Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses the Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood by their mercurial instructors, expressly for this purpose. Unbeknownst to them, this is a contest in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per¬formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Bookclub-in-a-Box explores the following questions and more in the discussion guide for The Night Circus. Consider the connection of love, imagination and emotion to the idea of magic. What creates and holds our fascination with the circus? Magic manipulates our inner and outer reactions to things. Is magic real? Can magic be found in fiction? Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author, as well as a complementary RAG (Read-Along-Guide), a quick reference pamphlet offering interesting facts and questions to consider while reading the novel.