National Bestseller Ian McEwan’s symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English prose. On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of … Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’ s incomplete grasp of adult motives–together with her precocious literary gifts–brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece.
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Now I understand why @katiegoodwin and @pborden both call Ian McEwan one of their favorite authors!
As a category, literary fiction set on English estates feels hackneyed and boring to me. But Atonement, like The Remains of the Day, is a big exception. It was a pleasure to read — lovely writing, brilliant moments that capture familiar feelings, a swift, well-crafted narrative full of surprises, and a story that honestly weaves together the highs, lows, and ambiguities of life.
I loved the movie, and now that I have a Kindle, I decided to read the book. The story takes place in England and France in the years leading up to and including the start of WW II. McEwan’s detailed and thoroughly-researched descriptions of places and things so long in the past are truly impressive, but the thing that hooked me about the book was the same thing that hooked me about the movie: the utterly unique and original storyline. How the false testimony of a girl of thirteen ruins the lives of two people who deserved better. Highly recommended historical fiction.
I read this one again recently – it’s still one of my all-time favorite books. Top 5 for sure. I’m a sucker for tragic lovers, pulled apart by circumstance. Especially in a WW2 setting.
The false accusation element is so heart-rending. And the prose is just gorgeous – Ian McEwan is a genius. Love the peek inside the life of wealthy, spoiled Brits using their influence for good and evil.
I read this book before seeing the movie (which is a stunning achievement in and of itself) and the story and characters are so rich, the writing so complex and evocative, I didn’t realize where we were headed. I had no clue. Was blindsided. I just didn’t see it coming. I didn’t know there was anything to SEE coming. This is art. I aspire to achieve that kind of writing, and also to find writing like this to read.
Ian McEwan is a master of prose. His writing is accessible but not simplistic. I was intrigued throughout the story and enthralled by the characters and their thoughts. It’s not a book for readers looking for action because it is quite slow moving but the depth and multiple layers entwined in the story keep you turning the pages. It is the beautiful but tragic story of two sisters whose lives are changed forever because of a silly 13 year old girls infatuation and jealousy
I have read this story several times and each time I read it, it leaves me emotionally drained. The story is gut wrenching and it’s descriptive wording has you feeling like you are right there watching each episode as it unfolds before you. McEwan certainly is a master at his prose.
Unfortunate encounters at the Tallis family estate in the English countryside in 1935 change the lives of 13 year old Briony Tallis, her older sister Cecilia and Cecilia’s new love interest Robbie, the son of the Tallis family’s cleaning lady. Briony observes her sister and Robbie and a sense of foreboding builds through Briony’s malaise of righteous, jealous and power-seeking young-girl thoughts, and gloomy descriptions of the estate. Briony concocts a false accusation that Robbie was the perpetrator of a sexual assault on the estate grounds and all 3 lives change. The scene shifts to WW2 and Dunkirk, and we find ourselves in the grit and despair of the army’s evacuation and Robbie’s thoughts for his “Cee”, and about Briony and her accusations that destroyed him. The setting flashes forward to Briony working as nurse after the war, seeking atonement for the terrible injustice she set in motion, leading to a shocking twist at the end. This story is steeped with masterful internal narrative to force us to mull why—from the point of view of both the accuser and accused. Yes, the book normally beats the movie, but Atonement the movie sure measures up. Starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, the film portrays life at an English country house in a perfect mood for the events to follow, and eventually moves to a highly-acclaimed scene set on the beaches of Dunkirk.
Was this review helpful? I am an avid world war based fiction reader and author. You can read more of my takes at https://brodiecurtis.com/curtis-takes/.
A tour de force… Every bit as affecting as it is gripping.
A beautiful and majestic fictional panorama.
It’s not easy to read tragic stories, especially when they are stories woven into our real histories, thus making them all the more so convincing. You will not be able to get this book out of your head–and that is a good thing.
How one misguided, naive misunderstanding of a child is given to family & the police … the misunderstanding changes the lives of 2 lovers destinies. The child who caused all the havoc needs to grow up & have experiences to see her mistakes & understanding what she has done.Too late however,
1 of the lovers is now impoverished… the other is swept away with the horrors of war… the child, now old & dying, a celebrated author.& in her last book, confronts her past… her storys enlightening and tragic.
The book is brilliantly written, heartbreaking… but is needed to be read.
Vintage wine.
A brilliant book – with a surprise ending. One of the best historical fictions I have every read. McEwan builds his scenes so beautifully.
Already a classic novel exploring the unpredictable effects of impulsive actions. McEwan’s prose is flowing and flexible, constantly pulling the reader onward to discover the truths available in the story.
One that will stay with me for a long, long time. A must read.
I read a lot of books in my third year of University. The combination of having very long reading lists, plus a real love for the topic, even though I was working towards a deadline, meant that I did a lot of reading for a lot of classes. One particular class, ‘Contemporary British Fiction’ involved a 60-book long reading list. We weren’t required to read every book on the list, but we were required to read at least 10 of them. I’ve written book reviews for most of the books I read on that list, but there are some left.
I had heard of this book before; a lot of my fellow classmates had read it before me, or had watched the movie. I hadn’t done either before this class, but I did already own the book. I dived into it in preparation for this class and was not disappointed.
Atonement is the story of Briony, a young girl with a talent for writing. Her older sister, Cecilia, and the ground keeper’s son, Robbie, have some kind of romance going on that escalates at the beginning of the novel. Briony, seeing their secret rendezvous, assumes that Robbie forced himself on her and gets him arrested and taken away. The story takes place over several years, following Robbie, Briony and Cecilia as they reconvene, reconcile, and try to make amends for everything that happened during the separation. All this, by the way, happens to the backdrop of World War Two.
The novel explores many different themes which is probably why I like it so much as a story. It looks at the idea of rape and compliance, of truth and reality, of memory and relationships, of war, of childhood innocence, and of accepting the past. As the book goes on, you realize that the story, at the end of the day, is all about Briony trying to come to terms with how she innocently, unknowingly, ruined the life of her sister and her sister’s lover.
What I liked about this novel, which is also what some people hate about this novel, is the ending. I won’t spoil anything, but the ending does change a lot about the story as you think of it. I would highly recommend reading this novel because of how the ending basically gives you a good idea of what storytelling – and atoning for your sins – is all about, which is really what the novel is centered around.
Final rating: 4/5.
Tour d force of emotion, class consciousness, striving by an observer, and neglect of children…
slow
I have read it b before but it is worth reading many times, it is stunningly written amdmvery poignant. Will,no,doubt read it again!
Very well written but the characters are overly introspective. If you want to take long looks into characters thoughts this book is for you. Never got to the end.