Atonement by Ian McEwan
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Book Reviews of Atonement
Book Review: Masterwork
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd never read McEwen before and the first 100 pages of this book were rather slow, but I plowed on through and was rewarded with a masterful, well written story. McEwen is a master of the english language and the plot was very intricate and well conceived. There is also much in this book about the history of England during World War II, and that is perhaps the icing on the cake of this great story. The evacuation of the British troops at Dunkirk and the subplot of the three soldiers making their way to the French coast during the mass retreat was probably my favorite part of this book. However, the final portion of the book, which had to do with training nurses in London during the outbreak of hostilities was also very interesting.
I wasn't as interested in the lead-in to the story, which revolved around the pre-war English country life, but it also had it's moments of intrigue and drama. The story is centered around a romance and while I'm not much for romance stories, I must admit it did draw me in. The many twists and turns in the plot build towards a fabulous ending, which although I thought I had figured out by the time I got there, I hadn't.
The prose and style is incredible throughout, very descriptive and rich with detail. Character developement is obviously a specialty of McEwen's and each of his subjects is multifaceted and complex. I would recommend this book to everyone, and I have, and I will be looking to read many more of McEwen's novels in the future.
Book Review: A Writer Learns About Life
Summary: 5 Stars
There are so many reviews of this book already that I am loathe to add more redundant verbiage to the pile. So I'll just say that this is my third Ian McEwan novel (having read "On Chesil Beach" and "Saturday" before I read this one), and I must say that he is now one of my favorite writers. This book functions on so many levels and in the end is really as much about the craft of writing as anything else. We first meet Briony, who is really the protagonist, as a young adolescent, and we see into her young mind and heart, and understand, before she does, the disaster that her overactive imagination will cause in the lives of her friends and family. She is precocious and thoughtful, but she is young and fails to understand that she is wrong, in so many ways, about what she sees before her own eyes. Her emotions and her imagination get the better of her and although she ultimately realizes the mistake she made and seeks atonement for it, she has nonetheless changed forever the lives of her Cecilia, her sister, and of Robbie, the young man with a promising future whose mother works for the Tallis family. Ironically, though, it is her imagination that will serve her well as a novelist. The book flows through personal lives, society, as well as world history and moves from mid-20th century to the end of the century. A good deal of ground to cover, but McEwan does it well, I think. The characters are interesting and real and the story is compelling.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: Loved it!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of my favorite novels ever, I read it before it was made into a movie. The story is so romantic and engaging, two lovers that have only a few minutes together to share in their whole lives because of a person's false accusation, three lives destroyed due to ignorance and childish egoism. I loved both the part in the Tallis' family house before the dramatic change of events and also Robbie's efforts to reach Dunkirk (that was almost lost in the film). I couldn't see the end coming... I think that final twist in the story is what made this great book brilliant. I absolutely love Mr Mac Ewan's way of writing, so fluent, so natural and efficient. He is one of the most talented authors today as far as I am concerned. I hated Briony and at the same time I could get into her mind and understand why she acted as she did. I have been urging many of my friends to read it ever since, and those who did, have all thanked me! I read On Chesil Beach lately, perfect writing as well. I like that Mac Ewan's novel get you into the process of thinking... all those "what if's"... you're not done with his books even when you're through them, they stay in your mind, in your heart. Don't skip it just because you saw the movie, this book's just perfect.Book Review: Moving and Poetic
Summary: 5 Stars
Briony Tallis is the focus of the first part of the book. She is a budding writer and the author focuses on the nuances, the pain, the pleasure of writing through the eyes of a thirteen year old. She witnesses several "scenes" between her older sister, Cecilia, and the housekeeper's son, Robbie. She does not understand the adult scenes she witnesses and accuses Robbie of a terrible crime. There is a second half, involving Robbie during WW2 and Cecilia who by then is Robbie's lover. The accusation that Briony makes against Robbie, and which later she recognizes as her mistake, causes decisions in her life and others where she tries to rectify the mistake she made as a young girl. There is what you would call a third part of the book that again focuses on Briony and writing. I found the first part interesting through Briony's eyes and that of her family and was very satisfied how the author moved into the second and third parts where there was still an intellectual movement of the story but with more action. I definitely recommend this book. Although I haven't seen the movie I have good feelings about it. I hope that it is as satisfying as the novel.