The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

  The Night Circus has been on the edge of my reading mind for awhile.  Lots of people told me it was great.  I was intrigued, but only mildly.  This year is all about, or at least partly about, reading my TBR list, so it seemed like a good time to pick it up.  Plus it is a love story, so I was told, and I've been into romances lately, so again, it seemed like it was time to read it.  So I did, and well, eh.

There are two magicians, for lack of a better word, who are engaged in a competition.  Their magic is real, not an illusion or a trick.  Each acquires a child and trains them in the art of magic.  When the children grow up they are to compete against one another.  The two magicians are betting on which of their prodigies will be the last one standing.  Neither of the competitors (the children) knows the exact rules of the game, what they're competing for, or initially who they are competing against.  Why this competition exist is never quite clear.  There is a love story, actually multiple love stories. 

The night circus sounds like a beautiful, wonderful, magical place to visit.  I can picture it clearly and vividly in my mind.  In fact, the best way I can think of or describe this book is as series of still life pictures and moving scenes.  Erin Morgenstern excels at scene building and scene setting.  There is an ice garden, a wishing tree, and magic - beautiful, wondrous magic.  Although I would love to visit this circus, the story never quite came together for me.  I can't put my finger on it, but something was missing.  Still, it was a pleasant week of reading.