Turn your home into the Night Circus...literally!
Someone has actually attempted to decorate their home to the tune of "The Night Circus"- red, white, and black. I absolutely love the clock window- I simply must have this in my home someday!
The more I read this book, the more I want Le Cirque des Reves to exist. Oh if only! But who knows- maybe someone would be so overwhelmed by inspiration and can possibly create such a feat... only time can tell!
Interesting book displays for "The Night Circus"
At Warwick's Bookstore:
One independent bookstore did an interpretation of Herr Friedrick Thiessen's clock!
via
Erin Morgenstern's site.
Q. How would you summarize your book in one sentence?
A. I would use a vaguely incoherent run-on sentence. It would involve the words “circus,” “nocturnal,” “Victorian,” “magicians,” “black,” “white,” “love,” & “choices” and also the phrase “shades of grey.” It likely wouldn’t do the book as a whole justice, though.
Various cover editions from all over the world:
The UK version hardcopy cover- although our North American version is lovely with black and swirly designs- I so would like this red version with the clock!
Erin Morgenstern's playlist as she wrote "The Night Circus" (via
Largehearted Boy):
It might be worth noting that
The Night Circus was written (and rewritten) over a period of more than three years, so I listened to a lot of music while writing. A whole lot. Several of these tracks could really be full albums, put on repeat and cycling over and over through black-and-white striped tents.
"A Seated Night," Moby
My teenage mix-tape making self is going to show through immediately, since I can't structure a playlist without giving it a carefully chosen tone-setting opening. Since the book begins standing outside the still-closed circus gates it needed a proper overture and this fits the bill perfectly and is a sound I always love, almost-classical with a modern bent
"Prelude" and "Rooftop," Bernard Herrmann (from the Vertigo film score)
With a top hat tip to both Hitchcock & also Punchdrunk's Sleep No More, Bernard Herrmann has composed what became the soundtrack to my dreams over the last few years. I have wandered darkened hallways to these notes and they are deeply embedded in my writing brain, moody and mysterious with something disconcerting lurking just around the corner.
"Aria," Delerium
In those bleak moments when I couldn't find my story in all the drafts and rewrites and second guessing, I would put my headphones on, put my hands over my eyes and picture every key moment of the book movie-trailer style in my mind. Seriously, I did. I also decided it was a good minute or two too long to be a really good trailer, but it still sounds circusy in my head and was always helpful for focusing.
"White Winter Hymnal," Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes was my revision music of choice for the last few rounds, in that constant repeat way, maybe because there's something timeless about their sound. It took me a while to realize the appropriateness of the lyrics in this particular track, with the scarves of red and all.
"Favorite Cities," Azure Ray
I often write to Azure Ray, they have a wonderful tone to their beautiful, layered voices and this particular song was so circus-evocative to me that I ended up sneaking the title in to the book.
"Cataracts," Andrew Bird
For a long time Andrew Bird was that guy my friend Carey knew, and I still regret that it took me so long to actually start listening to his music. Another album that got the constant repeat treatment, this track in particular, especially for the moments of melancholy.
"All I Need," Radiohead
I'm starting to feel repetitive now. I write to Radiohead frequently and In Rainbows was on heavy rotation during circus construction. This track in particular has always been my favorite.
"Behold! The Night Mare," Smashing Pumpkins
True story: my very first live concert was a Smashing Pumpkins show that I was dragged to by friends even though I barely knew their music. I became more familiar with them years later, post band break-up. This was always a walking around the circus late at night with a single red rose kind of song.
"Sister Janet," Tori Amos
I had to include a Tori song, she's one of those artists who I started listening to at age 13 and grew up and evolved with. Between the tone and the "wizards, black and white," this one is the one that ended up on the circus soundtrack.
"Lonely Ghosts," O+S
Playlist trivia: O+S is a group featuring Orenda Fink from Azure Ray. Always an Isobel song, we stay because we don't know where else to go.
"Signs," Bloc Party
Pandora kept throwing this one at me and it would catch my ear every time, with that twinkling light Ice Garden sound. Is it a glockenspiel or something? I have no idea, but it caught my attention so much that I would stop and listen to it and between the ravens in the oak tree and the sadness at the funeral it needed to be a circus song.
"Cosmic Love," Florence + the Machine
A night-sky love song. This one I'm not explaining beyond that, I love Florence + the Machine too much to try.
"The Trapeze Swinger," Iron & Wine
Always my ultimate circus song, epic and swooping and carnival-laden. It now has a number of circus-driven memories both book-related and personal tied to its notes and layered over the lyrics, high highs and low lows all around a frightened trapeze swinger.
Words to describe The Night Circus?
Magical
Mysterious
Mesmerizing
Hypnotic
Wonder-filled
