Atonement
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I HATED this movie is the book worth reading?
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Viviana D.
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Jul 03, 2011 10:02PM
The movie was fantastic! The book was just as great too!
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O how could you have hated the movie? It won an academy award, for god's sake, and the colors of the sets were so exquisite! That gold against the ochre skyline with the greys of morning, the emerald green dress against the stone of the mansion. Give the cinematographer and the stylebook artist some credit, please! The credit card kind, at lieast. O heavens, you young mortal soul, Mr. McKewan isn't just any writer, either, you know. Perhaps that Kiera Knightly, wasn't exactly bubbling kitten formula past her perfectly painted lips, either. Bravo! The movie moved ME, that's for sure.
The film is a thing of beauty.christopher hampton,the screenwriter,adds much to mcewan.s view of atonement.
The novel is definately more detailed but closely follows the story. If you like reading the words and seeing the scene in your head your way rather than on the big screen than you just might like the novel. I saw the movie first and was very satisfied with the pace and similarity of the novel.
do you think atonement is a likeable concept?
It's a great book and a great film.
Really, the movie is better than the book. I found the book tedious. I found the movie visually compelling, even though the story was sometimes off-putting.
Loved the film (gorgeous detail), loved the book. Loved the soundtrack, too. It's a short read, so do give the book a try.
I thought this was a wonderful book, worth a try even if you didn't like the movie (which I loved, but I loved the book more). The plot is great, but I really adored the style, which felt foggy and yet introspective.... it's worth a shot!!
I saw the movie first and that prompted me to read the novel. Both media are quite good. This story shows the power that one lie can have in many people's lives.
To: "I HATED this movie is the book worth reading?"From: Shaun
Ditto and "NOPE"!
Regards,
ME
This was one of the better movies of that year; and the novel is good, too.
Scott wrote: "Really, the movie is better than the book. I found the book tedious. I found the movie visually compelling, even though the story was sometimes off-putting."The novel was well written.
I could not get through this book but after watching the film I then read the book, really like this author.
Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we set out to deceive.I cringed for Briony, silly little girl, confused, jealous, innocent of the implications of her allegations. Her life too, blighted by her over active imagination.
Read the book first, thoroughly enjoyed it, then it came out as a film, I thought the film was wonderfully done. I think it surpassed my expectations
To be honest I think as with all books adapted to screen, you should consider them as two completely different animals. I loved the Book and I also loved the film - but for completely different reasons, I would reccommend both but to different people!as a side note, I think Atonement is one of the better book to screen adaptions in recent years.....
The novel is definitely worth a read, even if it is just for the prose - lines like "his furrowed brow was a hieroglyph for his displeasure" make up some of my all time favourite lines of writing.
I haven't seen the movie, but I loved the book. It's very smart and well-constructed. You have to be a little patient to see how the book is put together. If you're interested in the craft of novel-writing, it's a really great work to study.
The novel reminds me of what H.G. Wells said about Henry James: "He chewed more than he bit off." The only other McEwan I've read is "Amsterdam", with some of the same themes, but funnier and shorter. (Which is not to say that the books are really alike at all, so "Atonement" fans aren't advised to run and order it). "Atonement" seemed to me like a paler, more attenuated "Brideshead Revisited."
Nick wrote: "The novel reminds me of what H.G. Wells said about Henry James: "He chewed more than he bit off." The only other McEwan I've read is "Amsterdam", with some of the same themes, but funnier and shor..."See, I didn't care for AMSTERDAM at all. What I liked about ATONEMENT was the way he played with narrative and the unreliable narrator. A lot of what seemed drifty and slow in the first part, when you get to the end of the book, it all makes sense structurally, IMO.
although the film closely follows the book, the book is much more profound and the characters have more depth. I enjoyed both but found the book really moving and thought provoking.
The only thing I found more boring and pointless than this movie, was this book. It went round and round in circles, and really didn't have a lot to say in the end...it was not compelling in the slightest. I stuck it out till the end, but it wasn't worth it. Still, clearly there are some people who liked it....it always suprises me how different everyone's tastes are, so just give it a go. If you get a quarter of the way through and are hating it, don't bother to go on, it doesn't get better!
I really enjoyed the movie adaptation, and saw it before I knew there was a book. I have often wondered if the book was worth reading. There are so many differing opinions on both the book and the movie, it sounds like one should just pick up the book and give it a try. When I saw it was originally a novel, it made me want to know more about the characters, the story behind the lie, and why Briony did what she did. I think I'll just have to pick up the book and try it for myself. :)
David wrote: "Scott wrote: "Really, the movie is better than the book. I found the book tedious. I found the movie visually compelling, even though the story was sometimes off-putting."The novel was well written..."
If by 'well written' you mean 'has no fragments or run-ons' then perhaps you are correct.
The movie, however, is more than just the story. Although, the story lends itself to a movie, which is pretty much why it reads more like the draft of a screenplay.
The movie has aching visuals, really tight transitions, and several wonderful performances. The book reads like a Virginia Woolf novel that was ghost-written by James Patterson.
I liked the movie - as much as I can like something that made me feel so wretched.I struggled to read the book - it has some really beautiful imagery, and it really delves into the deepest, murkiest parts of the human conscience, but I just found it hard to digest. It was slow going, which I found frustrating, but it was worth it in the end.
