Happy New Year! Yes, a #bookreview on New Year's Eve!
This one was one of my very favourite reads of 2020, and it was one of the books I received for Christmas last year, and the writing and imagery and world within it totally fit within the weather and season of the holidays, so I thought it the perfect fit for this week's book review.
Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
When I read The Night Circus a couple of years ago, I was taken aback by how much I liked it. The language was so beautiful, I was entirely transported in that world. It also was the book that made me fall head over feet with magical realism. I had been unfamiliar with the genre before that, as I tend to read a lot of literary fiction and there weren't as many widely available overlapping books in that genre. But this was something new. It was something entirely different and beautiful and... and wow.
In my review for The Night Circus, I said: "This novel is not only about magic; it is magic."
It may very well be that Erin Morgenstern outdid herself.
The Starless Sea takes all the beauty and magic of The Night Circus, but instead of centering the magical world within our world at a circus, it is centered in a library. A magical, wonderful, incredible, beyond-words and beyond-worlds library. And a sea. And time. And just...
“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are. It’s nice to finally have someone read stories I know so intimately.”
I have been working on a list of my favorite 100 books of all time. Students who graduated years ago asked for it once, and though I doubt they remember even asking, I haven't forgotten, and one day, hopefully soon, I will finish the list. And somewhere in the top 10 of that list, will be this book. It is The Night Circus... but for lovers of books. And cats. And candlelight. And video games. And bees. And love.
“Be brave,’ she says. ‘Be bold. Be loud. Never change for anyone but yourself. Any soul worth their star-stuff will take the whole package as is and however it grows. Don’t waste your time on anyone who doesn’t believe you when you tell them how you feel.”
I had quite a reading slump this year. I've talked about it a lot. So to have this story this year... it was a gift. It's been called a "love letter to books and reading". And it is.
I do want to mention that I have heard some mixed reviews of this book. Some of the criticisms I've heard include that there is too much description, too much symbolism, too much plot-jumping around. Morgenstern has a very specific writing style that is certainly not everyone's "cup of tea". Her writing is very descriptive and atmospheric. Some people really don't like it. They want the plot, now, straightforward, please and thank you. And sometimes I like that, too. But other times, more times, I stare into campfire flames or out a window at the rain or the way the snow drifts against a tree, and those are the times that I want to curl up with this beautiful book.
“We are all stardust and stories.”
What has been your favourite read of 2020?
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