Atonement by Ian McEwan
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Book Reviews of Atonement
Book Review: Briony as Unreliable Narrator
Summary: 5 Stars
_Atonement_ is a fine book, highly reminiscent of Elizabeth Bowen's work. But I don't understand why the common assessment of Briony as unreliable narrator seems to stop at her end-revelation that Cecilia and Robbie were killed without ever fulfilling their love.
Briony admits, in fact, to being a novelist throughout. She says she collapsed several hospitals she worked at into one. A common writing technique; after all, what is important is how her experience as a wartime nurse affects her.
Her rejection letter, which states that Elizabeth Bowen (who was said to not even work for the magazine) felt compelled to read her manuscript and loved it, is far too glowing for reality. Then there is the book's harmonious ending. Several generations of Briony's relatives assemble to see Briony's childhood play "The Trials of Arabella," which was interrupted and upstaged by the drama of Lola's sexual violation. Her cousin Pierrot ran away from rehearsals as a child, scotching the performance. Yet the final chapter of _Atonement_ asserts he was bitterly disappointed at not acting in it. To the extent that decades later he organized this performance, and is tearfully grateful to see it. This is pure wish fulfillment. Briony is giving herself a happy ending that she did not give Robbie and Cecilia--though she's still contemplating the latter.
Much more interesting is the description of the central event, Lola's sexual violation. Fifteen-year-old Lola is socially sophisticated--her mother just publicly eloped to Paris with a lover. Lola dresses and acts as much like an adult as she can. She's very pretty, dresses attractively, and her grooming and makeup are impeccable. Her interaction with the wealthy young chocolate magnate Paul Marshall is distinctly flirtatious. Like other girls of her generation, Lola would have been brought up to marry well, and Paul is an excellent catch. In another two or three years, Lola would be brought out into society, where her pursuit of a husband would be entirely acceptable.
While Briony is helping everyone to hunt for her runaway twin cousins, she checks the 18th-century "ruined villa" on an little island in the little lake. A spot that is both romantic, and easy for non-residents to locate (Paul Marshall has never visited the house before). Here she discovers Lola with a man on top of her, and immediately assumes this is a rape. Three years later, when Lola marries Paul Marshall, Briony admits the man was Paul. However, Briony, who her sister Cecilia describes as "a young thirteen," is not at the time sophisticated enough to understand the difference between consensual sex and rape. Only a few hours earlier, Briony discovered Cecilia and Robbie having enthusiastic sex in the library, assumed it was rape, and they have not had an opportunity to tell her otherwise. Very possibly Lola's sexual act is also quite willing, and Briony realizes that when she is somewhat older. Even Briony marvels that Lola "fell in love with her rapist."
When Briony discovers Lola and Paul, Paul immediately flees, leaving Lola to deal with the problems. And they have several. If it's consensual sex, Lola's aunt, uncle, and parents will be furious at her for losing her virtue. They'll be even more angry at Paul, who is a responsible adult. Paul can't immediately marry Lola to repair the damage--she's so young that "people would talk." Also, Lola's uncle (Briony's father) works for the War Ministry, and Paul is angling for a very lucrative army-provisioning contract. It's likely that Lola's uncle could make sure he didn't get it.
And here, Lola gets lucky: Briony, carefully led on, is willing to help Lola call the event a rape and to pin the blame on Robbie. Paul Marshall may merely have had a little sexual amusement in mind. But now that they've been seen, Lola could blackmail Paul into marrying her as soon as she's of age, by threatening to reveal the truth. Everything works out for them. Lola gets her wealthy husband and hangs onto him for the rest of her life. Paul gains his army contract. He also marries a woman whom he was attracted to when she was 15 and who is even prettier at 18.
I suspect that close examination of _Atonement_ would reveal additional examples of Briony as an unreliable narrator.
Book Review: simply brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
Atonement is a literary masterpiece centering around Briony Tallis in the summer of 1935, her sister Cecilia and their neighbour Robbie, and the actions and consequences of one summer day in which the lives of all three will drastically change, and for which Briony will spend the rest of her life trying to atone. The book is divided into three parts, the event itself, the war, and when Briony is older.
