Book Review: The Night Circus

I mainly picked up The Night Circus because everyone seemed to be talking about it, and the theme of a Victorian circus, which obviously fits my interests! Maybe this caused me to expect so much more, as, although I did enjoy the book, I wouldn't really class it as an absolute MUST read, or something I would re-read later on. I can't really put my finger on why this is the case... Perhaps because I didn't feel so invested in the characters or I wasn't blown away by the fantasy element of the circus. The plot was somewhat unfulfilling; it did exactly what I expected it to, to the point where I remember hoping I'd be proved wrong with a twist. Great plot if you like a fluffy love story (albeit with a darker edge, but nothing more disconcerting than an old Disney film villain would have been). 

A lot of the reviews listed across the inside covers hark on about the magical descriptions of the circus, although my experience was more like an endless "look at this, look at this, isn't it all so WONDERFUL!?", making it somewhat hollow. 

Perhaps I'm not the target audience after all, I spend much of my own time dreaming up cabaret concepts and it's the spit and sawdust circus, the filthier, faded granduer that inspires me. It just made me want to watch Carnivale again, and muse on how perfect that disturbing, Lynchian circus setting is. I get the impression that this is written for a younger audience.

I wouldn't be surprised if The Night Circus is picked up by Hollywood soon, it seemed almost like it was written for CGI (although if it were done by Terry Gilliam I would be incredibly excited) and Tim Burton. And unfortunately Tim Burton hasn't done anything I enjoyed for some time now. 

Book Review: Carter Beats the Devil

The copy I read appears to have my boyfriend's face on the cover (no, really, it's a combination of two old photos of him!)

Lately I seem to be reading books based in the same time period, pre-1930s. This is due to my (borderline obsession) interest in the turn of the century, and particularly the 1920s. It seems like such a fascinating time for so many reasons, in many different aspects of society. From the feminism of flappers to the technological advances that made moving image possible.

Carter Beats the Devil is a wonderful example of this era of change. The book takes you back to a lost era of magic, when vast and elaborate stage illusions were all the rage, and before magicians became so stereotypically cheesy that all I can think of is Gob Bluth. A time when magic DID confound and amaze and technology followed suit.

Doing it wrong: Gob Bluth.

This was Gold's first novel, released in 2001, although I feel it has somewhat of an anachronistic writing style. I wouldn't be surprised if this were written in the 40s or 70s, it's almost irrelevant when it was written, that's how well it takes you back in time. The story itself is written like a caper, bordering on unbelievability as Carter cheats death again and again (and not just onstage), with a climactic finale.

The book must have taken a tremendous amount of research (indeed Gold explains this in the acknowledgements), as it is partly historical. The only issue is knowing when the history moves into fantasy, but there are a few nice little nuggets for those that can catch them (such as Carter meeting the Marx Brothers while they are performing on the vaudeville circuit as a sketch troupe called "Fun in Hi-Skule", which they had actually performed). 

Another thing I have to say about this book is that the female characters, although mainly existing as love interests for the male protagonist, are not damsels in distress. The first of Carter's loves is exactly the opposite, known for beating up the male performers in the troupe if they try to get fresh. The second, without giving too much away, would probably have been written by a different author as weak prey. Although this character has suffered at the hands of men, she is a fighter (not necessarily physically), which is considered unladylike by her peers. 

I'd definitely read more novels by Glenn David Gold, and upon further research it seems that he has only written one other novel, Sunnyside.... Which just so happens to be about Charlie Chaplin, so you can bet that's next on my reading list!