Just Finished Reading Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern is an emerging writer who wrote her first and only (so far) book, The Night Circus, as an entry in a book-writing contest.  It was published in 2011 and has received critical acclaim.  Never having heard of the author and novel before, I discovered it through the simple and time-tested expedient of browsing though the shelves of my local public library.  Seeing that it did not appear to be part of a series, I checked it out...in order to check it out.  And I've just finished reading it...

Spanning mainly the years from 1885 to 1902 and initially centered in London, England, The Night Circus has two intertwining stories that inevitably come together as they progress: a boy and girl have each been chosen, by elderly magicians...who possess the ability to perform real magic...to be the combatants in a contest of magic against each other.  In the meantime, a new traveling circus is being organized, one that combines illusion, acrobatics, fortune-telling, and thrilling settings to dazzle the customers.  And the Night Circus does dazzle, always mysteriously suddenly appearing unannounced in a field somewhere and then opening its tents from sundown to sunrise until, a few days later, it suddenly disappears, only to set up its operations outside a different town.   Marco and Celia, the two contestants, find themselves involved in the circus, with the former working as an assistant to the circus's producer, forming a huge bonfire that bestows magical effects on it and its performers...and the latter as one of those performers, an illusionist who disguises to the enthralled spectators the fact that her acts are truly magical.  Neither Marco nor Celia, although bound to participate in the "game", know anything of its rules...eventually they discover each other as their opponent...and unwittingly grow closer and closer, to the consternation of their "sponsors"...

Ultimately, the most compelling and sympathetic characters in The Night Circus are introduced in the middle of the story:  a teen-age boy, Bailey, and the young circus-born twins Poppet and Widget, who form strong friendships with each other and play an increasingly important role in the resolution of the intensifying crisis...

I have mixed feelings about this book.  Morgenstern's narrative style to me seemed too stiff and presumptive...on the other hand, the characters' spoken dialogue was amazing...especially that of Widget, a master storyteller with a magical gift of empathy.  As with any tale in which the author attempts to create a new "universe", there is a necessary balance between going too far to explain everything, bogging the reader down in details...and not going far enough, creating the danger of too much confusion.  Maybe, just maybe, The Night Circus erred a little on the side of not saying enough.  Still, I recommend it and am looking forward to Erin Morgenstern's next book.  I've also read that there may be a movie in the works, based on The Night Circus...