From the Bookshelf of The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge…

Atonement

Ian McEwan

Start date: July 1, 2019

Finish date: September 30, 2019

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What Members Thought

Oct 10, 2011 Weronika rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, english

The story changes perspective in the first 3rd of the book so many times it becomes a bit confusing, and a bit redundant, but in hindsight is really important to the story. The prose writing that McEwan obviously has a great dexterity in is really special. The events are so elaborate, a few times I couldn't wrap my head around them. And the sexual connotations, that Briony's crazy imagination doesn't interpret correctly, play a big part in the story, making me hate her even more. The ending came The story changes perspective in the first 3rd of the book so many times it becomes a bit confusing, and a bit redundant, but in hindsight is really important to the story. The prose writing that McEwan obviously has a great dexterity in is really special. The events are so elaborate, a few times I couldn't wrap my head around them. And the sexual connotations, that Briony's crazy imagination doesn't interpret correctly, play a big part in the story, making me hate her even more. The ending came as a shock, I really didn't see it coming, I had so many different endings in mind, but this totally blew my mind.
The story is centered around three main characters, each one giving us their perspective throughout the book.

Robbie is the son of a gardener and a cleaning lady for the Tallis family, he is a bright young man, always aspiring to be more. Mr. Tallis paid for his education at Cambridge, where he studied along with Cecilia. (And this alone made me jump to conclusions)He is a good-natured guy, helping everyone around him, to the point when his good acts come to be seen as a crime, according to a childs' imaginative mind.
Cecilia, a liberal girl, is the oldest daughter of the Tallises. Her education has separerad her from her family, but for some reason she can't seem to leave home, even while dreaming of moving out. Something is keeping her there, and just as she realizes what is it, her life is turned upside down. Briony can't seem to understand her, she is messy, unorganized and a smoker.
Briony the protagonist, is the most abnormal and clueless character. She loves her family so much that she will go to GREAT lengths to protect them. She consideres herself a writer, having written short stories since she was 7, and constantly having her nose in a thesaurus. Like I said, she has a very imaginative mind, as well as a young one. Being 13, she is right between being a child and an adult,a folly young girl, which lead her to misinterpret events, having no common sense she ruines peoples lives.

I really hated Briony, even if she doesn't know any better. And I wouldn't say this was atonement on Briony's side, more like guilt and a cowardly attempt at an apology. But in her crazy mind she did make it all better, in my mind she just wanted to write another good story.
After reading this book I am looking forward to reading other books by McEwan, his elaborate story telling, character development and subtle shifts in events are something special.

Overall the book was really great, I loved it, and the movie doesn't stray far from the book. Only little details are changed, and they don't really play a big part in the storyline. I think the actors that play the characters were well chosen. Especially Briony, that girl did a great job playing her character. I would recommend this book frist, and then the movie. It's one of few that actually follow the book really well. ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015, never-read

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

4.5 stars

Atonement was a great read. It is one of the few books where I absolutely hated the main character but loved the book. Briony is written in such a way that you really don't like her, or I really didn't like her, but she is supposed to be that way. It was an amazing read. I vaguely remembered the movie when I started reading, just remembered the beginning really, but didn't remember how it ended. That was probably good as the ending is This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

4.5 stars

Atonement was a great read. It is one of the few books where I absolutely hated the main character but loved the book. Briony is written in such a way that you really don't like her, or I really didn't like her, but she is supposed to be that way. It was an amazing read. I vaguely remembered the movie when I started reading, just remembered the beginning really, but didn't remember how it ended. That was probably good as the ending is interesting.

Atonement is the first of Ian McEwan's books I have read and I really enjoyed it. The writing is fantastic and just really put me into the story. This is really the story of Briony and how one terrible lie on her part affected everyone else. Man she was a horrible child. I understand she was only thirteen when the book opens, but she is so full of herself! She is really not likable at all to me. She is always making up stories and has a very active imagination so when she sees and reads something she doesn't understand she makes up what is actually happening. She tells people she saw something she never really saw. She ruins Robbie's life just because she is a spoiled little girl who thinks she knows what she is talking about when she really doesn't. Man she was horrible. I really really didn't like her, but I loved the story so that is a reflection of how well the author told this story.

Robbie, the servants son, and Cecilia, Briony's sister, find themselves falling for each other. It is not easy, Cecilia especially doesn't realize it right away, but it happens. Cecilia is just angry with him all the time until they finally figure things out. It was like the perfect storm of events that happened to ruin everything for them. Briony and her imagination accusing Robbie of things he never did, could never do. How she can turn so suddenly on him just from the one small things she finds out I do not know. After all Robbie was always around. Her parents treated him almost like their own. They were paying for his schooling and he was just a good person. Only Briony ruins all of his plans, all of his dreams, when she tells her imagined story as fact. It is just heartbreaking. You know he didn't do it, you know Briony is just adamant that her imagined scenario is the case, I got so angry with her all the time, and yet I loved reading it.

Robbie eventually goes off to war to try and get back to Cecilia quicker. He fights his way through hell trying to make his way back to her. As the story progresses you get bits and pieces of all three of their lives. What Briony is now doing, how she is trying to deal with the repercussions of what she did those years ago, how her sister is doing. Really a heartbreaking read. I did enjoy the ending, though I won't say too much about it as I don't want to ruin anything. Interesting read, really heartbreaking. I could have just cried for Robbie and Cecilia at times. A great read. ...more

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