The movie was very odd but the book was actually good. I made the classic mistake of thinking the movie would be just as good as the book. It's like when you read a Harry Potter book before seeing the movie. It's just not the same. *sigh*
It's too bad you saw the movie before reading the book. I consider Atonement to be one of best books I've read by Ian McEwan, and I've read several. The characters are beautifully drawn and developed, and the period happens to be one of my favorites, as is the book's setting. I can imagine the ending of the film being sort of a let down (I, too, saw the film and seem to remember thinking the ending was handled somewhat poorly), but the way it's handled in print is far superior.
What a strange way to introduce a discussion of a book and or film.... Both of which were excellent. Even if you did not fully follow the plot or warm to the players, even develop a total dislike of the brat who caused such upset and heartbreak....should one not try and find merit in some part of the experience? It is a very complicated social story set in a time when things were certainly not easy nor straight forward. I read this and later watched, wondering how I would have managed such events in my life and how hard the heartbreak would be. Then felt fortunate to have missed such upset and challenges. While pleased to read such a journey.
It is absolutely worth reading, as is anything by Ian McEwan. I love this book!Nathalie
http://bookmenus.blogspot.com/
Nathalie wrote: "It is absolutely worth reading, as is anything by Ian McEwan. I love this book!Nathalie
http://bookmenus.blogspot.com/"
One of my favorites is SATURDAY....really enjoyed that.
One of my favorites is SATURDAY....really enjoyed that."Oh yea, I forgot about that one. All in one day! That one rivals Atonement.
I really enjoyed the book, however the movie was just so boring and Kiera Knightly is just so bland and ruined the movie for me.
Fabulous book, and a great example of writing ABOUT writing.
LAS wrote: "Fabulous book, and a great example of writing ABOUT writing."Yes, exactly!
I really can't stand this over-rated, mainstream, commercial novelist and am at a loss as to what so many people seem to see in the literary quality of his writing that redeems his work.
David wrote: "I really can't stand this over-rated, mainstream, commercial novelist and am at a loss as to what so many people seem to see in the literary quality of his writing that redeems his work."Sad for you only........not the rest of us!
Odds are very high that if you are reading a great many books like this in the mainstream, then you may be insufficiently challenging yourself in your reading. If you honestly think that this commercial hack is great, then I would invite you to go to Listopia for the "Goodreads Top 100 Literary Novels of All Time" where you can easily find 100 far better novels than "Amsterdam", "Atonement" and "Saturday" all of which I have had the misfortune to read.
David, I've only read AMSTERDAM and ATONEMENT, and as mentioned way upthread, I really did not like Amsterdam, at all. For me, there didn't seem to be a lot to it. I think as LAS wrote, Atonement is a very good book about the process of writing and how we often try to create narratives of our lives that make it easier to live with ourselves and the less than stellar decisions we've made. The artificiality of certain sections (I won't post a spoiler) fits into what the book really is about, rather than what it seems to be about when you're reading it for the first time. Does Atonement belong in the Best Literary Novels of All Time? I wouldn't make that argument. I would argue that it's a good book and well worth reading. YMMV.
I thought the book was boring. I also read another book by Ian McEwan and don't get what all the fuss is about.
This book is utterly amazing in my opinion. I'm currently studying so I may be biased but I don't think you would regret giving this book a try even if you didn't love it I can't see anyone hating it. Ok that's a stretch but basically I think everyone can get something out of it.The movie was just that a movie, it couldn't grasp the true essence of what the book is. I think you'd be doing it an injustice not to give it a try. :D
Yes, the book is much better.
LAS wrote: "Fabulous book, and a great example of writing ABOUT writing."I agree with LAS
Didn't see the movie...don't know if I want to. The book is from the perspective of the different characters. It is amazing to me how a grown man could so beautifully and accurately capture what a young girl was feeling and thinking, what motivated her and then again do the same thing when that young girl grew into a woman. His descriptions of the mother (what was her name?)are almost eerie in the meanderings of her thoughts as she lies in a darkened room trying to fight off a migraine. And by the way, his ability to describe what it is to suffer from migraines as a way of life, or any chronic malaise for that matter, was accurate and amazingly alive. McEwan's ability to capture all of the minutae that make up a moment in time that become a memory, made me feel as if I had lived certain moments in that house, myself.I didn't find myself as captured by the last half of the book, even though I am usually interested in any WWII history. It almost felt as though a different writer had picked up where McEwan left off. And unfortunately, I felt so deceived by the ending of the book, that it left me very dissatisfied. For me, the first half of the book is worth reading for the beauty of expression, the last half is only worth reading to discover who the bad guys really are, if you haven't figured it out already.
I don't know what you guys are talking about....the movie was great!
Sue wrote: "I don't know what you guys are talking about....the movie was great!"I loved the film too! They did a great job with the "library" scene!
Nathalie
http://bookmenus.blogspot.com/2011/12...
Yeah, one of my favorites! Book and movie
I would absolutely recommend the book; McEwan is a brilliant writer and I think the movie, as most movies made from books, did not do the book justice.
I prefered the movie over the book.
I like most of Ian McEwan's books, and Atonement is one of my favorites. I thought the movie represented it well. That being the case, I tend to think if you 'HATED' the movie, it's pretty unlikely you will enjoy the book.
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