The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

                                                                 Opens at Nightfall
                                                                 Closes at Dawn

Le Cirque des Reves

A night circus whirls out of nowhere…travelling across cities and continents without a moment’s notice. A circus so magical, enchanting that it closes around you, tugging at your wildest dreams and imaginations while tempting you to try out the daring and unimaginable exhibits on display… Illusionists pulling off tricks that you could only watch open-mouthed with wonder, contortionists performing the most inexplicable feats, mazes with an unexpected doorways and bridges and bottles that capture the very essence of memories…they are all there for you to visit and visit again. Wanna visit it again? Ask the Reveurs, for they may be the only ones to know where it may appear next.

Such is Le Cirque des Reves, a mystery and an enigma to both the participants and the Reveurs. It is but a secret venue for a duel between 2 illusionists- Marco and Celia, apprentices to the greatest magicians unknown to mankind. As each tries to surpass the other in their feats of illusion, little do they know that it is a duel unto death.

This lovely piece of historical fiction is set in between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The story which begins on an ominous note flies swiftly and silently between the past and the present sprinkling abundant notes of enchantments, history with an overall aura of melacholy to the readers. If you don’t pay attention to the dates and years, you will find yourself lost trying to remember the year that you are in. The characters exist somewhere between the conscious and subconscious figments of your imagination…they are present one minute and disappear the next. The only constant is the circus and its monochromatic beauty and the colorful secrets hidden within its massive tents. Every page is a delight to read as the story swings back and forth like a pendulum and your heart simply races to figure out Marco and Celia’s fates…are they doomed or do they find their happy ending?

Erin Morgenstern doesn’t waste time giving an elaborate backdrop to her characters…they just exist. I got the sense that the story was about a circus with the duel and the illusionists laid in as an afterthought…the tiny threads that hold the web together tightly. Despite this flaw, I enjoyed reading the book right from the cover page and that my dear readers is the power of a good story. So if you are looking for some fantastic and magical story that is grounded to reality just a bit then be sure to pick this book!

And if you’d like to take a more interactive approach to your reading then check out this website – http://www.nightcircus.co.uk/signup

The Rose Garden

I’m quite not sure how I picked on Susanna Kearsley’s books but in any case was instantly drawn to her stories. Part history, part mystery, part sci-fi involving time travel, The Rose Garden does away with the boundaries of traditional story-telling.

It is a cold November when Eva loses her sister Katrina, the last living member of her family. When the time comes to scatter Katrina’s ashes, Eva chooses to travel to Trelowarth, Cornwall to return her sister to the place she belongs.The first chapter begins on this sad note with a lyrical description of Eva’s memories of her and Katrina’s childhood. By 2nd chapter, readers are well acquainted with Eva’s history. Eva is warmly welcomed by the Hallets into their draughty crumbling manor, the Trelowarth House.

As Eva starts to settle in and reacquaint herself with her old friends, she stumbles upon an ancient portal which transports her into the 18th century England and into the arms of Daniel Butler, a sea captain and supporter of the Jacobite revolution. Eva’s confusion and her belief that she is hallucinating is soon dissipated and she is left with a sense of impatience at her inability to control her timing of travel and an eagerness to be with Sea Captain. Eva begins to question her connection with the past and the present, and when the time comes to decide whether to return to the past or stay in the present, what does Eva choose?

Woven into this beautiful romance is an account of the Jacobites rising, as told by the Butler brothers – Daniel and Jack. The encounters with the Butler brothers serves to fuel Eva’s research into Trelowarth’s past as she uncovers forgotten records that also provide her with an insight into the outcome. I couldn’t warm up to the principal character much as I tried as I couldn’t agree with her line of thought, the choices that she made…for constantly thinking of a dismal past. Although Ms. Kearsley introduces a dashing hero in the later chapters, I strongly believed that this book was about Eva and of her choices.

My favorite characters though are really the supporting cast – Fergal and Claire. Both exhibit a sense of independence, a fierce loyalty to those they’ve come to love and a sense of comradeship to Eva serving as her guides in the past and the present. They don’t question a lot but when in need of an advice, you’d know they’d be there for Eva. The story setting was enchanting, the plot with its sense of surrealism drew me to Susanna Kearsley‘s writing style so much so that I immediately requested for “The Winter Sea” from NPL. And that had an altogether different tale to tell. So if you happen to stumble upon this book at a store or in your local library, be sure to pick up a copy and do drop me a note on your reading experience! You can also find details and photographs of actual locations that inspired this story on the author’s website.

The Virgin Blue

Set in France, The Virgin Blue revolves around 2 protagonists – Ella Turner and her ancestor Isabel du Moulin or Isabel Tournier. Ella Turner is excited to settle in France and to the amusement of her husband, she embarks on a project to reconnect with her French relations. However, she begins to dream about the color blue, the shade worn by the virgin Mary.. In a parallel universe i.e. 16th century France, Isabel du Moulin or La Rousse is forced to give up her religion and marry the local bully Etienne Tournier, one of the descendants of the Huguenots clan. Its a tumultuous period as a wave of religious persecutions sweep across the country. The story switches between past and present like a pendulum clock showcasing Ella and Isabel’s lives, their personalities and similarities in their situations.

Chevalier’s meticulous research and knowledge of the old world shine through her articulate sketch of Isabel’s life, as she transports her readers instantly transported to France and to Isabel’s side, watching her go about her daily duties from the bylines. Turns out that the author’s inspiration came from her own family history – Tracy Chevalier is a descendant of the French Huguenots of the Cevennes region. She drew inspiration from her sister’s move to France, as represented by Ella Turner’s relocation. What followed is Chevalier’s own adventure which contributed the bulk of content for this book.

