadn’t payed attention to the locateoons and dates at each chapter.

A thrilling read!

Would you listen to The Night Circus again? Why?

Absolutely. The story is intricately and beautifully entwined with mystery and love. It's so jam packed with imagination and imagery, it's like watching a movie in your own head.

What did you like best about this story?

The imagery in this book is remarkable.

What about Jim Dale’s performance did you like?

Jim Dale captured the different accents very well. Even the slightest change in nuance made it immediately obvious which character he was playing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A deluge of dreams, mystery and love.