= Excellent
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Atonement - Book Review
Real life, her life now beginning, had sent her a villain in the form of an old family friend with strong, awkward limbs and a rugged friendly face who used to carry her on his back, and swim with her in the river, holding her against the current. That seemed about right - truth was strange and deceptive, it had to be struggled for, against the flow of the everyday. This was exactly what no one would have expected, and of course villains were not announced with hisses or soliloquies, they id not come cloaked in black, with ugly expressions. -From Atonement, page 147-
Ian McEwan’s NBCC award winning novel (which was also shortlisted for the 2001 Man Booker Prize) begins in England during a heatwave. Briony Tallis, a dramatic child obsessed with writing stories, prepares for the arrival of her Northern cousins - beautiful and manipulative Lola and her twin brothers - and her brother Leon. Briony’s older sister Cecilia meanwhile laments the long summer ahead of her and spars with the charwoman’s son Robbie. The initial chapters of Atonement move slowly, setting up the characters and establishing the sense of place. Set in the mid-1930s, the novel feels old-fashioned. Despite the slow pace, I enjoyed McEwan’s beautiful writing…and so once the plot and characters are fully established and things begin to unravel at the Tallis residence, my interest was quickly engaged.
The structure of Atonement is unusual - spanning several decades, and written from multiple points of view in three distinct parts which take the reader from England to France during WWII. But, the structure is one of the things that works well for a novel which thematically examines the interpretation of truth. McEwan manages to keep his reader unsettled, wondering at the characters’ motivations and leaving loose ends. It is not until the final page is turned that the reader is able to verify the whole story.
I can understand why Atonement captured the attention of the judges for prizes like the NBCC and the Booker, as well as the scriptwriters. It is a fully realized, very literary effort by an author who understands how to string together words which inspire, intrigue and tug at the heartstrings. I am happy that I waded through the early parts of the novel when the going was methodical. The reader who sticks with McEwan as he sets up the story will be rewarded in the end.
Recommended; 
Another excellent review of this book can be found here at What Kate’s Reading.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Ah, I see you did stick it out, and it WAS worth it.
I just listened to the audio book of On Chesil Beach, his newest work, which is a novella. I loved it, and would recommend the audio book because McEwan himself is the reader, and there’s a very good interview with him at the end.
My review is here: http://ravenousreader.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/on-chesil-beach-the-novella-challenge/
June 18th, 2008 at 4:49 am
Like you, I had a bit of a problem getting into the story, but after that I got hooked and absolutely loved the book.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I just started this one and am having trouble with the slow pace… I’m determined to stick with it, though, and your review definitely helps with that! Thanks.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I’ve heard so many good things about this book - but I read Chesil Beach last year and it really turned me off McEwan… Maybe one day I might give this one a go…
June 18th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Excellent review! This one has been on my TBR for a very long time! I loved the movie.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
RR: YES, it was worth it
I have heard mixed reviews of On Chesil Beach and so far haven’t picked up a copy. But now I’m curious!
Myrthe: I had heard such good things about the book so I *did* stick with it…and I’m glad I did!
Heather: Hang in there…it gets better, I promise!
Mrs. S.: As I mentioned above - I’ve heard mixed reviews on Chesil Beach. I can’t say whether it is similar in style to this one since this is my first McEwan book.
Tedd: Thanks! Don’t wait to read it - its worth the read!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I’ve had Atonement on my shelves for YEARS, and I’ve only picked it up and flipped through it a couple of times. Having read On Chesil Beach earlier this year, I am SO loving McEwan now. Thanks for a great review. I’m bumping it up on the TBR.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
The movie is really good too:)
June 20th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Like you, I struggled a bit through the first part of the novel, but it definitely was worth it in the end. I am glad you enjoyed it!
June 21st, 2008 at 8:15 am
Andi: I just picked up On Chesil Beach the other day! LOL! Hope you love this one.
Tracy: I’ve heard that…and I’ll have to see it sometime!
WendyCat: Almost everyone says the beginning bogged them down, but then they loved it!
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Hi there, I came over from Semicolon’s roundup! I also loved this book, probably one of my favorites this year - I reviewed it over on mine as well. However I had sort of the opposite problem with the pacing - the beginning absolutely sucked me in, then I thought it slowed tremendously when it got to the section of Robbie in France. How odd!
Great review!
June 24th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Kate: Thanks for stopping in! That is funny about how we were so opposite in our opinion about pacing! Just goes to show you that for every book there are many opinions