All units of the NYPL will be closed July 4.
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not." Erin Morgenstern's literary debut, The Night Circus, begins with this intoxicating passage before ushering readers inside the tent flaps of Le Circque des Rêves, the Circus of Dreams.
For two young children, Marco and Celia, the dreams may turn to nightmares or fulfill their sweet promise as the two meet in a magical competition arranged by their adoptive fathers. Celia's guardian, Prospero the Enchanter, has raised and trained her in abusive fashion, grinding her into his instrument for this contest. Marco's teacher Alexander, a.k.a. the man in the gray suit is equally stern if less abusive, and the two youngsters are set loose to compete, each without knowing who the other is. The inevitable ensues and the resulting love story is poignant, tragic and ephemeral, much like the enchanted circus itself with its enchanted clock.
Marco and Celia move forward with their competition, heeding and defying their fathers as each weaves greater enchantments in the name of victory. How do you think their relations with their teachers helped the story and their love affair develop? Chime in below and we'll see you next week for another installment.
July. NYPL Art and Architecture Collection.
One of 700,000 pictures in the NYPL Digital Gallery
Comments
Black and White and Read All Over
Submitted by Andrea Lipinski on November 8, 2012 at 3:40 PM.
First let me say that I'm not a huge fan of circuses in general. I'm uneasy not knowing how the animals were treated while they were being trained, and most clowns make me nervous.
Okay, scratch that. ALL clowns make me nervous.
That being said, I LOVED the setting for this book! The idea of the black-and-white circus was astonishing in my mind's eye, and I really wish that I could see what that enchanted clock looked like. I also enjoyed watching Marco and Celia grow up during the course of this book, and I felt that the characters gained depth as they developed their magical abilities and learned from their experiences. I think that Marco and Celia could both have used some therapy to deal with their strict and manipulative father figures.
Hmmm ... now what other literary characters could be in that therapy group with them?
Therapy
Submitted by Joshua Soule on November 13, 2012 at 11:52 AM.
If you want to include people with crazy, strict or otherwise lacking father figures, you gotta toss in Pip from Great Expectations. Also, Tywin Lannister from George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series.
Post new comment