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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Erin Morgenstern sells out on romance, mood, magic and absolutely liquid prose and falls a little short on story. It's like, she has this terrific idea but hasn't quite figured out how everything works or why. It almost doesn't matter. She has enchanting prose and the concept is so much fun. But I spent much of the book not understanding the mechanics of the contest in question and since the contest is pretty much the book, for me, that became a bit of a problem. I began to wonder if even Morgenstern herself really knew what was going on half the time, or how she was going to get out of it.
And I wondered if it mattered, if I'm enjoying myself as much as I did? She does have a gift for putting words together and I did love the circus. Reading this reminded me a lot of [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SY75_.jpg|28098716] and [b:Good Morning, Midnight|27405160|Good Morning, Midnight|Lily Brooks-Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449682335l/27405160._SX50_.jpg|47452606] and probably not as good as the former but better than the latter, though I enjoyed all three. The comparison's probably not fair to any of them. But you know, lyrical, soft fantasy with a distinctly feminine sensibility. If that speaks to you, you'll probably dig this book.
And I wondered if it mattered, if I'm enjoying myself as much as I did? She does have a gift for putting words together and I did love the circus. Reading this reminded me a lot of [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SY75_.jpg|28098716] and [b:Good Morning, Midnight|27405160|Good Morning, Midnight|Lily Brooks-Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449682335l/27405160._SX50_.jpg|47452606] and probably not as good as the former but better than the latter, though I enjoyed all three. The comparison's probably not fair to any of them. But you know, lyrical, soft fantasy with a distinctly feminine sensibility. If that speaks to you, you'll probably dig this book.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I was really disappointed by this book. I guess if you are interested in the “all vibe, no plot” thing this would be a good read, but if not, maybe don’t go for this book.
My main issue was the pacing. For information, the edition I read was 512 pages. I spent 300 pages wondering where this story was going and reading about the circus, never getting invested in it. Then, all of a sudden, in the last 200-150 pages (in the edition I was reading), everything happened. Of course, reading about the circus and the different tents, acts, etc is nice! But 300 pages of this without much advancement in the story felt very tedious. The first half was all vibes and barely any plot, while the second half was filled with the story. This made the book hard to get through, as I was not invested and felt rushed at the end.
I also took issue with the characters. To me, they felt very shallow and simple, without depth. They have names, they have simple backstories to explain who they are, but you never really get to KNOW them and what fuels them or their actions.They fall in love after 3 interactions, on the pretense that they share a special bond through the challenge. Which… I guess they do, but it doesn’t explain how their relationship goes from ‘barely knowing each other’ to ‘doing anything they could for the other’ with so few interactions. I feel like the author had an idea and wanted her characters to fall in love at some point, but struggled to fit it in the rest.
Overall, this book read like a messy passion project. There was a ton of ideas, storylines, detailed descriptions of places all jumbled together in a book with bad pacing and shallow characters. There is nothing wrong with slow books, but there should be a balance between plot and ambience. I feel like the author got lost in her own story, trying to write pretty descriptions and extravagant magical acts.
My main issue was the pacing. For information, the edition I read was 512 pages. I spent 300 pages wondering where this story was going and reading about the circus, never getting invested in it. Then, all of a sudden, in the last 200-150 pages (in the edition I was reading), everything happened. Of course, reading about the circus and the different tents, acts, etc is nice! But 300 pages of this without much advancement in the story felt very tedious. The first half was all vibes and barely any plot, while the second half was filled with the story. This made the book hard to get through, as I was not invested and felt rushed at the end.
I also took issue with the characters. To me, they felt very shallow and simple, without depth. They have names, they have simple backstories to explain who they are, but you never really get to KNOW them and what fuels them or their actions.
Overall, this book read like a messy passion project. There was a ton of ideas, storylines, detailed descriptions of places all jumbled together in a book with bad pacing and shallow characters. There is nothing wrong with slow books, but there should be a balance between plot and ambience. I feel like the author got lost in her own story, trying to write pretty descriptions and extravagant magical acts.
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
slow-paced
I tried really hard to get through this book and it wasn’t necessarily bad, but I felt like 75% of the way through was too long for me to still not feel like I understood the “why” of the book, ie what all the plot points were leading to, and I realized reading this felt like a chore. I’m sure this is the right book for someone just not me!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No