Shelf Indulgence Book Club discussion

Let's discuss part 1 of The Night Circus (pages 1-116)! WARNING, if you have not read up to page 116, there may be spoilers down below.
*PLEASE NO SPOILERS PAST PAGE 116*

Hey all!

So, I am listening to the audiobook for The Night Circus. It is narrated by Jim Dale, and I'm finding his reading of the book to be an incredible performance so far. It is so atmospheric, and I fell right into the world Erin Morgenstern created.

Is anyone else going audiobook on this? If so, what are your thoughts so far?


For the story as a whole, I love the beautiful descriptions that the author is giving us to set up the world. It is indeed magical. Flowery, to a degree, but not over the top.

But along with my joy at how beautifully written it is so far, I'm finding that I'm wanting to spend more time with the characters we've been introduced to. I love that we are meeting a number of different people, but I feel like I'm not getting enough time with each of them.
Mainly, when it seems that we are getting to some really interesting parts with them, it jumps to follow the next person. Each time we spend with a particular character feels like a snap shot moment, and leaves little room for depth to be explored. Specifically, in Celia's training, it felt almost like a montage and I wanted to spend more time with her as she struggled to learn and control her powers.
Does anyone else feel this way so far? How did you guys like the way Celia's training was shown to us?


I have a few more thoughts but this is all I have time for right now!
:)

I don’t know how I feel about it jumping back and forth with different characters (normally I don’t mind that). Maybe it’s because the chapters are so short that I’m not getting to really know them and understand them before the next character comes in. It does the same thing with time as well. I’m having trouble keeping up with what year it is. Does anyone else have that problem or is it just me?

Julie wrote: "I don’t know how I feel about it jumping back and forth with different characters (normally I don’t mind that). Maybe it’s because the chapters are so short that I’m not getting to really know them..."


I feel the same about the characters. Yes! The chapters are short, I guess I didn't realize it with the audiobook, but it probably is affecting my ability to connect to the characters.

I actually didn't realize that the time was changing until late into part one. I was hearing the date, but not registering the year had jumped. I honestly am getting confused into part two with the time jumps.

I agree with both of your comments. I am enjoying the writing style. It's very whimsical. I also like the description. I am having trouble with it jumping between characters so quickly. I feel like we've been introduced to so many characters in just 116 pages but don't know enough about them. Celia's father is absolutely horrible and I wish we could have seen more of her training and how she over comes how badly she is treated. The scene where he slices her fingers then breaks her hand was so cringing.

Gabby, yes! The few glimpses of her training a heartbreaking.
It makes me hate her father, but I'm was conflicted throughout most of the book about why I hated him.

Yes, I hated him for the way he treated her, but I feel like there should have been more. And I think this is where the lack of character development and not letting the reader in on certain aspects of the story failed.

I feel like if the reader was fed little bits of information about her father's history, I might've had a more defined feeling about him. For example, am I justified in hating him for what he is doing to her, or is there a deeper reason of why he is doing this that can make his actions a bit more understandable? I feel like we were expected to hate him just off of his treatment of Celia, and that makes him very one dimensional and doesn't allow for any nuances of personality and personal history.

Does anyone else feel differently about the characterization throughout this portion of the story? Because a lot of the people I see talking about it online rave about it, but then when talking in real life to those who I know who've read the book, have very similar opinions to myself.

I completely agree! I wish we could have gotten some flashbacks of her father's life to see why he acts the way he does. Maybe that's how he was raised? Maybe there will be more character development further in the book.

10000% yes to everything that has been said so far. I am loving the characters ( what little we see of them) so far and I'm falling in love with them because they are so unique just not very deep. I feel like the author had amazing ideas for all of these characters but didn't want to write several books so she condensed them down to fit.
I'm also listening to audiobook as well and it may be because I'm listening to harry potter at the same time but I'm comparing Jim Dales performances in both and in Harry Potter all of the characters seem so distinct and during this one, if I'm not paying that close attention, I'll realize that it jumped characters and it will leave me confused. I also didn't notice the time jumps until late into the game.

Hannah wrote: "10000% yes to everything that has been said so far. I am loving the characters ( what little we see of them) so far and I'm falling in love with them because they are so unique just not very deep. ..."

The time jumps and all the different POVs confuse me :(