Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Nights At The Circus at Amazon.com. Though it was one of the later books of her career, Nights at the Circus was the first to bring Angela Carter widespread acclaim, winning that year's James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Half-serious, half-silly, consistently stylish if only fitfully amusing: a farcical picaresque (London to Russia) about an... by Angela Carter ""the Cockney Venus,"" the most famous aerialiste of the day: she's hugely tall, Cockney-earthy, and famous for having wing-like growths on her back (was her father really a swan?) --which allow her, it seems, to do impossibly slow somersaults in the air. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 295 pages and is available in Paperback format. Rather like Walser, although I was mesmerised, I felt like time was standing still. It has a very ethereal feel to it the whole way through which makes for beautiful visuals and a deliberate sense that while you're in that world, you're on a different plane of existence. Its raunchy moments are steaming, bizarre, at times unsettling, but there is definitely an appreciation here for love, sentiment, and entertainment." On the one hand it deals with post-modernism and dances back and forth over how far we are intended to trust the narrator. Review: The Hanging Tree, Ben Aaronovitch, Review: The Song Rising, Samantha Shannon, Review: Nights At The Circus, Angela Carter. There really is nothing like confidence. People who have read Nights at the Circus always seem to rave about it and so I started in with very high expectations, a ploy which has proved risky in the past. Nights at the Circus, the physical theatre production from Spare Tyre inspired by the Angela Carter novel of the same name, is definitely not a show that is going to let you sit back and relax. Genres: Folk Pop, South Asian Music. This wonderful book was recommended to me at the end of last summer by my lovely niece Laura. Title: The Night Circus Author: Erin Morgenstern Genre: Fantasy, Adult – Historical fiction Published September 13 th, 2011 by Doubleday. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Erin Morgenstern writes with grace and flair and walks the fine line between the lyrical and the precious. influencers in the know since 1933. The question mark as to whether Fevvers is telling the truth sits heavily on the novel and that lady’s final speech which closes the story does little to clear the ambiguity. The artwork alone on the front cover of the paperwork edition is mesmerizing in itself. Interviewed by American journalist Jack Walser, who is attempting to uncover the truth about her, Fevvers recounts her incredible life story in drawling Cockney. ""the Cockney Venus,"" the … Curl up with this enchanting page turner. Walser is skeptical, yet oddly smitten, as Fevvers tells her life story, assisted by ribald/pedantic asides from foster-mother Lizzie. It stares you squarely in the face and commands your attention. This post contains affiliate links which you can use to purchase the book. This Audible Exclusive recording of Angela Carter's iconic novel, Nights at the Circus, is brought to you by celebrated actress and voice artist, Adjoa Andoh. With only three performers, maybe the inclusion of someone else on the stage would have expanded the narrative and allowed the audience a further glimpse into this strange and … Review: Nights at the Circus By Stephen Morris Website contributor Nights at the Circus gig regularly around Gloucester, Stroud & the Forest. ), spinning out of control, and completely crazy by the end. Then we have the feminist leitmotif with woman after woman taking control of her own life and finding love. Categories: Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. No announcements precede it. The player will act as a late-night technician of the circus doll. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The first section is set in London in 1899, just before the turn of the century. It seems that people have argued back and forth over whether this is a post-feminist or a feminist novel for years – ultimately though, I think we can agree that it is pro-women. Retrieve credentials. Thank you Laura! No announcements precede it. The Circus Is Coming To Town!”. Highly whimsical, it is a narrative so wilfully contrived that contrivance is its raison d'être. The character of Fevvers is such a joy, getting back up and fighting her corner at every turn, fiercely loyal – she’s fabulous. Winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Review by: Noha Badawi. If my stated objective going into the book was to have a more informed perspective on Angela Carter’s signature style, I think that the mission has been accomplished, but also that my established preconceptions were fairly accurate. ;p Since this semester I have classes on Fridays and have Mondays off I feel like my week actually starts on a Tuesday. Released 12 November 2007 on Gryphon (catalog no. Honestly! Courted by the Prince of Wales, painted by Toulouse-Lautrec and star of Captain Kearney’s celebrated circus, she is a renowned aerialiste. As the title suggests, it’s a strange and wonderful book full of surprising twists of story and language. After a while, the nebulous nature of the illusionists' challenge puts a drag on the narrative, but all the elements come together beautifully at the book's climax. Trouble signing in? Please confirm you have read and agreed to our Privacy Policy. It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds! Then Part III takes the circus via train into Siberia, where things get excessively, effortfully wacky: Walser, dumped off the train, is rescued by a band