In the her bedroom looking out the window, 13 year old Briony sees her sister strip down to her knickers and plunge into a fountain in the garden, whilst Robbie watches on. Not understanding what she has seen, Briony lets her imagination run away with her, concocting all different scenarios in which her sister is always the victim. Pushing it to the back of her mind-but not forgetting, Briony carries on with the task at hand- preparing for her adored brother Leon's visit by preparing a play in which she is the writer, director and star. A few hours later Briony's cousin is found down by the river. She sees a man walking away from her cousin, and based on what she saw earlier, accuses Robbie of rape. He is sent to jail based on her sole testimony and life carries on.
Next we see it has been a few years, and Robbie is serving in the war. He is trying to make his way home- to England, to a new life, and to Cecilia. The final part of the novel centres back on Briony. She is a nurse at a hospital, having now realised the consequences of her false accusations and wanting nothing to do with her family- trying to atone already. She works at the same hospital as Cecilia, who disowned her family when it became known why Robbie was taken away from her and by whose charge. Robbie and Cecilia are together again, and Briony goes to their place and tries to apologise for the wrong she has done. They send her on her way with specific instructions on how to exonerate Robbie, which she is more than happy to do.
An epilogue of sorts- Briony is now much older and has written a book as a testament to that summer day and the part she played in the crime that ruined the lives of two innocent people. The twist is fabulous, sad and heartbreaking, but on reflection was needed to show just how far reaching the consequences of our actions are and the damage they can do.
A humbling book of sorts for any who have ever exaggerated a story, or told a lie, it makes you aware of the potential consequences of our actions and how everything we do affects those around us, and can continue to affect those around us for many years. Stealing some money from your mothers purse and blaming it on your siblings, breaking someone up out of jealousy, telling someone they are fat or ugly- all can have far reaching consequences that cannot possibly be known at the time but could have easily been avoided. It makes you want to be a better person, show compassion and never take things at face value.
Ian McEwans writing is brilliant, superbly capturing the thoughts and feelings of all his characters and using meticulous detail to describe the surroundings. A born storyteller, this book is a fantastic addition to any library and i couldnt reccommed this book more highly- you wont regret reading this.
Book Review: Dense Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Ian McEwan's Atonement is a dense novel; it has an intricate structure, and broad themes that elicit universal resonance. Set in England in the 1935's and ending in 1999 the novel follows the life of Briony Tallis, an English girl, from childhood to old age, touching on issues of family, class, war, good and evil, atonement, and forgiveness. Through the consciousness of Briony, McEwan asks questions about who controls human destiny. Do we write our own scripts?
Like real life, the novel is complicated by multiple viewpoints: Cecilia's, Robbie's, and most importantly Briony's. Each character has a limited perspective. Only the reader has access to the larger picture. McEwan shows life as perspectival, and shows the closest thing to truth is the union of multiple, sometimes conflicting narratives.
At the age of thirteen Briony Tallis tells a lie that negatively affects the lives of her sister Cecilia, and Cecilia's lover Robbie Turner. Her lie accuses Robbie of raping her young cousin Lola. Robbie loses a promising career, is sent to prison, and finally suffers the indignities of war as a foot soldier. Cecilia stands by Robbie, and forsakes her family because they believe Briony's lie.
When Briony understands the implications of her evil act she dedicates her life to making reparation. The dictionary says atonement is the making of reparation for a sin or a mistake. Briony, an upper-class girl, skips university to go into nursing in the middle of WWII as atonement for her terrible lie. She obeys hostile superiors, empties bedpans, dresses unimaginable wounds, and brings comfort to young soldiers torn apart physically and emotionally by war. She exchanges self-absorption for selfless care of others.
