THE NIGHT CIRCUS

by Erin Morgenstern

If magic, love stories and dramaturgy (the theory and practice of dramatic composition) excite you as much as they do me, this is the book for you.  I had no idea what I was in for with this one, and I really loved it—a perfect escape book!

Set over the course of several decades, primarily in London and Massachusetts, The Night Circus exists in a world where magic is real for those who know how to look for it.  We follow as two youngsters, Celia and Marco, are being raised and educated as combatants in a mysterious and ill-defined “competition” set up to prove the methods of their instructors.  They both end up being intimately connected to  Le Cirque du Reves, which the story follows from its inception.

I personally love a book that takes place in a seemingly normal world with just a few different rules.  Like Harry Potter or even the Narnia Chronicles, reading this type of book makes me examine the world around me more closely to see if perhaps I have just been missing something.  As a theatre-maker, Night Circus got me all fired up about the different ways you can draw an audience into your world, how to curate every moment of their experience, and what elements contribute to the deepest immersions.

In addition to its dramatic pull, Night Circus has a suspenseful plot and some wonderfully poetic prose.  Unless you are really anti-magic books, give this one a try for a wonderful escape from the here and now. (Lily)