Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Fantasy? Historical Fiction? A work of art. 

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Ahhhhhh. I just. WOW.

I actually am in a sort of minor reading slump, and The Night Circus was exactly what I needed. If you're the type reader who connects to places - their secrets, treasures, people, histories and so on, (think Hogwarts, Gallagher Academy) then this is your book. 

Right from the beginning, the story had me hooked. You're presented with different pieces, and as you keep reading it begins to become clearer how everything fits together. The mystique, the magic of the place has you completely and utterly enchanted- this of course thanks to Erin Morgenstern's flawless and unique writing. I THOUGHT the present tense would bother me, and boy was I wrong. The scenes, the sights and the smells- it all felt like it was happening right in front of me.

There isn't too much background information on the challenge - this was another element I thought I wouldn't like, and again I was wrong. Understanding only part of the story kept me going, and I was provided with enough to feel satisfied. Very realistically, you feel like some things you'll never know, and maybe it's best that way.

The characters were complex. The idea of the reveurs is so funny and so heartwarming and relatable and utterly RIGHT and perfect for the story that I just smiled at the very mention of them. As a reader, I had no doubt that I'd be one of them- traveling the world chasing magical nights, making friends with other enthusiasts like me, dressing to match the circus with a splash of red. 

This is the kind of book you'll want to pick apart and discuss, have a beautiful copy on your shelf, and revisit in the future. If you love magic, at its most pure and abstract, get your hands on The Night Circus. Rating:

Happy weekend!!
Love,
Esty

Review: The Chosen

The Chosen
Chaim Potok
Historical fiction? Hardly.  I'll go with 'Hard to Classify'

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

I'm a little bit speechless, to say the least.

This book was thrust in my hands A MILLION TIMES by one of my best friends and I kept saying I'd get to I'd get to it. We sell hundreds of copies of it at the bookstore I work at because everyone studies it in school. I myself almost studied it last year but it was changed last minute to A Separate Peace. My grandparents are friendly with the author.

And yet, my friend's copy sat on my bookshelf for about a year now. 

When someone says, 'it's a book about friendship between a Hasidic boy and a Modern Orthodox one' you're like, Oh, that's nice. I didn't imagine for a second that it would move me the way it did. 

The Chosen was written with EXPERT skill. Whole periods of time were described in two sentences and yet you FEEL the time passing. All the stress and worry that any of the characters go through comes straight to me as if it was I who was living it. 

And the build up. Dear Lord. All throughout the novel, you can FEEL the climax coming. I had no idea what it would be- the conflicts are subtle and at times aren't noticed. The tension grows and grows until you're ten pages away from the end and you know SOMETHING is going to happen but you don't know what or how and then it's upon you and you're shocked and you cry and OH MY GOD. 

I'll tell you right now- there's no dramatic secret or plot twist. But it was the most AMAZING climax I've ever read. 

And the friendship. All I wanted was MORE. Truly one of the most beautiful relationships ever written. Can I get a sequel?? Pretty please?? 

There were so many crazy and genius themes and ideas that I almost wished I HAD learned it in class. The backdrop of the Holocaust made the story even more real to me, watching how the different groups dealt with the trauma of 6 million of their people dead while you were oblivious and the world was silent.

Need I say more? Do yourself and the world a favor and savor this story.

Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

Hard to Classify

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. 

In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

Don't ask about the purple. I felt like it.

I'm having difficulty putting my thoughts into words on this one. It just IS. It defys opinions. It's pure storytelling, with no problems or special features. It's just a story, Eddie's story. And eventually all of ours.

The plotline is original and fascinating- an idea of heaven that's very different from the various religions' views of it. It kind of gives you hope - that one day, you'll understand. It shows you the difference you made on others' lives, and them on yours. 

I liked the writing more in this book than in Tuesdays with Morrie (link to my review). I think it has to do with the quotation things he did in the above. What can I say, it really bothered me. Or maybe it's the fact that this is a work of fiction, as opposed to the former which is a memoir. Either way, The Five People You Meet in Heaven reads quickly, and touched more heartstrings for me.  It really made for a beautiful read, good for all ages. 

Rating:

Have a great back-to-school, everyone!

Love, 

Esty