~~Prologue ~~
Ian McEwan's eighth novel, "Atonement", written and short-listed for the Booker Prize in 2001 has risen once more to public attention following the release of 2007 film based on the novel. Before I watched the film, I was determined to read the novel first - and was so glad ... Read review
Atonementis Ian McEwan's ninth novel and his first since the Booker ... more
Prize-winningAmsterdamin 1998. But whereasAmsterdamwas a slim, sleek piece,Atonementis a more sturdy, ambitious work, allowing McEwan more room to play, think and experiment.We meet 13...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Atonement is Ian McEwan's ninth novel and his first since the Booker Prize-winning ... more
Amsterdam in 1998. But whereas Amsterdam was a slim, sleek piece, Atonement is a more sturdy, ambitious work, allowing McEwan more room to play, think and experiment. We...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Historic realism. Gripping storyline. Intellegent use of linguistics. Disadvantages: Takes time and thought to read and appreciate
...dementia and the need for atonement is pressing . . .
The reader learns that Briony actually wrote the novel Atonement. She reveals that some of the previous story has not been entirely true. An alternative (the real) ending to the story is now unfolded. So has atonement been achieved?
~~Chapter 2 - A mixing of genres~~
Atonement, is a work of Metafiction: a story about an authoress writing a story.
...in an attempt to seek atonement for her childhood misunderstanding- a stark contrast to her middle-class upbringing. We finally see has the successful novelist she always aspired to be - has her novel finally achieved the atonement she wanted?
The other characters however are not portrayed in as much depth. The character, Robbie Turner, grows in depth with his reminiscences whilst in Dunkirk and his determination "to come back" ... more
~~Prologue ~~
Ian McEwan's eighth novel, "Atonement", written and short-listed for the Booker Prize in 2001 has risen once more to public attention following the release of 2007 film based on the novel. Before I watched the film, I was determined to read the novel first - and was so glad I did. The book fills in information omitted from the film and provides explanations for some of the scenes in the film.
~~Chapter 1 - A synopsis~~
"Atonement" is a multifaceted novel divided into four sections and told from several of the different character's points of view. One voice is heard above all others in all but one of the sections - that of Briony Tallis.
Without giving too much of the story away, I will attempt a précis. Brief though it cannot be - the novel is far too complex for that!
The novel opens on an oppressively hot summer's day in 1935 when Briony is just 13 years old. An aspiring writer, she has put together a play intended as a celebration for her older brother Leon who due to return home with his friend Paul Marshall. Her co-actors are to be her cousins who she has never before met; the 15-year old Lola and 9-year old twins Jackson and Pierrot. Her cousins though are not natural actors and things soon begin to go wrong . . .
As Briony lost in her thoughts looks out of a window, she witnesses a scene unfold in the gardens below her acted out by her sister Cecilia and the housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner. A scene which is to be crucial to the lives of many of the characters and to the novel. A scene which is also told from the others characters viewpoint and a scene which will be retold by Briony herself as she grows. Briony suddenly realises that her destiny is to be a novelist not a dramatist. She outlines the basic plot of her novel foreshadowing a little of what is to follow.
A series of connected and unconnected events occur leading to an oppressive family dinner. The tension increases as character upon character misrepresent of misread events. A crime is committed and the young Briony wrongfully assumes she knows the perpetrator. Her accusation leads to an arrest which will adversely affect many lives including her own . .
The novel then jumps to 1940 and into the Dunkirk evacuation of wartime France, Private ("the private who talks like a toff"), Robbie Turner leads two officers through the surrounding devastation and dangers whilst reminiscing about the reasons which lead him into this situation. . .
Another jump, this time in place not time, back to Briony who is now working as a probationer nurse in a military hospital in London following the in the footsteps of her estranged sister, Cecilia.
The fourth and final section, entitled "London 1999", is again written from the perspective of Briony, now a successful novelist in her 70s. She has vascular dementia and the need for atonement is pressing . . . The reader learns that Briony actually wrote the novel Atonement. She reveals that some of the previous story has not been entirely true. An alternative (the real) ending to the story is now unfolded. So has atonement been achieved?
~~Chapter 2 - A mixing of genres~~
Atonement, is a work of Metafiction: a story about an authoress writing a story.
Atonement is also a romantic historical novel with a touch of mystery and thriller thrown in. I find that most novels and novelists of this romantic history tend to lean heavily either to romance or to history. Having never read any of McEwan's work before, I was unsure what to expect.
My preference is more towards the historical aspects of the novel and was delighted to find McEwan's depictions of wartime France and London hospitals totally fascinating.
