By Erin Morgenstern
Fiction, Fantasy
You might like this book if you enjoy stories about magic, romance, and mystery. This book has all three.
I started reading this last fall without knowing too much about it, then put it down for other pursuits. This past month, it was chosen for my book group read and so I picked it up and finished it.
It is the story of a game, the players, their pawns and their game board. The game is an old one, but without a clear outcome other than to overcome. The players are old adversaries, one of which has no heart or soul, and the other of which is only a little better. Their pawns are two orphans who must live this game for their entire lives. The game board is the eponymous circus. The pawns in the game must outdo each other in magical prowess within the confines of the circus.
The prose is spare and elegant, almost whispered, and the visual impact of the author's descriptions is powerful. The world of magic created by Miss Morgenstern is Victorian in age and costume, and reminds me a bit of the atmosphere of Stroud's brilliant Bartimaeus books.
I liked this book for a lovely, imaginative escape from my very non-magical world. It has some interesting themes, including greed, overcoming one's circumstances, and the power of love. The plot is clever and takes some concentration to follow, but that kept me genuinely intrigued until the very end.
I hope to see more of the author's work in the future.
I LOVED this. Loved it. So glad you found things to love in it as well :)
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