Atonement by Ian McEwan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Atonement
Book Review: dense with thought and imagery, sensually textured
Summary: 5 Stars
Ian McEwan's absorbing novel will transport the reader quickly into the world of 13 year old Briony Tallis and the people who surround her. The first part of the book lyrically describes a lost world, pre-WW II Britain, and the privileged life of the Tallises. We are transported into the rich inner world of Briony as we glide through her acute perceptions and fanciful imaginings.
The second part of the book, containing graphic descriptions of a brutal war, is rather rough going. As a mother, I found myself identifying with Briony's mother, Emily, whose life was devoted to protecting and nourishing her offspring; and then, contrasting Emily's constant attending, multi-tasking, balancing often conflicting motives among her children---to the merciless scenes of destruction and death during WWII.
The central theme is Briony's misunderstanding of two encounters between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, and the disaster this brings upon them. Despite the serious repercussions, this misunderstanding could be viewed on one level as a slender thread upon which to hang a novel. McEwan's masterful presentation of inner and outer realities, and his depiction of a long-ago time with its pleasures and horrors, elevates his tale into an artful endeavor to be savored.
Book Review: Good One
Summary: 4 Stars
This is not they type book I normally read, however, I enjoyed it. I found part one very slow. This was building up the characters and their history. This may just be the author's style. The second half of the book was more engaging. Overall, it is a great story.Book Review: Better than I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoy reading Ian Mcewan's books, but I didn't expect much from this one since both my mother and my friend had stopped reading it midway. That was a few years ago. When I saw that the movie came out I figured I better read it before seeing the film. So I checked out this "mass market version." I usually steer away from these editions but I like the way the cover looks and feels. Anyway, at no point during my read of this book did I want to take a break from it. Quite a bit of time is spent setting up characters and background, but this only makes the events that follow all the more gripping and compelling. I really cared about the characters and felt what they were going through as much as I have in any book I've read. At times I even felt my body reacting to McEwan's highly descriptive writing. Indeed, this is an intense and at times grisly read, but it's one that creates an enjoyable connection to the story that McEwan exploits to the fullest as he plays with expectations and draws out some points in the story while delivering plot development in shockingly brisk fashion at others. He makes it easy to get sucked in. I still haven't seen the movie, but the pleasure I got from the book was more than I expected from both.Book Review: More like 2.5 stars
Summary: 3 Stars
What is the big fuss over this book? It was a book of prose which really failed to really capture my interest. I only read it to the end because I feel compelled to finish what a book that I have started.
The writer goes into painful descriptions of everything (which really insulted my imagination) and there was barely any dialogue. The story comes through the thoughts of the characters. This would have been fine, but their thoughts strayed way off track. I found myself being confused at certain parts.
Basically, the book is a book filled with fillers, which I guess is just to add the to length of the book.
Book Review: See This One Through
Summary: 5 Stars
Part One of this novel is slow going. Had I not trusted the author from reading a previous book (Saturday), I might not have continued. This would have been a travesty. Part Two picked up the action and intensity in the war scenes, and Part Three tied it all together with one of the most elegant, haunting and surprising endings I've experienced.
After experiencing the ending, you will realize that Part One had to be written the way it was for the book to have resonated so powerfully. It laid the necessary groundwork for development of the novel's themes: reality versus perception, honesty versus artistic creativity, and real life versus fictional creation.
I watched the movie after reading the novel and was also impressed with the film adaptation. Beautiful cinematography, great acting, and a good sense of time and place. The movie did, however, feel choppier than the novel, as it was harder to blend the three parts into one seamless narrative as well as Mcewan did.