"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements proceed it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local papers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds or crimsons to be seen. No color at all, save for the neighboring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields. Black-and-white stripes on a grey sky; countless tents of varying shapes and sizes, with an elaborate wrought-iron fence encasing them in a colorless world."
And so begins the most magical book I have read in years.
A tale of dueling magicians (both prodigies of famous illusionists) in a circus that only opens at nightfall. The story is told from multiple points of view and throughout the course of many decades. One of the great things about this book is that it didn't remind me of anything else. It mastered lush description without sacrificing plot and hosted a love story without being trite. The language was rich without being dreary or heavy. When I reached the beautiful conclusion- I wanted to start the book all over again.
These reviews are always much shorter when I love the book, aren't they?
A+
Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011
Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011
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