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Nights at the Circus
 
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Nights at the Circus (Paperback)

by Angela Carter (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.19 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Nights at the Circus + Wise Children (Vintage Classics) + The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
Price For All Three: £14.77

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Classics; New edition edition (3 Jan 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099388618
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099388616
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 20,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
"'Angela Carter has influenced a whole generation of fellow writers towards dream worlds of baroque splendour, fairy tale horror, and visions of the alienated wreckage of a future world. In Nights at the Circus she has invented a new, raunchy, raucous, Cockney voice for her heroine Fevvers, taking us back into a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety' The Times. * 'Nights at the Circus is a glorious enchantment. But an enchantment which is rooted in an earthy, rich and powerful language...It is a spell-binding achievement' Literary Review * 'A glorious piece of work, a set-piece studded with set-pieces. The narrative has a splendid ripe momentum, and each descriptive touch contributes a pang of vividness. By doing possible things impossibly well, the book achieves a major enchantment' Times Literary Supplement * 'A mistress-piece of sustained and weirdly wonderful Gothic that's both intensely amusing and also provocatively serious. This is a big, superlatively imagined novel' Observer * 'A remarkable book by any standards' Guardian"

Product Description
'Angela Carter has influenced a whole generation of fellow writers towards dream worlds of baroque splendour, fairy tale horror, and visions of the alienated wreckage of a future world. In "Nights at the Circus" she has invented a new, raunchy, raucous, Cockney voice for her heroine Fevvers, taking us back into a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety'. "The Times".

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Nights at the Circus
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Nights at the Circus 4.4 out of 5 stars (13)
£5.19
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
6% buy
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories 4.5 out of 5 stars (17)
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Wise Children (Vintage Classics)
3% buy
Wise Children (Vintage Classics) 3.8 out of 5 stars (32)
£4.79
The Magic Toyshop (Virago modern classics)
2% buy
The Magic Toyshop (Virago modern classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (15)
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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A magical set of characters, 28 Jul 2004
By Mr. Paul J. Bradshaw (Midlands, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Nights at the Circus (Vintage Crucial Classics) (Paperback)
Richly written, the joy of this book is in the characters that Carter describes (you get the feeling she enjoyed writing it just as much): from the winged trapeze artist & her maternal assistant to the performing apes and their Professor, this is a book that surprises throughout with its imagination and detail.

This is all done at the expense of any particularly tight plot - we begin with an 80-page life story as told to journalist John Walser, but it then becomes more picaresque as we follow the circus and get to know the stories of its staff, with strong female characters particularly making their presence felt. The journey takes us an unusual route to an unusual end.

This is a world you can escape into - beautifully realised in the best tradition of magic realism.

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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A modern fairy tale, 19 Jun 2003
I was sceptical when my friends nagged me into reading Angela Carter. If anything, I was critical as I began reading it, but was soon won over by the sheer bizarre nature of Fevver's tale. Despite myself, I was drawn into this story. The characters, places and storyline are unforgettable, the tale a vivid, unbelievable romp with the circus from London to Siberia.

The only downpoint to this book, I would say, is that the narrative of the first part is a bit rambling and slow paced compared to the rest of the story, but this does nothing to detract from the overall wonder and brilliance of this novel.

Don't buy this book if you're looking for a gritty, realistic story, because "Nights at the Circus" is, if anything, fantasy. However, if you want an involving, amusing and enchanting modern fairy tale, this book is an absolute must.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Roll up roll up, 17 May 2009
By Binro The Heretic "mattieboyz" (Hillsborough, Sheffield) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
Modern Gothic novel from a fine writer; I came across this as part of an A-level Gothic module and after a hesitant start I couldn't put it down. Reasonably priced volume, nicely bound; highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What a performance
This, Angela Carter's penultimate novel, is drenched in eloquence and rich fascinating characters. The novel fully realises her wicked sense of humour and the magic realsim that... Read more
Published 4 months ago by G. Lyon

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow who thought exams could be this good..?
What a fantastically rich and exciting book! An extract from this came up on my A level exam paper and after reading the 300 words given was determined to read more. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Laylarnie

5.0 out of 5 stars Once in I don't want to get out!
This is the first of Angela Carter's works that I have read. It took me ashort while to get into it at first - reading and re-reading passages toget used to the writing style -... Read more
Published on 28 April 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Nights at the circus
I read this book when I was studing my English Literature A Level. It's stayed with me and here I am going to Waterstones and buying it for my cousin who is going travelling to... Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars Unique
This book was a required read for my current degree. The novel entertained me as well as provided me with useful insights for my course. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Fevvers, Fevvers, Come Fly With Me!!
Exuberant, angry, sardonic, inventive and humane, Angela Carter shares a relish for the world with her friend and fellow South Londoner Michael Moorcock, who was her long-time... Read more
Published on 8 Jul 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars the book is confusing and unbelivable
I've had to read this book as part of my english a-level. I found reading the book a task. It wasn't enjoyable and you couldn't relax reading the book. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars marvelous
I just finished this book last night and it's the first Angela Carter book I've read. It certainly won't be the last. Read more
Published on 9 May 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply the best book I have ever read!
If you want to get your teeth into something raw, earthy, sensual and intelligent, buy this book. From the moment I was introduced to Fevvers, I was spellbound by her unfolding... Read more
Published on 2 May 2000 by nleesilverpail@eircom.net

5.0 out of 5 stars fasinating and absorbing
Having been 'forced' to read this as part of an degree course, I didn't expect to enjoy this, but the book's complexity and narration meant that i found it impossible to put... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 1999

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