This year for Wyrd and Wonder Lisa of Dear Geek Place is hosting a readalong of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and I decided to jump in! I loved The Starless Sea but had never picked up the author’s first book because I have a weird aversion to circuses in stories, but everything is better in company so I thought a readalong would be the best way to try it. This is a book club style discussion post and there will be spoilers, so proceed with caution! Week one covers Part One – “Primordium”. Lisa put together the questions, and you can find the details here. Full disclosure, I am watching the Eurovision semi-final as I write up my answers, so please forgive any slips and incoherencies…
The narrative here seems designed to tell this story with the reader observing from the outside, though the story is full of intimate moments that we get to witness – and not all of those moments are charming or comfortable (ie. Celia’s childhood and her training with Hector). How do you feel about the story so far, given how it’s being told?
I do enjoy the way the story zooms in and out of Celia and Marco’s head, getting hints of their inner thoughts and then panning out to deliver strong atmospheric writing. In general, I am enjoying the story a lot more than I expected and particularly enjoy Marco’s chapters. I’m not sure how I feel about the chapters from Bailey’s point of view, but I’m willing to stick with them and see what comes of them…
The story also dovetails the creation of the Circus of Dreams with its establishment and effect on visitors, such as Bailey. Do you enjoy the atmosphere of a circus? And how does this one in particular make you feel?
I really loved the scene where the circus started coming together. There’s something about those midnight feast brainstorm sessions that gave it such a magical feel! Like I said, I’m not a big fan of circuses in storytelling, I find it quite a boring setting. Don’t ask me why, as I know it’s supposed to be the opposite! I think it’s because I don’t often like magical realism type stories, and I prefer it when things are fully fantastical. Having said that, I am really enjoying The Night Circus so far and I think having those hints of its completion through Bailey’s chapters is really effective. I am keen to know who the woman who gave him a glove was, and whether he will return.
Celia and Marco could not be more opposite to one another when it comes to magic. What are your first impressions of these “opponents” as the contest begins?
I don’t know if I have a good sense of Celia’s character yet… I really loved her audition for the circus, and the way Marco reacted to her. That was probably my favourite moment so far, and I am very hopeful that romance does develop in tender longing moments. I think I prefer Marco’s methods as I too would love to lose myself in books, but Celia’s feels a lot more natural and I can’t wait to see them interact properly. I have no idea who holds the advantage right now, but I suspect it might be Celia based on Marco’s reaction to her magic. We haven’t really seen him do much though, so who knows what will happen…
Any other thoughts/feelings/theories? Share away!
At the moment for me it’s just vibes and atmosphere but I am enjoying that. Morgenstern’s writing is so lush and every word feels like it holds weight and history. I like the stories within stories, which she does a lot more in The Starless Sea but still has a bit of presence here.
I am interested in Prospero and his disappearing act – will we see more of him? And why did the contest between him and Alexander begin in the first place? I hope we get more answers!
That’s all for this week – I am going to dive into part two (Illumination) over the weekend and hopefully will be swept away once again!
The Book Nook 
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