S1 E3: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus: What Did We Just Read?

Episode Recap from Bound Sisters Podcast

This month we tackled The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern... and wow. It was like wandering through a dream where everything’s beautiful, but you’re not totally sure what’s happening or where you’re supposed to go next. We had a lot of feelings about this one, so buckle up.

Wait, Where Are We? And What Year Is It?

Okay, first things first: this book jumps around a lot. Like, A LOT a lot. Different years, different places, new characters popping up with very little explanation. We spent half the episode trying to figure out if we were supposed to understand what was going on... or just roll with it.

"It was like too much jumping around for me to then care." – Myranda

If you ever felt like you needed a bulletin board with red string to keep track of things—you’re in good company.

Sooo… Were Celia and Marco Actually in Love?

The whole “magical competition” between Celia and Marco is technically the heart of the story, but their love story? Felt more like a quiet subplot we were supposed to care deeply about… but didn’t totally connect with.

"It’s hard to invest yourself in a book relationship where it’s just stolen moments." – Kellye

We wanted more buildup, more chemistry, more anything really. It just wasn’t giving.

Bailey and Poppet for the Win

While the main couple left us kind of shrugging, Bailey and Poppet were a fun little surprise. Their story didn’t fully click into place until the end, but once it did, it kind of felt like they were the real anchor of the circus.

And bless Jyl—she hadn’t quite finished the book when we recorded. So we filled her in live on air, and let’s just say… we were all a little fuzzy on what actually happened, even after finishing.

This Book Was a Bit of a Struggle Bus

We’ll be honest: this one was a little hard to get through. Gorgeous writing, yes. Magical setting, yes. But it also felt like work.

"This will force me to read it." – Myranda

Sometimes book club is the only thing keeping us accountable, and we love that about it. Even if the book is a little confusing, we know we’ll have a good time talking it out together—and that’s kind of the whole point.

What’s Coming Up Next

Next month we’re reading:

The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman A girls’ trip in the San Juan Islands goes totally off the rails when one of the women turns up dead and no one remembers what happened. Drama, suspense, and a whole lot of secrets? We’re in.

"The husband did it." – Myranda (calling it early)

We’ll see how that theory holds up!

A Few Random Things We Also Talked About:

• Books we’ve read just because we felt like we should

• The way some novels feel more like poetry than plot

• Why black-and-white circus tents somehow feel very cool and serious

• How book club is sometimes therapy, sometimes chaos, and always fun

"The half of it was The Night Circus. The other half was just trying to figure it out." – Kellye

Wanna Read With Us?

Pick up The Girls Weekend and read along! We’ll be back next month with more thoughts, theories, and probably a few tangents that have nothing to do with the actual plot (because that’s how we do things). Make sure you’re following us on Instagram and TikTok @boundsisterspodcast to keep up with everything!

See you next episode!

Transcript

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