Briony admits her lie in front of Cecilia and Robbie. Her life of atonement and her admission of truth do not influence the couple to forgive her. Though they refuse pardon, they demand a witnessed written statement by Briony with the real facts, and an admission to the family about the lie. She promises to do this, and accepts their refusal of absolution. Briony can never repair the damage she has done. Her selfless work gives solace to others, but not her sister and Robbie.
Beyond the plot the novel is complicated by its structure. One narration is Briony's life; the other story is Briony's writing. She creates narratives in her imagination, which are played out in real life. She actually writes the story of Cecilia and Robbie, and exposes the true rapist. At first the reader is aware that this is reality. Then the reader begins to question outcomes. Is Briony writing this or living it? Where is the boundary between life and art? Briony, facing the onset of dementia, writes the final chapters of the story with enough ambiguity the reader is left wondering what actually happened. As a writer we know Briony has the capacity to play god--to control outcomes. But the reader is unclear about who is in control of destiny. McEwan asks profound questions, but gives no obvious answers.
Book Review: Beautifully written and engrossing.
Summary: 5 Stars
Atonement is an extremely beautiful story about how differing perceptions of a single event can affect the lives of those involved, whether negatively or positively.
This book is told in three parts and each part is from three different perspectives.
The story begins in 1935 and is told from the viewpoint of the 13 year old Briony. Briony witnesses an event involving her older sister, Cecile, and the gardener, Robbie, that her young brain does not understand. Briony decides that Cecile would never commit such an indecent act of her own accord; therefore, Robbie must have forced Cecile into the situation.
Briony later witnesses an assault on her cousin and names the lewd Robbie as the perpetrator. Briony is unwaveringly believed in her account of the tale and Robbie is imprisoned.
Part two of the book is told from the viewpoint of Robbie. He was able to bargain an early release from prison by joining the military and being shipped off to France to fight. Robbie wants nothing more than to return to England and his beloved Cecile. His account of his struggle through the French countryside in an attempt at retreat is mesmerizing. His love for Cecile and absolute hatred for the person who tore him away from her and single handedly imprisoned him instills the same passion in the reader.
The third part of the book is told, again, from Briony's perspective. Years have passed and she is now a nurse for the wounded soldiers. She feels an immense sense of guilt for her childish take on the event so many years ago. She wants nothing more than to reconcile with Cecile and Robbie. Briony is finally able to confront the ghosts of her past and make her appeal to the parties involved. The outcome of this occurrence lies within the pages of the book itself. I will say, however, that the ending...affected me.
I found this book to be elegantly written. The language was absolutely exquisite and I identified with Briony. I could hardly put the book down...I had to force myself to stop reading each night when the hands of the clock approached 1 a.m. I was entranced with every page, every word. The tale of Briony, Cecile, and Robbie will be carried with me for the rest of my days and is now considered to be one of my most beloved experiences.
Book Review: Brilliant piece on writing . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
It's odd that a book with so little action taking place can be so gripping. It was truly hard to put this book down, despite the fact that page after page is spent on character reflection.
Atonement follows the story of Briony Tallis, who witnesses the beginning of a love affair between her sister and the son of a charlady. But, being thirteen and prone to a vivid imagination, Briony's interpretations of what she sees causes her to accuse her sister's lover of a criminal act. This accusation goes on to change everyone's life, Briony's included. All of this is backdropped by the coming of World War II.
While at heart this seems to be a story about a young girl ruining lives due to her own ignorance, or the story of two lovers torn apart by circumstance, at heart this is a novel about the act of writing, about characterization, narrative development, and the act of an author playing God in the world he or she has created. It is for that reason that the long passages of character reflection are so engaging. This book asks the question, how can you atone for sins in a world that you created, where you are God and answer to no one?
I felt at times that the extended opener to the story dragged just a little--that at times McEwan tried to draw out the dramatic and tension in a scene to beyond its breaking point. There are also some who might find the ending completely unsatisfying in its lack of concrete answers. This is not a cut-and-dry war-time romance piece, so anyone looking for a story of that nature need not pick this up. But for anyone interested in the art of writing--whether you're a writer yourself or just an avid reader--this book is simply not to be missed.