Rated of 5
by Amy M Good but not without fault
I did really enjoy this book, even if I felt that the author was and is the most pretentious pompous ass I have read. It seemed to me that he must have been getting paid per word and not for the book because why else would there be a very, very large amount of run-on sentences!! I mean get real buddy this is simple things that you learn in English class in the 3rd grade! I found that the massive use of unnecessary words distracted from the story itself and it also was that way in the movie. There was A LOT of just walking and waiting that really could have been shortened. I do have to say that it was a book that I couldn’t put down but I don’t feel that it was only because of wanting to know what happened but it was also so I would be able to stay in the grove of just plowing through the heavy unnecessary wordiness of it all. I felt that McEwan was trying to show us all how smart he was and how well he could use a dictionary instead of working more on the story. I felt that in the end all that it did was to in fact take away from an amazing story! I would have preferred to have more of the story put before me and less of the colour of the sky at all times of the day! I really enjoyed the way that young Briony is unable to understand what she sees and in fact it would seem to me that not even Cecelia or Robbie are able to take it all in. I love the way you can see how all of their minds work throughout the story and how they will always have to rely on their own discernment of the chain of events that shaped their lives into what they were. I’m not sure that there is ever really any atonement in the end but is there ever really any? Everyone has things that they did that were wrong and wish that they could change them but there is in fact a point that no matter what you cannot apologize for the past. I did enjoy that no matter how you want the story to end you will be happy and yet sad at the same time as is true with all things in life!
Rated of 5
by Margie W Atonement Review
Atonement is a fantastic love story about childhood friends. It will make you sigh, laugh and maybe even cry. Atonement brings to life the importance of perspective.
One could claim that McEwan was inspired to use World War II as the backdrop to his story because of his own parents love story. At the onset of WWII McEwan’s mother was having an affair with McEwan’s father, but was married to another man. His mother’s husband was killed in combat and she was able to marry her McEwan’s father; Ian McEwan was born several years later.
No one who did not live through a former era can really know what life would have been like, but through the eyes of Cecilia, Robbie, and Briony one gets a very good idea. Atonement is the story of three young people that begins at the family’s country estate in 1935 England. Temperatures and emotions are running high. Through McEwan’s detailed descriptions one can feel the tension in the household. The mood of the house is obvious, you can feel the oppressive heat that causes everything to seem as if in slow motion. At any moment the pretenses could break and all of the pent up emotions could break loose.
[This review has been edited to remove plot spoilers]
Rated of 5
by J Arnold A well-crafted story of atonement and abandonment
This well-written book went beyond my expectations. I have tried to read McEwan’s books, but I found myself putting the books down before truly experiencing the magic of his writing. It was his novel Saturday that finally kept my interest and propelled me to explore his other works in earnest. I pick up Atonement to read it before seeing the movie; I am so glad I stayed with this novel. The shifting point of views against the landscapes of pre-WWII England in the first section of the novel read like the doomed love affair of the play “The Trails of Arabella” written by a young Briony. Although the obvious theme is the path of atonement one must travel, it is evident that the theme of abandonment links with the theme of atonement in both the fictitious play and the story that unfolds over the next 60 years. McEwan truly shows his craft has he moves into the early days of WWII in the second and third sections of the book; he also plays with our emotions as he limits the narration to just one character in each section. Although he gives the reader the appearance of a fairy-tale ending like in Briony’s play, the twist in the last section appears to be more than satisfying and realistic. I cannot wait to explore more of his novels and can only hope that they are as well crafted as Atonement and Saturday.
Rated of 5
by SNM
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!I was just sad when this book ended, I felt that there was so much more stroy left to be told. I loved reading the story from the kids piont of view because most kids never understand what is going on in the world of grown up and so there mind fills in what they don't understand. I was shocked that a grown man could write the ideas and feelings of a 13 year-old girl. This book and its writer are great.
Rated of 5
by JD
Stay with this novel, beyond the first 50 pages, you will not be disappointed. A memorable book that will stand the test of time.
Rated of 5
by Balzac Fan
This was an impressive book. It's written so well that it reads like non-fiction. And the end is a pull the rug from out under your feet...leaving you feeling a little tricked. But it is well worth your time and you will like this one. As good as Faulks' Birdsong.
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