Rêveurs

It's been weeks that I've tried to get through one particular book and it's really embarrassing that I ended up abandoning it after re-borrowing it from our school's library for around three times; mainly because I can't really motivate myself to turn the pages. If I were to write a review of that one, people would certainly hate me because to me, it was so stale and lifeless. So that's why I won't write the title or even the author here. I'll try to read it again and see if I'm only hindered from appreciating it by my comprehension; but at least I'm brave enough to tell myself to stop. It was a hard decision, yes; but if it no longer satisfies your taste, then why still struggle with it?

That's what I realized when I started reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern after guiltily leaving another book behind. I found Circus in my Goodreads recommendations almost a year ago; when it was just a fresh addition to the wonderful worlds of fantasy and surrealism. It carried a very good rating then - it was around 4.6 or 4.3; and for something relatively modern, that is impressive.

The edition I have is a paperback with the same cover design as the photo on the left, although after days of intensive following of the novel, I found out it wasn't the usual US or UK Edition.

Anyway, I think I'm only chattering about all these unnecessary things because I'm trying to remember each moment because let me say this - THIS BOOK WAS BEAUTIFUL. I only read it for around five to six hours because every turn of the page was as exquisitely pleasurable as the last. On to the content then...

(This post reminds me of my other babble about a book from almost a year ago - about Looking for Alaska; so you can say that this isn't a review too. It's just an experience and a reaction combined.)

It was every bit magical. My imagination was going wild while reading. The imagery was just majestic. It was the ultimate joy of descriptive writing. I cried after reading it, seriously. That only happens with books that are really life-changing (for the record; I've only cried over four books, including this one). I was lying on the bed beside my sleeping mother during our short stay in my uncle's house and I was profusely crying and trying not to whimper while thanking God for The Night Circus.

I don't know what this book uniquely has but it definitely has magic written all over it. I was expecting it to fall short of the promises written by positive reviews; but no, it even transcended all of them that I had to blog about it. Erin Morgenstern has the gift of visual enchantment. It might be because she is a multimedia artist but one thing is certain - the world she created was definitely one of the most imaginative and alive as ever, regardless of how monochromatic the circus is.

Oh don't even get me started with the Circus. Le Cirque des Rêves is every little kid's dream and I was in that dream for 500 pages of pure life. Every tent and attraction made my eyes sparkle in delight and in disappointment that the Circus only exists in those pages. Mostly, I loved Circus because it hit me right in the core of who I am. No matter how sophisticated we think our lives and beings are; inside all of us lives that child who has no greater wish than to go inside a circus and eat chocolate popcorn and see magicians in action. That's what The Night Circus revived in me.

The characters were the kind that would make you want to wish that you were alive in their time period; existing in the midst of their interwoven lives. Celia and Marco may have needed more story in terms of their being lovers, but their love was one of the most bewitching late 19th century Romeo and Juliet that this world has ever seen. Isobel was one of my favorites; and Chandresh soon found his way into my heart. Mme. Padva reminded me of the headmistress of Beauxbatons in Harry Potter; and Herr Thiessen was the perfect example of what a fan, as we call it today, is and should be. There was no greater fascination and a rollercoaster of perceptions for me than what I felt towards the two main competitors - Prospero the Enchanter and the ever-mysterious Mr. A. H. Even until the very end, I still couldn't define their characters with words of my own. The subplot with Bailey and the twins Poppet and Widget was one of my most endeared aspects - although they annoyed me at some point when things were getting climactic with Celia and Marco; but hey, they'll be keeping the circus alive so I loved all of them too towards the end.

The Night Circus makes you believe in the uniqueness of every piece of literature and the perspectives of readers themselves. It's the kind of book that makes you either like it so much or hate it on the same degree. It's not perfect; let's admit that. Many reviews that are beginning to swarm on Goodreads say that the book lacks plot; shows magic in the most boring way; contain the most dreadful main characters; had a lot of potential but did not deliver," but hey, admit it - it's pretty good for something that first came out of NaNoWriMo. People are entitled to their own views on the book; and some readers like me tend to overlook those flaws because we simply are enchanted. I think the reason why I appreciate Morgenstern's style is that I'm often told that I write lengthily and descriptively; which isn't generally accepted as good writing; except in the fantasy and historical genres. It is often dubbed as the next Harry Potter or Twilight; but I would have to disagree because it has its own kind of magic, and it will always stand as a phantasmagorical tale of its own.

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.” - Mr. A. H. in the last chapter; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The experience to me was more than reading a book. I was wide-eyed and smiling the whole time because there really was no moment that I wish it would end.  If there was a book that I'd wish to go on forever; it's this. But the way it ended was fantastically perfect that I didn't even feel any hint of sadness or regret for them. I disagree that this novel is about Celia and Marco; or their love. It's about the magic and the circus that is alive because of their love. It served the true purpose of fantasy - immersing you in another world; not as a bystander - but as someone who is as significant to the setting and of the story as the book's characters. Ms. Erin Morgenstern, I tip my bowler hat off to you and thank you for the magic. I didn't come to Le Cirque des Rêves as a critic; but merely as a child, or what you may call a young Rêveur.

I might email Bailey soon.