Robbie and the officers accompanying him join in the long line of British forces marching back to Dunkirk. McEwan keeps this section of the novel tense. He illustrates the atrocities of war with detailed accounts of corpses, bomb craters, French cavalry slaughtering their horses, the drone of oncoming German fighter plains and of feet crippled with blisters. ''The broad spray of fire was advancing up the road at 200 miles an hour, a rattling hailstorm din of cannon rounds hitting metal and glass.''
Briony as a first year probationer nurse, with red cracked hands from scrubbing bedpans and floors, has to deal with many gruesome physical injuries and psychological traumas all under the watchful eyes of the matron.
Running throughout the novel is a basic love story. The two lovers realise their love but are torn apart firstly by tragic misunderstandings and then by war. McEwan tantalises us with a glimpse of the love and makes us just ache for the young lovers to be reunited.
In the first section of the novel, McEwan skilfully weaves an intricate web of mystery with an atmosphere of foreboding. The reader knows something is going to happen and from the title can guess that someone must atone for what is to happen. McEwan successfully builds the tension as the reader feels the oppression from the heat and from the family dynamics . . .
~~Chapter 3 - The characters~~
The main character through the novel is Briony. Through Briony, McEwan takes the reader on a journey. He manages to encapsulate the childhood Briony's naivety and her preoccupation with an idealised love'. We see her struggling with a hard career as a nurse in an attempt to seek atonement for her childhood misunderstanding- a stark contrast to her middle-class upbringing. We finally see has the successful novelist she always aspired to be - has her novel finally achieved the atonement she wanted?
The other characters however are not portrayed in as much depth. The character, Robbie Turner, grows in depth with his reminiscences whilst in Dunkirk and his determination "to come back" to his rue love. However, some of the other characters remain as much an enigma at the close of the novel as they did in the beginning. Personally, I would have liked to have got to understand a little more of Cecilia, Lola, Leon and Paul Marshall to name but a few
~~The Epilogue~~
In Atonement, there can be no doubt that McEwan has written an intelligent novel. He uses language carefully composing complex sentences that keep the reader enthralled. Almost every passage whether it be dialogue or descriptive prose has a deeper meaning turning the storyline through its many twists and turns.
The first three sections of the novel could stand alone as short stories. McEwan manages to switch almost seamlessly from the idyllic countryside home to the battlefields of World War II to the austere ordered background of the military hospital. It would be a very hardened reader who could turn these pages without being emotionally moved.
It is not a novel for a quick read. "Atonement" requires time and thought!
'Atonement' is available in paperback published by Vintage (ISBN: 0099429799). It is currently available from Amzon.co.uk for just £6.39 (+ p & p). Given that the novel was written in 2001, both used and new copies can be found in a wide price range - so shop around.
Advantages: McEwan creates a palpable atmosphere with a style that carries you through Disadvantages: It feels like McEwan is trying to show off, and the style may make it hard to pick up after a break
...to gut wrenching proportions.
Atonement is a story about taking responsibility for your actions and making reparations even if that means that some come long after the event. A couple of my criticisms could be forgiven in the light of the books final section, which puts the proceedings in context. These criticisms might make you think that I disliked McEwan’s book, but I feel that is far from the truth. I’m purely being harsh in evaluating it because ... ...good one. McEwan does manage to create an atmosphere of dread that is truly palpable and an absorbing story with an interesting structure. I just would be a lot happier if he would let us see his intelligence through the quality of his prose and the depth of his research rather than his linguistic prowess. I’m sure the depth in ‘Atonement’ would stand up to an interesting second read, but unfortunately this style stops me from making that second ...
ickkate 30.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Atonement - Ian McEwan
Advantages: Compelling, beautifully written, moving Disadvantages: Struggling to think of any
...the more elusive theme of atonement and how it can ever be achieved. Robbie the soldier cannot understand Briony's motivation, cannot come to terms with what she did and how to forgive her, and yet he is surrounded by horrors and is daily put into situations where his action or inaction makes him guilty, all of which renders Briony's own guilt meaningless. Briony herself is motivated only by how to obtain forgiveness and make good her errors. The ... ...itself.
At its heart, of course, the novel is a love story and quite an old fashioned one at that, with the separation of war and the absolute need to survive for the sake of that love. This totally appealed to the romantic in me.
~~~Conclusion~~~
I read the book because my friends and I had selected it for our next book club read. Stop laughing! Whilst a book club may be construed as an excuse for me and 3 friends to get together and gossip over ...
sonic0209 05.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Atonement - Ian McEwan
Advantages: you can say you've read it. Disadvantages: you probably won't have much else to say about it...
