Atonement by Ian McEwan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Atonement
Book Review: Atonement
Summary: 5 Stars
Best novel I've read in years. Very well crafted with surprising turn of events. Highly recommended -- you won't be disappointed.Book Review: Atonement - What about atonement for the reader?
Summary: 2 Stars
Blame it on the "Wall Street Journal." It ran an interesting story on Ian McEwen in November, peaking my interest in his books, "Atonement" in particular.
Flying home from a DC trip, I picked up a copy and started to read. Two days later, my niece flew in from Phoenix. She had purchased the book to read during her flight.
Upon her arrival, she said that based upon the first 100 pages, the book is miserable. I laughed and agreed, but hoped things would pick up.
From a person fairly well read, but with no literary pretenses, there are two basic flaws with this book. 1) It is overwritten. There is a beauty to writing and a beauty to knowing when to stop. (I wanted to skip pages.) 2) The key character, Briony, is a miserable, unsympathetic, boring, narcissistic creature - even at the age of 13 when the book starts.
Late in the book, Briony makes reference to being the same person, even though she is old. Indeed. She is consistently painful from the first to the last page.
The book picked up some whenever the focus shifted from Briony, but this is her book.
There could be a similarity between Briony and the lead in Richard Ford's Independence Day - another book with similar shortcomings for the reader. (And winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award). John Casey's Spartina, winner of the National Book award, serves as an example of beautifully crafted literature.
In the Journal article, McEwen implies that a movie cannot capture the nuances of his book. That could only be an endorsement of the movie.
My niece and I need to take better care in our book purchases at airports.
Book Review: Atonement captures real life in all its messy glory
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading Atonement, my first foray into an Ian McEwan world, I had one overwhelming thought, do we ever have a day where we wake up and know that we've crossed over the threshold from being a child to an adult? If the answer is yes, please share the secret for how you knew. I'm still not sure when it happened.
Starting in pre-World War II England, Atonement focuses on the world of privilege enjoyed by the upper class and the growing attempts of its servants to cross the chasm. McEwan highlights this tug-of-war with the flirtation between the daughter of the house, Cecilia, and the son of the charlady, Robbie. Hovering throughout the book, Cecilia's younger sister Briony tries to capture the world as she see it through her writing, putting people into nice compartments, complete with happy endings. At 13, Briony is straddling the roles of child and adult.
Through her single faceted view of the world she sees a series of events between her sister, Cecilia, and Robbie that appear threatening because Briony lacks the nuanced understanding of what can happen between a man and a woman. In a naive attempt to protect her sister from Robbie, Briony falsely accuses him of attacking a visiting cousin, creating a chain of events that stretches over 60+ years.
Some have complained that this story ends in an unsatisfying way. However, McEwan within the last few pages explains more accurately, for me, what drives a writer, and thus, the reason for this particular ending. To often, we seem to expect a neat and tidy conclusion to our stories. Perhaps we're looking to escape from the chaos and uncertainty of everyday life. Perhaps that is why Atonement resonated with me: it's real life captured on a page to be read again and again in all of life's messy glory.
Book Review: Atonement--Excellent read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellently written and throughly captivating book. It is as good as the movie was visually stunning and well acted. I really became absorbed in the three main characters. I read the book in three nights. It was spectacular!!!!Book Review: Atonement: A True Story of Love
Summary: 5 Stars
The book Atonement by Ian McEwan is a riveting story of love and lies. The book's plot is about a young girl named Briony witnessing flirtations between her older sister Cecilia and their gardener Robbie Turner. Witnessing these events unfold a crime that effects every character for the rest of their lives. The author did a wonderful job with the sentence structures and the flow of the book. Each sentence gave a burst of images of what was happening. Reading Atonement gave me the feeling like I was standing right there and I overall enjoyed it.
In the story, Briony sees her cousin getting raped, and because of a previous encounter of witnessing what she thinks as her sister getting raped, she then concludes that it was Robbie who committed the crime. Briony's persistent fantasy then changes the characters futures. Atonement is unlike most romance books. There is somewhat a twist in the end where McEwan grasps the feelings of Briony and how she feels she took away Robbie and Cecilia's life together. This turn of events is unlike any book I have read. The reader never suspects the ending which makes this book an intriguing read for anyone, not just romance novel junkies. In this novel, the readers need to know the characters to fully understand the story. McEwan introduced the characters perfectly where I fully understood every character inside and out. This build up is crucial to fully grasp and interpret the story.
Even with the marvelous attributes, the book does have some flaws. The author uses a style where he jumps around from each characters view. It can get confusing and hard to understand at first, but because he uses it throughout the book the reader learns to comprehend it. I was only confused with part two. McEwan does not tell you that the plot is three years into the future at this point until late in the chapter. For readers like me, this was confusing and lost me until I finally understood what was happening.
I enjoyed Atonement immensely and recommend it to anyone who likes reading romance or drama. I personally see girls liking this book better than boys, but I still recommend it to all. When reading this novel, the reader feels like he/she is standing right there and can relate to the feelings of some of the characters.