While the story’s backdrop is an amalgamation of many events that occurred in the 16th century France, the most noteworthy are: The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. There is one another aspect that is subtly described through Isabel’s life, that of the Human sacrifice…the later part of the story does constantly refer to the hearth of the house often throwing sinister hints of what lies beneath the hearth. More info can be found on the author’s website. Another theme that is a constant in the current fiction is that of relationships – marriage, adultery or finding love again. Having come across this theme in quite a number of books this year, I couldn’t help being annoyed by Ella’s demeanor at times probably when it came to the disastrous turn her relationship takes. As for Isabel, she could’ve chosen to reject the Tourniers or even flee from them but it doesn’t appear to be so. Instead she appears to have adhered to the family principles and suffered both mentally and physically for her choices. Again Chevalier has portrayed 2 extremities of the spectrum – A woman with a loving husband chooses a rustic life in France with a French dude whereas her ancestor chooses a life of fear, unhappiness and despair in order not to retain the sanctity of her marriage.

Setting aside these facts, I can only say that this book was a fast paced read for I completed it in a day. The Virgin Blue is well worth adding to your library for its unique blend of history and fiction not to mention a powerful story.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Set in the 17th century Delft, Holland, Girl with a Pearl Earring centers around Johannes Vermeer’s painting Girl with a Pearl Earring, now displayed at a museum in Hague. The novel begins with a young girl named Griet being employed as a maid in Vermeer’s household in Delft. Griet’s efficiency at work and her ability to understand the color palette endears her to Vermeer while raising the ire of his wife Catharina and the rest of the household. The only person in the household who seems to understand Griet is Maria Thins, Vermeer’s mother-in-law.

Narrated by Griet, the novel chronicles Griet’s life in the Vermeer’s household, her dilemma at finding herself attracted to her master, the constant clashes with Catharina and finally, becoming an unwilling subject for a painting commissioned by Vermeer’s patron. How does all this attention bode for Griet and what becomes of her forms the conclusion of course.

I couldn’t think of a better to summarize the highlights of this novel than as below -

Vermeer’s life – Very little is known about this elusive artist and his personal life. So Chevalier tried to present an insight into Vermeer’s life by building the painting around a fictional maid while retaining Vermeer’s inner thoughts and personality as vague and secretive.

Baroque period and its effect on artwork - Constant references were made to the fact that Vermeer was an artist from the Baroque period. This was a period where art acquired a new definition with artists being given the freedom to paint/depict ordinary people and their daily tasks or an ordinary landscape in their artwork. Griet makes this observation in a indirect way by comparing the contrasts between the paintings displayed in Vermeer’s house vs. the subjects painted by the artist himself.

And finally there is the question of the genre itself as it is a historical fiction where romantic undercurrents are subtle yet strong as painted between Griet and Vermeer. While the characters do not succumb to their desires owing to their stations in society, their feelings are constantly conveyed their demeanor and expressions. The inspiration again seems to have been derived from the painting itself…through the expressions of the unknown girl. As for character analysis, Tracy Chevalier has created a most amazing array of people with a distinct set of characters that bring a sort of balance to the novel…like the layers bring depth and life to a painting. Definitely worth a read!

Angelology

The first book I’ve completed promptly in 2011, this historical mythological thriller takes the readers on a journey of wars, waged for centuries between the Nephilim and the Angelologists. Who are Angelologists you might ask?

“One of the original branches of theology, angelology is achieved in the person of the angelologist, whose expertise includes both the theoetical study of angelic systems and their prophetic execution through human history.”

I loved the beginning, for it was the beginning that defines the story. And the story begins thus…

Devil’s Throat Cavern, Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

Winter 1943

“The angelologists examined the body. It was intact, without decay, the skin as smooth and as white as parchment. The lifeless acquamarine eyes gazed heavenward. Pale curls fell against a high forehead and sculptural shoulders, forming a halo of golden hair. Even the robes – the cloth woven of a white shimmering metallic material that none of them could identify exactly – remained pristine, as if the creature had died in a hospital room in Paris and no a cavern deep below the earth….”

And the next chapter jolts to you the present day or rather a particular day in the year 1999.

Sister Evangeline, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, knows only 2 worlds – that of Paris where she lived before the death of her mother, and of New York and the Rose Convent where she presently lived. Her world is turned upside down by a seemingly simple letter by Verlain, who is employed by an old man Percival Grigori. The letter uncovers long forgotten correpondence between Mother Innocenta and Abigail Rockerfeller which would’ve done well to remain hidden. They also mention of Celeste Clochett, who at that moment is living in the Convent. In this journey, Evangeline uncovers the secrets of her family especially that of her mother as well as the location of the lyre sparking off the ongoing war.

Percival Grigori is a Nephilim who is stricken by a deadly genetic disease that threatens to destroy him unless he finds the ultimate cure, the long last lyre of Orpheus. His family stops at nothing to restore their fame and power. Grigori also has a secret…he has been involved with a budding angelologist Gabrielle Velko.

Caught amidst the war between the Nephilim and the Angelologists is Verlain, whose quiet and uninteresting life is turned upside down with his encounter with the Grigoris and Evangeline. And what role does Evangeline’s elusive grand-mother, Gabrielle have in this war? The outcome of the war not only decides Evangeline’s fate but also that of humanity.

Sounds like a typical blurb? Well this book is well worth the read and a must-have in a personal collection. The characters aren’t introduced in a linear fashion but rather through a story within a story. The author Gabrielle Trussoni doesn’t waste time dwelling into the characters’ history nor does she emphasize on religion too much. Balance between the various themes – the mystery, history and religion is well maintained. The pace is well set from the beginning to the end with an unexpected twist at the end.

On the whole, worth reading and re-reading!