of murderesses, who've just staged a jailbreak (inspired by Sapphic passion); suffering from amnesia, he is adopted by a far-out Shaman, who supplies hallucinogenic urine and speaks ""an obscure Finno-Ugrian dialect just about to perplex three generations of philologists."" Nights at the Circus, an Album by Bishi. © Copyright 2021 Kirkus Media LLC. Maybe Carter is just trying to tell us that people are not what they seem. The longer answer is this: The Night Circus is a wonderful book. Female Authors & Meta-Fiction. Written by Tazeen Kouser, Sukumaran Sukumaran and other people who wish to remain anonymous Her lush, elegant, ridiculous prose revels in her usual dichotomy of dreamy, psychedelic descriptions brought into sharp … Nights at the Circus is divided into three sections. I’ve read one of hers, but can’t remember which! If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. The Night Circus is a sprawling historical novel about magic and the circus. Select Your Cookie Preferences. She shifts points of view, invokes a number of post-modern … Carter's penultimate novel was met with mixed reviews, some uncomfortable with the underlying politically driven content, while others praised it for its playfulness and originality. There, in Part II, Walser experiences the humiliations of clownhood, rescues the Ape-man's abused wife (who has her own woeful history), and hesitantly woos the dominating Fewers--who herself fights off yet another rapist. In Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter presents us with the story of Sophie Fevvers, the ‘Cockney Venus’, the most famous aerialiste of her day, and what a dazzling, sprawling tale it is. Entranced, he drops everything and follows her to St Petersburg and from there on to Siberia. Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan... or all fake? Half-serious, half-silly, consistently stylish if only fitfully amusing: a farcical picaresque (London to Russia) about an 1899 touring circus—with Carter's usual feminist themes poking and darting just below the frolicsome surface. In “The Night Circus,” her debut novel, Erin Morgenstern works hard to create just such a sense of magic, but there finally seems to be … Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “Nights at the Circus” by Angela Carter. And the story, though fragmented and distanced by the interview-framework, is a Dickensian doozy: baby Fevvers is abandoned, raised in a cozy brothel, then forced to display herself in Madame Schreck's ""museum of woman monsters"" (where Fewers' deformity is comparatively minor); she nearly gets raped-and-killed by a priapic cultist. Review from: Zoo Playground, Edinburgh Festival Fringe; 19th August 2019 . But an enchantment which is rooted in an earthy, rich and powerful language … It is … If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Please confirm you have read and agreed to our, Review: How to Be More Paddington: A Book of Kindness, Michael Bond, Sunday Song – Let’s Dance to Joy Division, Review: Dickens at Christmas, Charles Dickens, Review: A Glove Shop in Vienna & Other Winter Stories, Eva Ibbotson, Beg Borrow Or Steal But Make Sure You Read. ‧ For the best possible experience please confirm you agree to the use of cookies as set out in our privacy policy. All Rights Reserved. Angela Carter is a terrific writer with a Brobdingnagian vocabulary and extravagantly rich style of writing. Nights at the Circus is one of those larger-than-life novels which rely more on story-telling than plot, heavy on the world-building and somewhat lighter on the finer details. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: review. I apologize for my inability to talk about this book like a normal human being but I just feel all of the feelings and I can't contain them. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Tag: nights at the circus. It … There were so many characters here who were truly fantastic, from Sybil the pig who was the one actually making the decisions in Colonel Kearney’s circus (she’s clairvoyant), the Professor who is the lead of the chimpanzees and the one who is able to negotiate their freedom, Countess P. and her Gothic prison for murderesses – I could go on. About Nights at the Circus. GRY CD003; CD). The Nights at the Circus Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. At just over 45 minutes Nights at the Circus feels like a very brief show. Rating: 5/5 Stars Summary: The circus arrives without warning. Telling him cheerily that she was ‘atched rather than born and then left on the doorstep of a brothel, Fevvers blithely describes growing up with stubs of wings at her shoulders which blossomed in full once she hit puberty. Half-serious, half-silly, consistently stylish if only fitfully amusing: a farcical picaresque (London to Russia) about an 1899 touring circus--with Carter's usual feminist themes poking and darting just below the frolicsome surface. Dense with literary allusions, puns, parodies, and whimsies in the British tradition from Gilbert & Sullivan to Monty Python: an extravagant, baroque variation on familiar themes (the New Woman, the abused woman, the bird in a gilded cage), offering sporadic but rich rewards to connoisseurs of historical/verbal fancy. The game transforms the scene from the familiar Freddy Fazbear's Pizza to the circus. Still, I felt a little shamefaced by my own ignorance and decided to start with this, one of her best known works. Carter has described the book as like a ‘psychedelic Dickens’ and indeed one can see the parallels in terms of setting and similar cast of colourful characters, but Nights at the Circus is a far more complex creation than anything Mr D ever produced. So it was a delight to find her name on the cover of Nights at the Circus on one of my last trips to The Open Door Bookshop in Rome. Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. Verified Purchase. It is called Le Cirque… Cookies are disabled. RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 1984. It’s a rollercoaster romp across Europe, where nobody is necessarily nice but equally goodness can be found in unusual places. Sophie Fevvers – is she part swan or all fake? Nights at the Circus Summary These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. I realised that I needed to read Nights at the Circus after realising that I had rolled my eyes at a series of authors who I felt were blatantly trying to rip off Angela Carter but that I myself had never read anything by her. Jack Walser, a young but well-traveled journalist, is interviewing Sophie Fevvers, an aerialiste, originally for the Cirque … —Raymond Mungo, San Francisco Chronicle "A … THE NIGHT CIRCUS is a rich, dreamy tale of theatrical enchantment and thwarted love. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ~ 512 pages ~ published 9/13/11 by Anchor Books Goodreads Synopsis: The circus arrives without warning. Maybe time to re-read it. Making her debut album at just 19, Nights At The Circus is an exciting fusion of British pop, folk, eastern electronica and urban life. (""This is some kind of heretical possibly Manichean version of neo-Platonic Rosicrucianism, thinks I to myself; tread carefully, girlie!"") FICTION. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry The truth is that Angela Carter was very, very good at blending the fairytale into magical realism – many have tried to imitate her, but few have ever come close. Nights at the Circus is one of those larger-than-life novels which rely more on story-telling than plot, heavy on the world-building and somewhat lighter on the finer details. The intrigue of the circus can be enchanting, but here the magic falls flat. Nights at the Circus Summary. Sophi Fevvers—the toast of Europe’s capitals, courted by the Prince of Wales, painted by Toulouse-Lautrec—is an aerialiste … Yet, is it really feminism when so many of them have to use sex to get what they want? Neither she nor Lizzie, who has been with her since the beginning, ever bat an eyelid over the veracity of any of her claims, so Walser sits in stunned silence as he hears about all of the inmates of the brothel where Fevvers grew up, of how she learnt to fly and then how the place was forced to close upon the untimely death of its proprietor Ma Nelson. The novel opens at the tail end of the nineteenth century, and the scene is Fevvers’ dressing room at the Alhambra Music Hall, London. In the first of three sections, US journalist Jack Walser does an all-night dressing room interview with ""Fevvers,"" a.k.a. Your email address will not be published. “Nights at the Circus is a glorious enchantment. Free download or read online Nights at the Circus pdf (ePUB) book. Please confirm you agree to our privacy policy and accept the use of cookies - More Information Accept. Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2015. 4.0 out of 5 stars Rather academic (post-modern, fantastic, feminist, etc. While I enjoyed the story from early on, there were long chunks which did feel like I was treading water and a few times when I set it down for a few weeks before returning, something which is very unusual for me. Learn how your comment data is processed. And finally, as Walser chants a Siberian version of ""Bird in a Gilded Cage,"" he's rescued by Fevvers--who fears marriage (""My being, my me-ness, is unique and indivisible"") but sees real possibilities in the new, much-humiliated Walser: ""I'll make him into the New Man, in fact, fitting mate for the New Woman, and onward we'll march hand-in-hand into the New Century."" There is a re-telling of the Red Riding Hood story where the wolf falls in to a vat of milk which then gets mixed with his blood, I remember this as it was impressively done in a TV version and I think this is why I remember it. A compelling and … We’re glad you found a book that interests you. The Night Circus Review. Nights at the Circus employs learning disabled actors in the performance and their presence on stage is magical and alluring. From the master of the literary supernatural and author of The Bloody Chamber, her acclaimed novel about the exploits of a circus performer who is part-woman, part-swan. The main characters of this fiction, fantasy story are Sophie … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And that it was as restful and peaceful as Bailey’s! Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter (review) 26 Replies. Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. While I enjoyed the story from early on, there were long chunks which did feel like I was treading water and a few times when I set it down for a few weeks before returning, something which is very … Time sits suspended as Fevvers spins her story, Walser is plied with drink and so he stumbles out unsure of what exactly he has heard and how much of it he is expected to believe. Nights at the Circus is an endlessly original, entirely absorbing magical realism saturated with ambience. Angela Carter is one of those authors, like Dickens or Austen, who you know by style without needing to actually come into contact with them directly yourself. By Beth Jones 13 September 2011 • 23:00 pm . Magazine Subscribers (How to Find Your Reader Number). Now, however, Fewers is a star-attraction, an Amazonian success story--and young Walser is so enraptured that, disguised as a clown, he follows the circus to St. Petersburg. 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