Carol’s Comments June
2015
Hello Everyone! Welcome to another issue of Carol’s Comments. I have to admit that
although I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural themed novel Sacre
Bleu by Christopher Moore a few years ago, I much prefer watching
fantasy than reading it. So when the St Joseph County Library announced that The
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern would be the featured selection for
2015’s One Book, One Michiana event, I approached the 2011 best seller
cautiously yet curiously.
Morgenstern’s enchantingly surreal novel begins when
a strange, mysterious circus which only opens at night, suddenly appears at an
undisclosed location anywhere in the world. Set mainly in late nineteenth
century London and New York, Morgenstern’s book is actually the unconventional
love story between competing young illusionists Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair.
The Night Circus (aka Le Cirque des Reves) primarily serves as the arena for
their magical battle.
Through a non-linear episodic plot, the reader
learns how Celia’s father, magician Hector Bowen (aka Prospero the
Enchanter) and Marco’s mentor, the elusive and menacing grey suited Alexander
train their pupils for the impending contest.
Celia and Marco aren’t conventional magicians. They
both possess incredible supernatural powers. For instance, at age six, Celia could move and transform objects with her mind and has self-healing abilities.
By age sixteen, her father insisted that she work as a spiritualist so she
could strengthen her clairvoyant gifts.
Conversely, Marco has more subtle powers. For
example, he can create alternate realities anywhere. The most extraordinary
way he displays this illusion is by creating intricate models that would
suddenly appear at the Night Circus as spellbinding attractions within
dream-like inter-connecting tents. Finally, his most amazing achievement is
allowing all the circus’s performers and its organizers (except Poppet and
Widget Murray who were born at the circus’s inception) to never age.
Marco first meets Celia in April 1886 when she
auditions as an illusionist for Marco’s benefactor, the illustrious and
eccentric Chandresh Christophe Lefevre who created the circus at one of his
opulent Midnight Dinners in London. Both unaware of their opponent’s identity,
complications ensue when Celia and Marco fall in love.
When the circus debuts in October 1886, it becomes
wildly popular. Le Cirque des Reves seductively exudes a hypnotic ambience that
is very tantalizing to anyone who patronizes it.
For instance, Herr Friedrick Thiessen (the man who
designed the elaborate black and white clock which soon becomes the circus’ beckoning
centerpiece) forms the Reveurs. These obsessive fans who wear black clothing and
red scarfs to match the circus’ motif, religiously follow the circus wherever
it goes. Eventually this group plays a pivotal role in the circus’ survival.
Ultimately, the circus, along with all of its
performers and supporters cannot exist without Celia and Marco’s mystical and
intensely emotional connection.
The
Night Circus’ macabre and occult elements reminded me
of a cross between the Harry Potter book series and my favorite childhood gothic
TV show Dark Shadows.
Just a quick side note: I personally met Erin Morgenstern
at a public lecture/book signing during the One Book, One Michiana festivities.
I’ve never talked with a famous New York Times bestselling author, so
I will always treasure my autographed copy of The Night Circus. Thanks
for writing such a bewitching story Ms. Morgenstern! I’m really looking forward
to reading her next book.
After finishing The Night Circus, I still had a
craving for another magical realism novel. Then I remembered how I absolutely
adored Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I loved it so much
that I actually bought myself the hardcover edition - something I rarely do. So
a few weeks ago, I quickly raided my own bookcase and re-read it after twenty years.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution,
Esquivel’s beguiling novel focuses on Tita, a young woman whose emotions
magically affect every recipe she prepares.
When Tita’s father dies suddenly after her birth, Tita’s
mother Mama Elena has to run the family ranch. So Tita grows up under the
loving tutelage of the family cook Nacha who helps her perfect her culinary
skills.
Being the youngest daughter, family tradition
dictates that Tita can never marry. Instead she must take care of her mother
until the day she dies.
Then when Tita turns fifteen, she falls deeply in
love with Pedro Muzquiz who desperately wants to marry her. Despite Tita’s fervent
pleas, Mama Elena won’t allow her to marry him. Much to Tita’s dismay, she
forces Pedro to marry Tita’s older sister Rosaura instead. Pedro reassures Tita
that by doing this, he will always be near the sister he truly loves.
As the wedding day nears, heartbroken Tita helps
Nacha prepare the wedding feast. While making the wedding cake, Tita’s tears
blend into the batter. At the wedding banquet, everyone who eats the cake (including
the bride) develops an intense longing for a lost love and vomits violently.
As the years progress, Tita and Pedro can only
communicate sexually with each other through her scrumptious concoctions. For
instance, when she prepares Quail in Rose Petal Sauce which contains roses from
Pedro’s bouquet tainted with Tita’s blood when the thorns prick her fingers,
this meal causes a profound sexual response in anyone who tastes it. The dish has the most dramatic effect on Tita’s
sister Gertrudis. She becomes so sexually aroused that while taking a shower
outside to quench the burning desire inside her, the wooden shower bursts into
flames. As she runs naked in the fields, the roses’ aroma attracts one of Pancho
Villa’s rebels. His uncontained lust compels him to lift Gertrudis up and make
passionate love to her on horseback.
Ultimately, Esquivel’s erotic fairy tale paints an
exquisite portrait of forbidden, star-crossed love. This wonderfully enchanting
story was so fascinating that I read it in one weekend.
For my readers who enjoy foreign films, I highly
recommend watching the Spanish movie adaption of this book Como Agua Para Chocolate
produced and directed by Alfonso Arau.
Despite minor plot changes made for continuity and
dramatic effect, Laura Esquivel’s screenplay beautifully captures the sensual atmosphere
of her original novel. In fact, Lumi Cavazo’s emotional portrayal of Tita was
just as I imagined; something that doesn’t ordinarily happen in film
adaptations. Just like Babette’s
Feast, Chocolat and Big Night, Como Agua Para Chocolate,
in its luscious simplicity, ranks as one of the best food oriented films ever
made.
The books and movie reviewed in this blog can be
found at most local public libraries. My readers in St Joseph County, Indiana
can visit the St Joseph County Public Library’s web site at libraryforlife.org for more information. Thanks for reading and have a great summer! See you all
next time!