...such recommendation was Ian McEwan's Atonement - a novel that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, no less.
See, I've just been reading other people's opinions on this book, and while they're all well-written, I can't help thinking we've been reading a different book by a different author which by some stroke of chance carry the same name. Am I too jaded to appreciate a love story set on the eve of the second world war? Have I immersed myself in ... ...of fiction vs. fact that are central to the plot of Atonement?
I finally got round to reading the book just the other day, and finished it this evening. The back cover speaks of an event which will change the lives of three protganists - thirteen year old Briony Tallis, her elder sister Cecelia and their friend Robbie Turner - FOREVER (insert ominous music here). The premise revolves around Briony the budding author and her misreading of a situation ...
dujour 28.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Atonement - Ian McEwan
Advantages: An impeccable representation of England and Englishness Disadvantages: McEwan doesn't make it easy for readers who lack patience or determination.
‘Atonement' was the first Ian Mcewan novel I encountered and in the moments that followed turning the final page and the realisation of just how stylistically superb the language was, I can honestly say it is with great regret that it has taken me this long to become acquainted with his work. Subsequently, ‘Black Dogs’, ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘The Cement Garden’ have come into my possession and were despatched with the fervency of one whose love of language ... ...the tightly controlled prose and the sumptuous description McEwan delivers, even the most discerning of readers would have to concede that many, if not all of the plaudits attributed to this novel have been totally vindicated and are wholly deserved. Like Sebastian Faulks, Mcewan returns to the heart of quintessential, parochial middle-class england in 1935, where 13 year-old Briony Tallis and her family are holding a family gathering with their ...
MartynColebrook 12.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Atonement - Ian McEwan
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Advantages: Very well written and an easy read Disadvantages: Can be a little complicated in parts
CHILD IN TIME
IANMcEWANIanMcEwan is a prolific writer, probably best known for his book, later a major film ?Atonement?.
The book I am reviewing here is McEwan?s third book, published in 1987 ? ?The Child in Time?, that won the 1987 Whitbread Book Prize.
The Child in Time (1987) is the story of Stephen Lewis, a successful author of children's books. He is a young married man, he and his musician wife, Julie live in London with their three-year old daughter, Kate.
One normal Saturday Stephen walks with his three-year-old daughter Kate into a supermarket. At the checkout there is no other customer behind him, as he loads his shopping onto the conveyor belt, he briefly turns away from Kate, when he looks around again, she is gone.
What has to be one of the worst nightmares that any parent can possibly ...
Advantages: A pretty good read, not too heavy, take it on holiday with you Disadvantages: Dissapointing ending, sort of fizzles out to nothing
books, which would have been equally as good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WORD OF WARNING:
The books discussed (loosely) at each meeting are listed below. In the text, discussion gives you not only the plot of the book, but often the ending as well. I was particularly disappointed to learn the plot and ending of The Girl with the Pearl Earring, I had been looking forward to reading this book, it has now been spoilt for me - so you have been warned. If you want to read any of these books, it may be better to read them, before you read The Reading Group.
Heartburn - Nora Ephron
I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith
Atonement - IanMcEwan
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors - Roddy Doyle
Guppies For Tea - Marika Cobbold
My Antonia - Willa Cather
The Memory Box - Margaret Forster
Eden Close - Anita Shreve
An Instance Of The Fingerpost ...
Advantages: Character driven novel; Introduced to 12 other novels Disadvantages: Clare?s character not fully developed; spoilers on the books that are discussed
RRP is £6.99. Amazon are selling it for this price although a second hand one can be picked up for less through the site. I have also seen it in Tesco for £3.73. Hardback price is £18.99.
The Reading Group
Elizabeth Noble
ISBN 0-340-73470-1
~ ~ ~ Stories discussed in The Reading Group ~ ~ ~
Heartburn ? Nora Ephron
I Capture The Castle ? Dodie Smith
Atonement ? IanMcEwan
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors ? Roddy Doyle
Guppies For Tea ? Marika Cobbold
My Antonia ? Willa Cather
The Memory Box ? Margaret Forster
Eden Close ? Anita Shreve
An Instance Of The Fingerpost ? Iain Pears
Rebecca ? Daphne Du Maurier
The Alchemist ? Paulo Coelho
Girl With A Pearl Earring ? Tracy Chevalier ...
The stunning new novel from the Booker Prize winning novelist. Now reissued as a film tie-in edition. On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her is Robbie Turner, her childhood friend who, like Cecilia, has recently come down from Cambridge. By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed for ever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start, and will have become victims of the younger girl's imagination. Briony will have witnessed mysteries, and committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.
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