Erin Morgenstern, THE NIGHT CIRCUS

A fanciful, entertaining, imaginative read, set in late Victorian England (mostly ... although the circus travels by magic train all over the world, so we end up in cities from Budapest to Boston). Two children, Marco and Celia, who are pitted against each other by two master-manipulators, grow up to be extraordinary magicians; alas, it's a contest to the death and they fall in love with each other. I confess that at times I found the descriptions of the circus overly elaborate, and the inventions almost too clever. At other times, conversations that felt important were glossed. But there are some great characters--particularly the secondary characters of the circus, a very entertaining bunch. I'd love to have dinner with them : )