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| Atonement | 
 enlarge | Author: Ian Mcewan
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (37) Collectible (4) from £3.34
Avg. Customer Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 1445
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0099429799
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780099429791
ASIN: 0099429799
Publication Date: May 2, 2002
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Atonement is Ian McEwan's ninth novel and his first since the Booker Prize-winning 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 meet 13-year-old Briony Tallis in the summer of 1935, as she attempts to stage a production of her new drama The Trials of Arabella to welcome home her elder, idolised brother Leon. But she soon discovers that her cousins, the glamorous Lola and the twin boys Jackson and Pierrot, aren't up to the task, and directorial ambitions are abandoned as more interesting preoccupations come onto the scene. The charlady's son Robbie Turner appears to be forcing Briony's sister Cecilia to strip in the Fountain and sends her obscene letters; Leon has brought home a dim chocolate magnate keen for a war to promote his new "Army Amo" bar; and upstairs Briony's migraine-stricken mother Emily keeps tabs on the house from her bed. Soon, secrets emerge that change the lives of everyone present... The interwar upper-middle-class setting of the book's long, masterfully sustained opening section might recall Virginia Woolf or Henry Green, but as we move forward--eventually to the turn of the 21st century--the novel's central concerns emerge, and McEwan's voice becomes clear, even personal. For at heart, Atonement is about the pleasures, pains and dangers of writing, and perhaps even more, about the challenge of controlling what readers make of your writing. McEwan shouldn't have any doubts about readers of Atonement: this is a thoughtful, provocative and at times moving book that will have readers applauding.--Alan Stewart
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| Customer Reviews: Read 155 more reviews...
Slow starter November 1, 2008
I've never read any McEwan before, and generally do not care for modern writers, but I was absolutely floored by his prose. The writing is amazing.
His portrayal of naive, pre-teen Briony is dead-on and eerie, and, even though she is far less developed, I could identify some with Cecelia's feelings of being a bit lost and out-of-place at home after the relative independence of college.
I've read a lot of reviews that are impatient with the slow pace, especially of the first part of the novel. While I agree that it is a novel that immerses the reader fully in descriptions, I think such criticism is a little unfair. It is not a novel that should be read in anticipation of getting to a juicy ending; it's a novel that should be read with the mindset that getting there is half (most of) the enjoyment.
The ending was complicated. No, I don't think anything she did later could actually atone for the mess Briony made. On the other hand, she was 13 and acting out of ignorance more than viciousness. And, frankly, I thought the title referred more at her attempt to atone to herself, to lay her conscience to rest, than to actually achieving any sort of atonement in the eyes of the rest of the world. I think it should not be taken too literally.
Slow starter but worth sticking with September 28, 2008
I found this book to start slowly and did not really seem very interesting. However, I thought that maybe I was expecting too much after all the recommendations I have had so decided to stick with it and give the story a proper chance. I am so glad I did this, the plot quicky beomces gripping after those first few dreary pages. You soon realise how important those first pages are in setting the scene and helping you understand all the characters. I really enjoyed this book and have been thinking about it since finishing and I will definitley be re-reading this
 Brilliant Evocation of Life-Changing Events August 19, 2008
Atonement is not a quick read, nor should it be. The warps and wens of language into which Ian McEwan delves are to be savoured like a delicious meal. The premise is that Briony Tallis, an overly-imaginative 13-year-old thinks she sees something, and the tale she spins based on this changes several lives. The story is told from the viewpoint of Briony, her sister Cecilia and family friend Robbie Turner. The novel has the feel of "Rashomon" in that each perspective makes the book feel like a completely different story.
There are some segments that were difficult for me to read - mostly those dealing with Briony's work in a hospital following the evacuation of Dunkirk, but the realities of war should not be sugarcoated, much as we might like to hide our eyes from them.
More than anything, Atonement is a character study, examining the various ways we rationalize our actions, for good or bad, and how we, yes, "atone" for those actions, if we ever bother to try. This is the kind of writing that other authors should aspire to, and which few achieve. Very highly recommended.
Words can't do it justice July 15, 2008
This is simply what is called a masterpiece. A word too often used and not often enough deserved.The writing is incredible, so good that you could weep that some people have the talent to create such prose and you don't. At least you can read it which is a blessing indeed.
It is the story of a young girl, too clever by half, somewhat arrogant and presumptuous who misreads a situation, sees too much, understands too little and will ruin three lives, her sister's, that of the young man her sister is in love with, and her own as she has to live with the consequences of her act of betrayal.
Perfection July 11, 2008
A very short review simply because you should read the book for yourself - it will not disappoint. Beautifully written, beautiful plot, beautiful characters. McEwan is genius!
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